There is no convincing evidence that moderate MDMA use is associated with structural or functional brain alterations in neuroimaging measures .
MDMA ( " ecstasy " ) is widely used as a recreational drug , although there has been some debate about its neurotoxic effects in humans .
However , most studies have investigated subjects with heavy use patterns , and the effects of transient MDMA use are unclear .
In this review , we therefore focus on subjects with moderate use patterns , in order to assess the evidence for harmful effects .
Use, abuse and dependence of ecstasy and related drugs in adolescents and young adults-a transient phenomenon? Results from a longitudinal community study.
OBJECTIVE To determine incidence and patterns of natural course of ecstasy/stimulant/hallucinogen ( ESH ) use and disorders as well as cohort effects in a community sample of adolescents and young adults . METHOD Cumulative incidence and patterns of ecstasy use and disorders were examined in a prospect i ve longitudinal design ( mean follow-up period=42 months ) in a representative sample ( N=2446 ) aged 14 - 24 years at the outset of the study . Patterns of DSM-IV defined ESH use , abuse and dependence were assessed with the Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview ( M-CIDI ) . RESULTS ( 1 ) Cumulative lifetime incidence for use of ESH at second follow-up : 9.1 % , 1.0 % for abuse , 0.6 % for dependence ; ( 2 ) men used and abused ESH more often than women ; ( 3 ) the younger birth cohort ( 1977 - 81 ) tended to start earlier with substance (ab)use compared to the older birth cohort ( 1970 - 77 ) ; ( 4 ) use of ESH was associated with increasing rates of concomitant use of other licit and illicit drugs ; ( 5 ) the majority of the lifetime ESH users without disorder had stopped to use these substances and not consumed them during the 12 months preceding the second follow-up ; ( 6 ) those who had stopped to take ecstasy and related drugs at follow-up also took other illicit drugs  less often than those who continued to consume ESH . CONCLUSIONS Use of design er drugs is widespread in our sample , but the probability of developing use disorders is fairly low ( 1.6 % ) . The majority of the ESH users stopped their use spontaneously in their twenties ( 80 % of the prior users without disorder , 67 % of the prior abusers ) , but 50 % of those that once had fulfilled DSM-IV criteria of dependence continued to use these substances
There is no convincing evidence that moderate MDMA use is associated with structural or functional brain alterations in neuroimaging measures .
MDMA ( " ecstasy " ) is widely used as a recreational drug , although there has been some debate about its neurotoxic effects in humans .
However , most studies have investigated subjects with heavy use patterns , and the effects of transient MDMA use are unclear .
In this review , we therefore focus on subjects with moderate use patterns , in order to assess the evidence for harmful effects .