Relationship Between Ecstasy and Memory in the Human Body
Rationale and Variables: The Experiment that was conducted in class determined the affects of 'ecstasy' or MDMA on the participants' memory. In addition to testing for their ability to recall information it also looked at the number of false memory that were related to the actual word "slow" in the class study. In the experiment Dr. Earleywine used a list of words that were to be memorized, and recall in a given time. This study is related to another experiment conducted by A.C Parrott and J. Lasky. In their study they looked at the effects of "ecstasy" or MDMA on mood and cognition. They tested three groups: non- MDMA, novice-MDMA users, and regular MDMA users. They used different methods to test the three groups, included in the methods was word recall, which was also used in the class study by Dr. Earleywine. The result from that experiment showed that "ecstasy" or MDMA users did have memory problems. Another study was also conducted by A.C. Parrott, A. Leess, N.J Garnham M. Jones, and K. Wesnes, which was relate also to the other experiments. This experiment was conducted using three groups: non-MDMA, novice-MDMA and regular MDMA users. They used series of methods to conduct their study, and found their results similar to the earlier study. Analyzing the finding of the two studies, Dr. Earleywine decided to do a study with the mind set of making a connection between the rates of intrusions that participants who have used MDMA, compared with the rate of intrusions with participants, who did not use MDMA. The independent variables were the two groups MDMA users and non-MDMA users, and the dependent variables are the intrusions, and words recalled.
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...t would back up the other studies that were conducted. The second problem with the study was that there was only a single trial of word recall task. The study should have not based their result in one memory based trial. If there were at least two or three-targeted word then the results would have been large and could have been compared between the different recalls that the participants wrote down. The result would have been different, because the more information that the study receives the better and more reliable that result becomes. Which in turn would have supported the two articles that related to the study. The third problem with the study was it failed to determine if other drugs that also impair memory were used with ecstasy. To make the study only exclusive to MDMA it should be taken to consideration if other drugs that impaired memory were also used.
The first study I reviewed was “Creating False Memories: Remembering Words Not Presented in Lists” by Roediger III and Kathleen B. McDermott. The study was published in 1995, in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory & Cognition. Roediger and McDermott conducted two separate experiments in their study. The experiments were modeled after Deese’s 1959 study “On the Prediction of Occurrences of Particular Verbal Intrusions in Immediate Recall.” The results of Deese’s study concluded that participants falsely recalled a nonpresented critical lure 44% of the time. 36 students from Rice University participated in Roediger and McDermott’s first experiment. The students participated as part of a course project. The participants were presented with six lists that were developed from Deese’s study and Russell and Jenkins 1954 study “The complete Minnesota norms for responses to 100 words from the Kent-Rosanoff word association Test.” The six lists that were chosen for the Roediger and McDermott study were shown to elicit high rates of false recall in Deese’s study. The list contained 12 associated words that related to one nonpresented word. An example nonpresented word is chair, the 12 associated w...
Randall, T. "Rave" scene, ecstasy use, leap Atlantic. Journal of the American Medical Association. 268: 1507 (1992)b.
Therefore, they summarize that the reason why Clive suffers in the Amnesia is caused by the hippocampus is not affected. The Hippocampus is a structure that is located inside the temporal lobe, and that is a part of the limbic system. The function of the Hippocampus is similar to a post office used for encoding, storage and recalling memories, all presenting information would first remain, analysed and encoded in the Hippocampus then transmit them to different areas of the brain. In other words, Clive is unable to encode memory and hold information which is currently aware, and it is difficult to form new long-term memory such as explicit and semantic memory. Clive Wearing, now 78 years old, still cannot recover from the anterograde amnesia, he becomes a man who has the shortest memory in the world.
MDMA, also known as Ecstasy, beans, rolls, or just plain X. This drug has a long history, which began almost 90 years ago. In 1912 Merck, a German pharmaceutical company, first synthesized MDMA (Erowid). MDMA was then patented in 1913 or maybe 1914 (patent #274.350) by the same German company supposedly to be sold as a diet pill (The Invention). The patent has no mention of any intended uses of the drug. There are other urban legends associated with Ecstasy, such as in 1953 the US Army tested MDMA as a possible truth serum, but there is no evidence for this (Saunders).
In a world where mental illnesses like PTSD, depression, and autism are becoming more and more prevalent, MDMA, or “Ecstasy” is just the mental boost that someone needs and is illegally being dealt to patients while in therapy or counseling. The theory is that MDMA can raise “happiness levels” by forcing the brain to release serotonin and dopamine at the same time, resulting in intense euphoria and “ego softening” (Errowid). Some other side effects of MDMA can include feelings of inner peace, increase in social bonding, and an increase in ability to communicate. Some of the less positive side effects can be eye wiggling, increased heart rate, and dehydration. All of which, are quite manageable and not too noticeable. Sufferers of social anxiety and depression could greatly benefit from MDMA, as it can break down inner boundaries and increase the need to be around other people. A grou...
The activity is artificial. However, the findings can be used to help improve the memory. The study is well controlled, so it is unlikely that there are any other factors affecting the findings. However, some participants may guess the aim, and may either try to help the experimenter or hinder. As I am using an independent groups design, there will be no problem with order effects, but individual differences may have an effect on the results.
Since memory and pleasure zones are intertwined in the brain, many researchers have been using psychological approaches to stop drug use.
B) The authors idea with writing this article is that ecstasy abuse will be eliminated from all military branches. This idea is backed up with what he said about the testing results, “Navy Medicine also tested the product at the Navy Drug Screening Lab in Jacksonville, Fla., before rolling it out to the troops”. This comment by the author can be interpreted as successful results. Another of the author’s ideas or comments is that he claims to say that ecstasy abuse is rising in all over the country, and that the military should get more involved to stop it. The military is improving ecstasy testing on humans. “Although the Navy maintains a zero-tolerance position on drug abuse”, this means they are doing their best to stop drug abuse, and they are improving testing methods.
As brain systems begin working, memory also starts to work. (4). The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid afor I am intrigued by the fact that short-term memory can work independently of long-term memory. While long-term memory can be achieved through the repetition of a fact that is in the short-term memory, it appears that in amnesiac patients their long-term memory tends to return faster than their short-term memory. They can remember their favorite childhood food, but cannot remember why they are in the hospital.
Rave as a Post- Modern Phenomena is continuing to increase is size. Every year more teenagers discover the potential of this way to have fun. They suddenly feel part of something, which they enjoy. However, the rave phenomena primarily depended of taking the drugs. Unfortunately, like any other culture, or cult hippies is self-stupefying. This means that the ignorance of the Ravers maintains as the existence of Raves. Those who become part of such drug taking culture, the problem often intensified, due to the lack of sport with in the raving community, who are still having too much fun. This is made worse because, there is also a lack of support in the community for the victims of recreational drug abuse.
It was initially intended to be used as a blood clotting agent and its psychoactive properties were disregarded until years later in 1965 when psycho-pharmacologist Alexander Shulgin began synthesizing the substance. He tested MDMA on himself and was interested in the drug because of its effects, particularly on inhibition. Shulgin gives a preview of the substance’s therapeutic value when he reported that he “experienced the feeling one has after the second martini. That one is discoursing brilliantly and with particularly acute analytical powers.” The analytical powers that Shulgin mentioned will be assessed further into this chapter when MDMA’s neural mechanism is explained in greater
Drugs affect your brain and in turn can alter your moods and behavior. Drugs are chemicals that tap into our brain’s communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells receive, send and process information. Drugs interfere with the exchange of information in the brain producing changes that promote repeated drug use. Drugs can imitate the brain’s natural chemical messengers, or they over stimulate the reward circuit of our brain.
Stroke is a medical condition most people are familiar with, but most people are unaware of its effect on memory functions. There have been several studies conducted that study of effects of stroke on different memory systems, how to properly assess memory damage in stroke patients as well as how to improve memory after stroke. A major theme from the course that relates to stroke and memory is the theme of metamemory and its components such as prospective memory. Personally, I believe that these studies offer hope to stroke victims and their families because memory damage can evaluated and therefore a method of treatment can be developed.
What is admired about this article is that it show the numbers of many different people that is effect by this form of substance abuse. The numbers are telling how they are being effected or how they are effecting others and even how they winded up with this situation in the first place. The article is a design experiment but also give a variety of
The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.