Research Paper On Ecstasy

Ecstasy (MDMA) acts both as a supplement and as a hallucinogenic because its molecular structure is similar to that of both amphetamines and LSD. Similar to amphetamines, ecstasy causes the release of the neurotransmitter called serotonin. It then blocks the synaptic terminal that released it which also blocks reuptake of serotonin. Lastly, ecstasy uses up the amount of serotonin in the brain and it takes a few hours for the synaptic terminal to reuptake the serotonin again.
Ecstasy also augments the power of the effects of norepinephrine and dopamine but it is different from other psychostimulants due to its large association with the serotonin neurotransmitters. As soon as one consumes ecstasy, the initial effect ecstasy would have is an larger release of serotonin from the serotonergic

An associate professor of neurobiology at Johns Hopkins University named Dr. George Ricaurte conducted and analyzed a series of brain scans on people who had been under the influence of ecstasy. The scans included people’s brains that had consumed ecstasy more than 200 times in five years. Ecstasy did not seem to have an effect on the overall behavior of these people, however, the scans did reveal damage to the brains due to use of the drug. The more frequently someone used the drug, the more damage there was to their brain according to the scans.
Scientists are still unsure if the brain damage ecstasy causes is permanent or if the damaged cells will eventually replace themselves. It is also still unknown if the loss of certain cells due to ecstasy has any effect on behavior or one’s ability to think. Although information from the brain scans was helpful in scientists’ ability to understand ecstasy and its effects, it is hard to control all the different variables when using humans as the subject, and thus it is difficult to draw conclusions about how much damage ecstasy actually does to the human