Preliminary evidence of motor impairment among polysubstance 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine users with intact neuropsychological functioning.
Neuropsychological disturbances have been reported in association with use of the recreational drug ecstasy, or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), but findings have been inconsistent. We performed comprehensive neuropsychological testing examining seven ability domains in 21 MDMA users (MDMA) and 21 matched control participants (MDMA-). Among MDMA participants, median interquartile range lifetime MDMA use was 186 111, 516 doses, with 120 35-365 days of abstinence. There were no significant group differences in neuropsychological performance, with the exception of the motor speeddexterity domain in which 43% of MDMA were impaired compared with 5% of MDMA- participants (p .004). Motor impairment differences were not explained by use of other substances and were unrelated to length of abstinence or lifetime number of MDMA doses. Findings provide limited evidence for neuropsychological differences between MDMA and MDMA- participants with the exception of motor impairments observed in the MDMA group. However, replication of this finding in a larger sample is warranted.