Neurology So MDMA can be helpful in trauma therapy, but what about its long term neurological effects? Does it really turn your brain into Swiss cheese, as is often claimed by worried parents? Or cause Parkinson’s disease? Recent evidence suggests the opposite. ǀĂĐƵĂƚĞ ƚŚĞ ĂŶĐĞ &ůŽŽƌ ^ŝŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ ƵƐĞ ŽĨ D D ďĞĐĂŵĞ ŝůůĞŐĂů ŝŶ ƚŚĞ h͘^ ŝŶ ϭϵϴϱ͕ ƐĞǀĞƌĂů ʹ ŽŌĞŶ ŐŽǀĞƌŶŵĞŶƚ ĮŶĂŶĐĞĚͲ ƐƚƵĚŝĞƐ ŚĂǀĞ ďĞĞŶ ĐŽŶĚƵĐƚĞĚ ƚŽ ƉƌŽǀĞ ŝƚƐ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ĞīĞĐƚƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďƌĂŝŶ͘ /Ŷ ϭϵϵϴ͕ ŶĞƵƌŽůŽŐŝƐƚ 'ĞŽƌŐĞ ZŝĐĂƵƌƚĞ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ƚŽ ƉƵďůŝƐŚ Ă ƐƚƵĚLJ ŽŶ D D ͘ ZŝĐĂƵƌƚĞ ĐůĂŝŵĞĚ ƚŚĂƚ ĐƐƚĂƐLJ ĐĂƵƐĞƐ ďƌĂŝŶ ĚĂŵĂŐĞ ŝŶ ŚƵŵĂŶƐ͕ ƐƵŐŐĞƐƟŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƚƐ ƵƐĞƌƐ ĐŽƵůĚ ůŽƐĞ ƵƉ ƚŽ ϴϱй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ďƌĂŝŶ͛Ɛ ƐĞƌŽƚŽŶŝŶ ĨƵŶĐƟŽŶ͘ hƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƌĞƐƵůƚƐ͕ ƚŚĞ h͘^͘ ďĞŐĂŶ ŝƚƐ ͚ ƌĂŝŶ ŽŶ ĐƐƚĂƐLJ͛ ĐĂŵƉĂŝŐŶ͘ LJ ƐƉƌĞĂĚŝŶŐ ƉŽƐƚ ĐĂƌĚƐ ƐŚŽǁŝŶŐ Ă ďƌĂŝŶ ƐĐĂŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ͚D D ďƌĂŝŶ͕͛ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĂƉƉĞĂƌĞĚ ƚŽ ďĞ ĨƵůů ŽĨ ŚŽůĞƐ͕ ĐƐƚĂƐLJ ƉĂŶŝĐ ĂƌŽƐĞ͘ /Ŷ Ă ĨŽůůŽǁͲƵƉ ƐƚƵĚLJ͕ ZŝĐĂƵƌƚĞ ĂĚĚĞĚ ƚŚĂƚ ƵƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƉĂƌƚLJ ĚƌƵŐ ʹ ĞǀĞŶ ŽŶĐĞͲ ĐŽƵůĚ ĐĂƵƐĞ WĂƌŬŝŶƐŽŶ͛Ɛ ĚŝƐĞĂƐĞ͘ But all claims proved to be unfounded. The WĂƌŬŝŶƐŽŶ͛Ɛ ƐƚƵĚLJ͕ ƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚ ďLJ ^ĐŝĞŶĐĞ͕ was retracted when researchers discovered ƚŚĂƚ ǀŝĂůƐ ŽĨ D D ŚĂĚ ďĞĞŶ ĂĐĐŝĚĞŶƚĂůůLJ ƐǁŝƚĐŚĞĚ ŽƵƚ ĨŽƌ ŵĞƚŚĂŵƉŚĞƚĂŵŝŶĞ͕ ĂůƐŽ ŬŶŽǁŶ ĂƐ ƌLJƐƚĂů DĞƚŚ͕ D D ͛Ɛ ůĞƐƐ ĨŽƌŐŝǀ-‐ ŝŶŐ ŶĞƉŚĞǁ͘ /Ŷ ϮϬϬϮ͕ ƚŚĞ ƌŝƟƐŚ ŵĂŐĂnjŝŶĞ EĞǁ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ĂůƐŽ ƐƚĂƌƚĞĚ ƋƵĞƐƟŽŶŝŶŐ Zŝ-‐ ĐĂƵƌƚĞ͛Ɛ ďŽĚLJ ŽĨ ǁŽƌŬ͘ >ĞĂĚŝŶŐ ŝŶĚĞƉĞŶĚ-‐ ent researchers were asked to look at the ĞǀŝĚĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĂŶƐǁĞƌ ŽŶĞ ƋƵĞƐƟŽŶ͗ ŽĞƐ D D ĚĂŵĂŐĞ ďƌĂŝŶ ĐĞůůƐ͍ EĞǁ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ͛Ɛ ĐŽŶĐůƵƐŝŽŶ ǁĂƐ͗ ͚ƚŚĞ ũƵƌLJ ŝƐ ƐƟůů ŽƵƚ͛͘
ϭϲ
EŽ ƌĂŝŶ ĂŵĂŐĞ Ɛ ŽĨ &ĞďƌƵĂƌLJ ϮϬϭϭ͕ ƚŚĞ ũƵƌLJ ƐĞĞŵƐ ƚŽ ŚĂǀĞ ƌĞĂĐŚĞĚ Ă ǀĞƌĚŝĐƚ͘ ,ĂƌǀĂƌĚ hŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ͛Ɛ :ŽŚŶ ,ĂůƉĞƌŶ ƌĞĐĞŶƚůLJ ƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚ Ă ƐƚƵĚLJ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŵĞĚŝĐĂů ũŽƵƌŶĂů ĚĚŝĐƟŽŶ ƚŚĂƚ ĞdžĂŵŝŶĞĚ ƚŚĞ ĞīĞĐƚƐ ŽĨ ĐƐƚĂƐLJ ŽŶ ĐŽŐŶŝƟǀĞ ĂďŝůŝƚLJ͘ ,ŝƐ ĐŽŶĐůƵƐŝŽŶ͗ ŚĞĂǀLJ ƌĞĐƌĞĂƟŽŶĂů ĐƐƚĂƐLJ ƵƐĞ ĚŽĞƐ ŶŽƚ ĐĂƵƐĞ ĐŽŐŶŝƟǀĞ ĚĂŵĂŐĞ͘ Halpern and his colleagues compared ϱϮ ůŽŶŐͲƚĞƌŵ ĐƐƚĂƐLJ ƵƐĞƌƐ͕ ĂŐĞĚ ϭϴ ƚŽ ϰϱ͕ ǁŝƚŚ ϱϵ ŶŽŶͲƵƐĞƌƐ͕ Ăůů ŽĨ ǁŚŽŵ ǁĞƌĞ ĚƌƵŐͲ ƚĞƐƚĞĚ ƉƌŝŽƌ ƚŽ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐƚƵĚLJ ƚŽ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ ĂĐĐƵƌĂƚĞ ƌĞƐƵůƚƐ͘ hŶůŝŬĞ ƉƌĞ-‐ ǀŝŽƵƐ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ͕ ŽŶůLJ ͚ƌĂǀĞƌƐ͛ ǁĞƌĞ ƚĞƐƚĞĚ͕ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ ƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ ŽƚŚĞƌ ƐŝĚĞ ĞīĞĐƚƐ ŽĨ ŚĂǀŝŶŐ Ă ƉĂƌƚLJ ůŝĨĞƐƚLJůĞ ʹĨŽƌ ĞdžĂŵƉůĞ ƌĞƉĞĂƚĞĚ ƐůĞĞƉ ĂŶĚ ŇƵŝĚ ĚĞƉƌŝǀĂƟŽŶͲ ǁŽƵůĚ ŶŽƚ ŝŶŇƵĞŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ ŽƵƚĐŽŵĞƐ͘ dŚĞ ĞdžƉĞƌŝŵĞŶƚ ĂůƐŽ ĐŽƌƌĞĐƚ-‐ ĞĚ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƉŽƐƐŝďŝůŝƚLJ ƚŚĂƚ ĂŶLJ ĐŽŐŶŝƟǀĞ ŝŵ-‐ ƉĂŝƌŵĞŶƚ ƐŚŽǁŶ ďLJ ĐƐƚĂƐLJ ƵƐĞƌƐ ŵŝŐŚƚ ŚĂǀĞ ďĞĞŶ ŝŶ ƉůĂĐĞ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ƚŚĞLJ ƐƚĂƌƚĞĚ ƵƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ drug. EŽƚ ĞǀĞƌLJŽŶĞ ǁĂƐ ĐŽŶǀŝŶĐĞĚ͘ ZĞ-‐ ĐĞŶƚůLJ ƚŚĞ h͘<͘ EĂƟŽŶĂů ,ĞĂůƚŚ ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞ ;E,^ Ϳ ƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚ ĂŶ ĂƌƟĐůĞ ŝŶ ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐĞ ƚŽ ,ĂůƉ-‐ ĞƌŶ͛Ɛ ƐƚƵĚLJ͕ ĐůĂŝŵŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ͞ǁŝƚŚŽƵƚ ĨƵƌƚŚĞƌ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ͕ ŝƚ ŝƐ ŶŽƚ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ ƚŽ ƐĂLJ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ ŶŽ ĞǀŝĚĞŶĐĞ ƚŚĂƚ ĞĐƐƚĂƐLJ ĐĂƵƐĞƐ ďƌĂŝŶ ĚĂŵĂŐĞ͘͟ Ŷ ŝŶĐŽƌƌĞĐƚ ĂƐƐĞƌƟŽŶ͕ ĂĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐ ƚŽ ,ĂůƉĞƌŶ͕ ͞tŚĂƚ ŝƐ ĐƌŝƟĐĂů ƚŽ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚ ŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ ƚŚĂƚ ǁĞ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ŚĂǀĞ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƐŽƌƚƐ ŽĨ ĚĞďĂƚĞƐ