MDMA - Not really that bad after all...

THIS IS A FORWARD FROM MAPS
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Hello all,

A new study in monkeys suggests that previous reports overestimated risk of
neurotoxicity. I have posted a report on this study on the MAPS web site.

A recent report examining what happened to the brain serotonin and dopamine
systems of rhesus monkeys after eighteen months of self-administration
failed to find any significant changes in either neurotransmitter system,
suggesting that previous studies of long-term MDMA effects may have
overestimated MDMA neurotoxicity. This may be one of the most significant
reports published this year, especially as it calls into question a number
of studies in monkeys pointing to long-term serotonin neurotoxicity after
repeated doses of MDMA. Those older studies employed higher doses and more
frequent drug administrations because they assumed this was necessary to
make doses similar to those in humans. Findings from another study (Bowyer
et al. 2003) suggest that these doses were too high, and that the doses of
MDMA used in this study are probably closer to those used by Ecstasy
users. These findings may tell us something about the importance of dosage
and frequency of MDMA administration in producing drug effects, and it may
also tell us something about the nature of response to self-administration
versus drug administration that occurs independent of an animal's
actions. At the least, study findings strongly suggest that taking MDMA in
the doses, interval and conditions used in therapeutic conditions are very
unlikely to produce any kind of harm to serotonin axons.

To read more about this research, visit here:
http://www.maps.org/sys/w3pb.pl?mode=show&type=review&r_id=1

The report may look a little different from the ones you are used to. This
new look for reviews, commentaries and summaries may be more common in future.

If you wish to read the paper, try the link below:

http://www.maps.org/w3pb/new/2004/2004_fantegrossi_20541_1.pdf\\

I wonder what the monkey's names are

lucky monkeys, wish theyd do voluntary human testing

anyways, its a good thing to hear. means my brain probably isnt as fried as i thought it was. but the tests werent done in correlation with other amphetamines was it, which is what is a bit more of a concern when it comes to neurotoxicity. i mean, who has pills alone on a night out these days? and even they usually contain speed.

me! i take pilz alone! and keep that spee3d shit away! dont put it in my pilz...

lucky monkeyz... not all labratory animals have a bad life.

Another major difference between this study and studies that have found signs of harm to brain serotonin neurons is that MDMA was self-administered in this study, and not given to subjects by the researchers. This is referred to as "contingent" administration, in contrast to "noncontigent" administration, and the authors note that studies with other substances suggest that drug effects, even effects on brain chemistry, can depend on whether non-human animal subjects self-administer the substance, or are given it independent of their actions. To date, no research has studied differences in effects of contingent and noncontingent administration of MDMA, but this study raises the possibility that such differences exist. It may be the case that MDMA is only harmful to serotonin cells when it is given noncontingently, but that such effects are greatly reduced when doses are self-administered.

Click to expand...

Very interesting... I wonder, does this mean bad set / setting may also result in harm to serotonin cells?

Much more informative

The WHOLE article from Front Page