What effect does ecstasy have on the brain?

Researchers from the University of Liverpool (UK) have conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the effect of ecstasy, or MDMA, on different brain regions. Previous literature has reported mixed observations on the effect of MDMA on serotonin neurons butthis new meta-analysis, published recently in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, concludes that serotonin axons with the longest projections from the raphe nuclei may be the most affected. The team analyzed the findings of seven independent studies that used molecular brain imaging to investigate the effect of ecstasy in regular users compared to polydrug using controls. Previous studies have been limited by small sample...