Ecstasy and cognition

A new study led by John Halpern of Maclean Hospital in Belmont, Massachussetts has found no evidence that ecstasy affects people's cognitive abilities. The study of 111 people compared 52 ecstasy users with 59 non-users. The non-users were also members of the "rave" scene and had also taken part in all-night raves where they suffered from fluid and sleep deprivation. The participants were screened for drug and alcohol use to make sure they were unaffected on the day of testing and the ecstasy users did not habitually use other drugs that might impair their cognition. The study found no signs that ecstasy impaired people's cognitive ability but the study's authors point out that there are still a number of other risks to taking ecstasy including other side effects and the risk of overdosing and contamination.