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Prospective memory impairment in “ecstasy” (MDMA) users

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Abstract

Rationale

Considerable research indicates that “ecstasy” users perceive their memory for future intentions (prospective memory) to be impaired. However, only one empirical study to date has directly tested how this capacity is affected by ecstasy use, and this study provided relatively limited information regarding the extent, scope, or implications of problems experienced.

Objectives

The present study assessed prospective performance on a laboratory measure of prospective memory that closely represents the types of prospective memory tasks that actually occur in everyday life and provides an opportunity to investigate the different sorts of prospective memory failures that occur (“Virtual Week”).

Method

Ecstasy user group (27 current users and 34 nonusers) was between participants, and prospective memory task (regular, irregular, time-check) was within participants. A measure sensitive to specific aspects of psychopathology was also administered.

Results

Ecstasy users were significantly impaired on Virtual Week, and these deficits were of a comparable magnitude irrespective of the specific prospective memory task demands. The pattern of results was unchanged after controlling for marijuana use, level of psychopathology, and sleep quality. Further, prospective memory was shown to be significantly impaired for both relatively infrequent and relatively frequent ecstasy users, although for the latter group the magnitude of this deficit was greater.

Conclusions

Prospective memory performance is sensitive to regular and even moderate ecstasy use. Importantly, ecstasy users experience generalized difficulties with prospective memory, suggesting that these deficits are likely to have important implications for day-to-day functioning.

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Acknowledgments

We hereby declare we have no conflicts with this research and did not receive funds from a commercial sponsor. We also declare the experiments comply with the current laws of Australia, the country in which they were performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Australia Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia

    Peter G. Rendell & Timothy J. Gray

  2. School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    Julie D. Henry

  3. School of Psychology, Australia Catholic University, Brisbane, Australia

    Anne Tolan

  4. School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, 115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065, Australia

    Peter G. Rendell

Authors
  1. Peter G. Rendell
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  2. Timothy J. Gray
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  3. Julie D. Henry
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  4. Anne Tolan
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Correspondence to Peter G. Rendell.

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Rendell, P.G., Gray, T.J., Henry, J.D. et al. Prospective memory impairment in “ecstasy” (MDMA) users. Psychopharmacology 194, 497–504 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0859-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0859-z

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