Recent Depression Symptoms Associated with Ecstasy Use and Reduced White Matter Integrity in Three Frontolimbic Tracts

“Ecstasy”, a common designer drug that contains 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), can cause feelings of euphoria, arousal, mild hallucinations and elevated mood in users. Use of MDMA among young people is a rising public health concern; 2.4 % of 8th, 10th and 12th graders reported using the drug at least once within the past year. Research has suggested that ecstasy use may be correlated with deficits in verbal memory and other neurocognitive processes. In our prior study, we found reduced white matter integrity in ecstasy users, especially in frontolimbic tracts. The current study investigated whether white matter integrity in these frontolimbic tracts were associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. In the whole sample, increased MD in fmajor (p=.02), right ATR (p=.04), right UNC (p=.05) were associated with increased symptoms of current anxiety. We also found that increased MD in famjor (p=.01), fminor (p=.02), left ATR (p=.37), right ATR (p=.02, right UNC (p=.02), left UNC (p=.04) were associated with increased symptoms of recent depression. This demonstrates that ecstasy use is linked with reduced white matter integrity, and this is associated with recent symptoms of depression and anxiety. These findings help elucidate potential underlying mechanism for increased mood symptoms in ecstasy users