Three clinical trials were performed, one comparison of ecstasy users with non-users was conducted, and one demographic survey of drug use.

Effects of MDMA on EEG
Researchers reported on the spectral band (EEG) profile appearing after administering 1.7 mg/kg MDMA, comparing their results to spectral band profiles of other drugs (Frei et al. 2001).

Human Pharmacology of MDMA
A study with ecstasy experienced male volunteers investigated the utility of salivary measurements as a means of detecting MDMA (Navarro et al. 2001). MDMA was detectable in saliva, along with at least one metabolite, but that it seems to be cleared more rapidly from saliva than from plasma. Another clinical trial described a technique for measuring the reactive MDMA metabolite HHMA (DHMA) in human plasma and urine (Segura et al. 2001).

Evoked auditory potentials
Ecstasy users (polydrug users who used ecstasy), cannabis users and non-drug using controls were compared on basal auditory evoked potential, a measure of sensitivity to sound intensity (Croft et al. 2001). This study found that ecstasy users, but not cannabis users, had greater intensity-dependence slopes than controls, indicating greater sensitivity to intensity of sound.

Demographics
A survey of seniors attending a New England university that gathered responses over a 30-year period indicates that self-reported ecstasy use has increased from 4.1% in 1989 to 10.1% in 1999, but that drug use in general has declined since 1978 (Pope et al. 2001).

Reviews
Pharmacological alterations of pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) in humans and non-human animals (mostly rodents) are examined in one review (Braff 2001). Another review attempts to tackle the topic of the effects and risks of MDMA / ecstasy (Murray 2001), but large parts of the review suggest that the author was unfamiliar with much of the research in this area.

CYP2D6 Variants and MDMA Metabolism
A variant of P40CYP2D6 given the name CYP2D6.10 was compared with the "wild-type" or "normal version on its ability to metabolize a number of substances, and the greatest differences in performance were found in its metabolism of methamphetamine and MDMA (Ramamoorthy et al. 2001).

Impulsivity in Rats
One study examined alterations in behavior after MDMA administration. Rats given cocaine or amphetamine made performed more reward-dependent behaviors 7 days later, whereas rats who had received a presumably non-neurotoxic regimen of (+)-MDMA performed more impulsive behaviors, indicating that increased impulsivity could be a sub-acute effect of MDMA (Taylor & Jensch 2001).

MDMA Neurotoxicity
Two rat studies investigated issues related to MDMA neurotoxicity. A comparison of the behavioral, hyperthermic and neurotoxic effects of four methylenedioxy compounds in rats (MDA, MDMA, MDE and MDBD) found differences between all four compounds (O'Loinsigh et al. 2001), with MDMA > MDE > MBDB in behavioral tests, and with MDA and MDMA releasing more dopamine than MDE And MBDB. Findings suggest that serotonin release is involved in producing the behaviors in rats associated with MDMA, such as locomotion and head weaving, and that both serotonin and dopamine release might be involved in producing serotonergic neurotoxicity. Findings from the other study indicate that even when it is given 7 days prior to MDMA, the SSRI fluoxetine can protect against MDMA-related neurotoxicity, whereas the related drug fluvoxamine is only neuroprotective when given 24 prior to MDMA, probably because it has a shorter half-life (Sanchez et al. 2001>a?).