Owing to extensive work on the MDMA/PTSD study, the MDMA literature project has remained on a temporary hiatus. However, we are now posting some milestones and turning points in MDMA research that have occurred during late 2003 and early 2004.

In December 2003, a media report appeared claiming that Italian researchers had found that MDMA caused "DNA mutations." This paper, by Fornai and colleagues, was electronically published later on in December, and was found to be an MDMA neurotoxicity study wherein the researchers used DNA fragmentation in neurons in mouse striatum and substantia nigra as one of several structural and neurochemical markers of oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. The study found support for signs of neurotoxicity in mouse dopamine axons (MDMA affects dopamine cells in mice), but no signs of cell death. The title of the report is easily misconstrued by readers (including the press) because of the common association of DNA damage with problems such as mutations or cancer, when in fact the research program described focused on neurotoxicity. The paper did not report finding any mutations.

View a commentary on the study

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