Remembering Molly: Immediate and delayed false memory formation after acute MDMA exposure.
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol
; 57: 59-68, 2022 04.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35124400
ABSTRACT
The entactogen 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is increasingly being recognized for its therapeutic potential but is also widespread in nightlife settings where it may co-occur with crime. Since previous research detected impaired verbal memory during acute MDMA intoxication, understanding the drug's ramifications in an applied legal context becomes crucial. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to examine acute and delayed effects of MDMA (75 mg) on false memory in 60 healthy volunteers with a history of MDMA use, using three well-established false memory methods:
a basic, associative word list (Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM)) paradigm and two applied misinformation tasks using a virtual reality crime. Memory was tested immediately (encoding and retrieval under drug influence) and 1 week later (retrieval when sober). Small MDMA-induced impairments of true memory in the word list task were detected at both time points. MDMA increased false memory for related but non-critical lures during the immediate test, and decreased false memory for critical lures after a delay. Episodic memory assessed in the misinformation tasks was not consistently affected. Findings indicate a complex memory profile but no heightened vulnerability to external suggestion in response to MDMA intoxication. Recommendations for future applied legal psychological research include adding measures of recall on top of recognition, using study designs that separate the different memory phases, and potentially testing higher doses. Further research on false memories and suggestibility using imagination procedures can also be relevant for the clinical context.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Poecilia
/
N-Metil-3,4-metilenodioxianfetamina
/
Memoria Episódica
Tipo de estudio:
Clinical_trials
/
Guideline
Límite:
Animals
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol
Asunto de la revista:
PSICOFARMACOLOGIA
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article