From: [lamon t g] at [u.washington.edu] Newsgroups: alt.drugs Subject: Re: XTC damage (was: Drug usage with unknown heart problems...) Date: 19 Jul 1993 21:54:09 GMT >[p b ray] at [reed.edu] writes: >> It is hypothesized by some psychopharmacologists that use of XTC >> will dramatically increase a person's chances of developing Parkinson's >> disease later in life. We will have to see. MPTP, a synthetic opiate, causes lesions to the dopamine neurons in the substantia niagra inducing a syndrome nearly identical to ideopathic parkinson's disease. MDMA is in no way linked to parkinson's disease, even theoretically. the effects of MPTP were mistakenly attributed to MDMA in a newspaper article, and this rumor has been spread from there. MDMA has caused damage to 5-HT axons in animal experiments. however, damage to 5-HT axons is not even theoretically linked with parkinson's disease in the first place. and in the second place, there are some serious problem with the claims that the 5-HT damage observed in high- dose animal studies also takes place in normal human use. fenfluramine, a legally prescribed seritonerigic drug, has been used by millions of people yet has a higher level of 5-HT neurotoxicity than MDMA.