@article{ref1,
title="Empathy and aggression: two faces of ecstasy? A study of interpretative cognitive bias and mood change in ecstasy users",
journal="Psychopharmacology",
year="2004",
author="Curran, H. Valerie and Rees, Huw and Hoare, Thomas and Hoshi, Rosa and Bond, Alyson",
volume="173",
number="3-4",
pages="425-433",
abstract="RATIONALE: As central 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is attenuated for a period following a single dose of MDMA (&quot;ecstasy&quot;) and low 5-HT is associated with aggression, then MDMA users may be more aggressive in the days following an acute dose of the drug. OBJECTIVE: This study therefore aimed to determine if acute use of MDMA is associated with aggression 4 and 7 days later. METHODS: Twenty-nine MDMA users and 32 controls were compared on self-rated aggression and depression on the night of drug use (day 0), 4 and 7 days later. On day 4, participants performed an interpretative bias task in which they processed ambiguous sentences that could be interpreted in either an aggressive or neutral way (e.g. &quot;The painter drew the knife&quot;). RESULTS: MDMA users had faster response times in completing ambiguous aggressive sentences than neutral sentences; controls showed the opposite pattern of performance. In a subsequent recognition task, MDMA users were more confident in judging, and responded faster to, aggressive than neutral sentences; controls again showed the opposite pattern of effects. The level of aggressive interpretative bias positively correlated with extent of MDMA use. Midweek, MDMA users had higher self-rated aggression and depression scores than controls; on day 7, scores of both groups were similar. CONCLUSIONS: MDMA users display a cognitive bias towards interpreting ambiguous information in an aggressive way a few days after taking the drug. Self-rated mid-week low mood and mid-week aggression do not persist 7 days after use of the drug. This pattern of results is consistent both with the acute and residual effects of MDMA on central 5-HT and with the notion that 5-HT plays a role in modulating human aggression.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0033-3158",
doi="10.1007/s00213-003-1713-6",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-003-1713-6"
}