Prospective and Retrospective Memory Problems in Regular Ecstasy Consumers: Is it Just About the Ecstasy?

Abstract

Remembering to do things in the future (prospective memory) and remembering things in our past (retrospective memory) are important everyday memory skills. Several studies suggest an association between use of ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and impairments in prospective (remembering to remember) and retrospective memory (recollection of past events) [1, 2]. However, some research suggests that other drug use (e.g., cannabis), non drug use factors (e.g., intensive dancing, overheating) and general anxiety levels are more strongly associated with these cognitive deficits [3-5]. The aim of this research was to investigate the contribution of these factors to subjective prospective and retrospective memory errors in a large sample of regular ecstasy consumers.