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.