LONDON : REUTERS - US researchers have found evidence that the drug "Ecstasy" could cause permanent brain damage,
a report in the New Scientist magazine said recently. A team of scientists at John Hopkin University in the US found that the brain cell of animals given Ecstacy will be abnormal when they grow again. Biologists knew the drug affected certain nerve cells which make contact with cells in the brain. But nerve cells can grow again, so some scientists believe that any damage would not be permanent.
“Now scientists in the US have found that the cells of monkeys and rats which have been damaged by Ecstacy regrow abnormally, “New Scientist reported. Ecatasy is popular among young adults and teenagers at “raves” – huge , all night dance parties. They claimed the drug makes them less inhibited. The researchers admit that the amounts of Ecstasy given to the animals were high. However, they said it was possible that people taking several doses over a weekend could be affected as much as the animals in the experiment.