One night of Ecstasy may bring on Parkinson's

  A single night of taking the drug Ecstasy can cause serious brain damage and hasten the onset of Parkinson's disease, scientists say.

  Just two to three Ecstasy tablets - a quantity that thousands of clubbers take during raves - can permanently destroy brain cells that affect movement and reasoning, according to American research that links the drug to Parkinson's for the first time.

  A study by a team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, involving squirrel monkeys and baboons found that both species of primate suffered irreversible damage to key cells called dopamine neurons, which are lost in Parkinson's, after receiving three low doses of Ecstasy at three-hour intervals.

  The study is particularly significant because baboons are one of the best animal models for the human brain. George Ricaurte, who led the research, said that widespread abuse of the drug may already be claiming victims of such neurological damage. "The most troubling implication is that young adults using Ecstasy may be increasing their risk for developing Parkinsonism as they get older."

  Alan Leshner, a former director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, said: "This study emphasises the multi-faceted damage that Ecstasy can do to users. We've long known that repeated use damages serotonin brain cells. This study shows that even very occasional use can have long-lasting effects on many different brain systems. It sends an important message to young people: don't experiment with your own brain."

  Janet Betts, the Essex mother whose daughter Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995, said: "This comes as no surprise. People can't see the effects at first, and they're in permanent denial, saying it's not going to happen to them. But we'll see the symptoms later, just as we have with smoking."

  近日，一些科學家研究發現："搖頭丸"對人體的危害極大。哪怕只有一個夜晚靠它來放縱狂歡，你的腦組織都有可能遭到破壞，甚至還會增加神經系統疾病"帕金森氏癥"的發病幾率。

  最近，美國科學家首次開始研究流行毒品和"帕金森氏癥"之間的微妙聯系。研究結果顯示，那些在酒吧尋求刺激的人們一晚上很容易就能吞掉兩三片搖頭丸，而這個劑量已經足以對腦部神經控制細胞造成永久性的破壞。

  約翰．霍普金斯大學的一個研究小組圍繞這一課題，分別用松鼠猴和狒狒為對象進行了實驗。研究人員每三小時讓研究對象服用一份低劑量的搖頭丸，共服用三份。結果發現兩種動物腦部一種能治療腦神經病的多巴胺細胞都遭到了永久性的破壞，而這種細胞的缺乏正是"帕金森氏癥"的主要癥狀。

  長久以來狒狒一直是公認的與人類腦部結構最相似的動物，因此我們有理由相信這個實驗的結果正向人類敲響警鐘。該實驗的負責人喬治·考特亞涅斯說："目前正在享受搖頭丸的大多數人都有可能已經惹禍上身了。而對于現在的年輕人來說，也許年紀越大，這樣的危害才會越發的明顯。"

  前美國國家藥品濫用研究所（NIDA）主任艾倫·雷辛勒指出，這一實驗強調了搖頭丸對使用者的全方位傷害。傳統觀念一直認為只有長時間服用毒品才會破壞腦部官能，而這次的研究結果顯示,很偶然的服用一次也有可能使腦神經受到永久性傷害。這也告誡人們：千萬不要用"以身試藥"。#p#分頁標題#e#

  1995年，英國艾塞克斯郡曾有一個女孩子死于服用搖頭丸，但她只吃了一次。她的母親珍妮特·貝茨日前談了對實驗結果看法，她說："我（對這一結果）絲毫不感到吃驚。人們往往習慣于用自我安慰來麻痹自己，認為最壞的結果不可能發生在自己身上。但就象抽煙一樣，危險始終存在著，爆發的那一刻早晚會到來。"