Are some people more likely to suffer nerve cell damage after taking Ecstasy?
Yes, between 5 and 9% of people have an inactive form of the liver enzyme that metabolizes Ecstasy. These people are more likely to suffer neurotoxic damage. There is no way, other than a laboratory test, to tell if you are one of these people. Can you tell if Ecstasy is damaging your nerve cells? A disturbing theory, which is often discussed in the literature, relates to what is called the “reserve capacity” of nerve cells. This is the theory that we have a surplus of brain cells which we can afford to lose before we start to suffer ill effects. And, for some parts of the brain at least, this is very true. For example, people with Parkinson’s Disease lose between 70 and 80% of cells in a particular part of their brain before the disorder of movement becomes apparent. Now, there is an age-related loss of serotonin cells, the older you get, the fewer you have. And so this is what is worrying about Ecstasy neurotoxicity. It is possible that people taking Ecstasy may damage their reserve
