Ecstasy research 'flawed'

Wednesday, 17 April, 2002, 18:00 GMT 19:00 UK

BBC News

Scientific evidence that the clubbers' drug ecstasy damages the brain is fundamentally flawed, a report says.

New Scientist magazine says that while there is little doubt that the drug can be harmful, some studies suggesting a serious impact on the brain cannot be trusted.

Central to the magazine's argument are question marks over the validity of brain scans which researchers have said show that ecstasy damages production of a vital brain chemical called serotonin.

The scans purportedly provided evidence that the drug destroyed nerve cells that specialise in serotonin production.

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