Oliveri M, Calvo G
Department of Psychology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2003 Aug;74(8):1136-8. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.74.8.1136.
To test the presence of abnormalities of visual cortical excitability in people using ecstasy as a recreational drug.
Ecstasy users and control subjects underwent single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the occipital cortex. The phosphene threshold was analysed and compared in the two groups.
Phosphene thresholds were significantly lower in ecstasy users compared with control subjects, and were correlated negatively with frequency of ecstasy use. Frequency of use was positively correlated with the presence of visual hallucinations. The phosphene threshold of subjects with hallucinations was significantly lower than that of subjects without hallucinations.
The use of ecstasy as a recreational drug is associated with an increased excitability of the visual cortex, possibly linked with massive serotonin release, followed by serotonin depletion, in this cortical area.
检测使用摇头丸作为消遣性毒品的人群中视觉皮层兴奋性异常的存在情况。
摇头丸使用者和对照组受试者接受枕叶皮层的单脉冲经颅磁刺激（TMS）。分析并比较两组的光幻视阈值。
与对照组相比，摇头丸使用者的光幻视阈值显著更低，且与摇头丸使用频率呈负相关。使用频率与视幻觉的存在呈正相关。有幻觉的受试者的光幻视阈值显著低于无幻觉的受试者。
将摇头丸作为消遣性毒品使用与视觉皮层兴奋性增加有关，这可能与该皮层区域大量5-羟色胺释放，随后5-羟色胺耗竭有关。
