If any of you use Firefox or Mozilla, go take a look at my slideshow. The username (to load the mp3) is slideshow and there’s no password. If you use IE, it’ll be a bit. I use a hell of a lot of javascript and I’m dealing with irritating scoping differences.

I’m almost finished with a project. For some reason my capacity to focus is proportional to my distance from completion. That means that I’ve been mostly surfing the web today and doing a little programming. It is always something tangentially related, but not productive.

For instance, I just got through reading a very interesting slideshow (I’m working on a HTML slideshow) about the neurochemical processes involved in taking ecstasy. It is something I’ve been interested in because I know some people who are convinced that it’ll eat your brain while others consider it is a pretty safe drug. I’m wary about doing something that might eat my brain, so I’ve not been sure how I’d respond to the opportunity to take ecstasy. (Oh yeah, other than it being illegal and me not doing illegal things. Just hypothetically if it wasn’t illegal…)

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) simulates the release of, among other things, seratonin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-ht)) in the brain. Seratonin is not normally released in really high levels and so there is not a huge supply of it on hand. This is why you can only take ecstasy once a week or so. If you take it more frequently, it will stimulate the release of seratonin, but the chemical simply isn’t present in your brain to be released. Continually lowered seratonin levels is also one theory as to why regular use can contribute to depression.

Seratonin is taken back into the brain cells that released, but once inside the majority of it is broken down by the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO). Your body then has to synthesize more over time. This is done using two enzymes, 5-Hydroxy-Tryptophan (5-htp) and decarboxylese. I recognized the tryptophan from the now out of favor theory on Thanksgiving turkey.

The last bit covered the actual possible causes for damage to the brain. One is that in the presence of significantly lowered seratonin levels, dopamine (4-(2-aminoethyl)benzene-1,2-diol (DA)) enters the cell and is toxic. It is also broken down by MAO and the resultant hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) can cause oxidation of the cell. Also, repeated overstimulation of the seratonin receptors can cause downregulation and thus a decreased sensitivity.

It is a fascinating piece of meat we carry around in our heads…