Scientists have cautioned that ecstasy tablets consumed in small quantity can lead to drastic effects to the brain and memory. They have warned that the memory damage associated with consuming ecstasy is similar to the one encountered in the early stages of dementia.

The findings published in journal Addiction have raised concerns that taking 10 pills of ecstasy in a year can cause major problems.

Ecstasy is chemically known as MDMA, which is a Class-A drug. However, the consequences of the drug are still a major issue of controversy.

It has been long since studies have been emphasizing on the effect of the drug on memory. However, still the conclusions made are simply unclear as possibilities have been depicted in them, relating memory problems with users of the drug.

However, in recent study researchers from University of Cologne considered cases of young people, who were in the habit of taking the pills and were expected to carry on with their habit.

The participants were assessed on the basis of their memorizing and learning ability, how quickly their brains responded and their attention. They were analyzed during the start of the study and also for the next year.

The researchers said, "Those who had become regular users showed a clear deterioration in episodic memory in comparison with the others".