MDMA alters fear extinction, and reduces alcohol consumption in inbred alcohol preferring iP rats but not outbred Wistar rats.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology March 27, 2026 Kade L Huckstep, Billi Newton, Grace Bailey et al.
Post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use often co-occur and worsen each other, but no medications specifically target trauma-driven increases in drinking. In rats predisposed to heavy alcohol use (inbred alcohol-preferring rats), a single dose of MDMA given before fear-extinction training prevented the rise in alcohol consumption that normally follows a stressful experience. MDMA did not improve long-term fear extinction memory in any group. The effect on drinking was specific to the genetically vulnerable rats and was not explained by prior alcohol history. MDMA's main benefit in this model was disrupting the link between trauma and escalated alcohol intake, not enhancing fear extinction.