‘Ecstasy’ as a social drug: MDMA preferentially affects responses to emotional stimuli with social content
Margaret C. Wardle, Matthew G. Kirkpatrick, Harriet de Wit
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience March 27, 2014 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu035 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subjects experimental design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 101 |
| Population | Healthy occasional MDMA users |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Dose | 0, 0.75 and 1.5 mg/kg oral |
| Topics | Addiction MDMA |
| Keywords | Prosocial behavior Closeness Mood Attractiveness Reactivity psychology Developmental psychology Cue reactivity Hallucinogen Clinical psychology Craving |
| Citations | 52 |
| Key findings | MDMA increased positive ratings of positive social pictures but reduced positive ratings of non-social positive pictures. |
Abstract
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy') is used recreationally to improve mood and sociability, and has generated clinical interest as a possible adjunct to psychotherapy. One way that MDMA may produce positive 'prosocial' effects is by changing responses to emotional stimuli, especially stimuli with social content. Here, we examined for the first time how MDMA affects subjective responses to positive, negative and neutral emotional pictures with and without social content. We hypothesized that MDMA would dose-dependently increase reactivity to positive emotional stimuli and dampen reactivity to negative stimuli, and that these effects would be most pronounced for pictures with people in them. The data were obtained from two studies using similar designs with healthy occasional MDMA users (total N = 101). During each session, participants received MDMA (0, 0.75 and 1.5 mg/kg oral), and then rated their positive and negative responses to standardized positive, negative and neutral pictures with and without social content. MDMA increased positive ratings of positive social pictures, but reduced positive ratings of non-social positive pictures. We speculate this 'socially selective' effect contributes to the prosocial effects of MDMA by increasing the comparative value of social contact and closeness with others. This effect may also contribute to its attractiveness to recreational users.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amphetamine-type central nervous system stimulants release norepinephrine more potently than they release dopamine and serotonin | 2000 | Experimental study | |
| Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) cause selective ablation of serotonergic axon terminals in forebrain: immunocytochemical evidence for neurotoxicity Rat brain | 1988 | Experimental study | |
| The molecular mechanism of "ecstasy" [3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA)]: serotonin transporters are targets for MDMA-induced serotonin release. Human platelet plasma membrane vesicles and bovine adrenal chromaffin granule membrane... | 1992 | Laboratory study | |
| Oxytocin-dependent reopening of a social reward learning critical period with MDMA | 2019 | Experimental study | |
| Effects of certain hallucinogenic amphetamine analogs on the release of [3H]-serotonin from rat brain synaptosomes Rat whole brain synaptosomes | 1982 | Experimental study |