Oxytocin receptor gene variations and socio-emotional effects of MDMA: A pooled analysis of controlled studies in healthy subjects.
Patrick Vizeli, Matthias E. Liechti
PLoS One April 13, 2019 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199384 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pooled analysis of eight double-blind, placebo-controlled studies Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 132 |
| Population | Healthy subjects |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Citations | 37 |
| Registration | NCT00886886 NCT00990067 NCT01136278 NCT01270672 NCT01386177 NCT01465685 NCT01771874 NCT01951508 |
| Key points | The rs1042778 TT genotype of the oxytocin receptor was associated with greater MDMA-induced feelings of trust in a subset of 53 subjects, but other oxytocin receptor SNPs did not moderate MDMA's subjective or emotional effects. |
Abstract
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) increases oxytocin, empathy, and prosociality. Oxytocin plays a critical role in emotion processing and social behavior and has been shown to mediate the prosocial effects of MDMA in animals. Genetic variants, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) may influence the emotional and social effects of MDMA in humans. The effects of common genetic variants of the OXTR (rs53576, rs1042778, and rs2254298 SNPs) on the emotional, empathogenic, and prosocial effects of MDMA were characterized in up to 132 healthy subjects in a pooled analysis of eight double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. In a subset of 53 subjects, MDMA produced significantly greater feelings of trust in rs1042778 TT genotypes compared with G allele carriers. The rs53576 and rs225498 SNPs did not moderate the subjective effects of MDMA in up to 132 subjects. None of the SNPs moderated MDMA-induced impairments in negative facial emotion recognition or enhancements in emotional empathy in the Multifaceted Empathy Test in 69 subjects. MDMA significantly increased plasma oxytocin concentrations. MDMA and oxytocin concentrations did not differ between OXTR gene variants. The present results provide preliminary evidence that OXTR gene variations may modulate aspects of the prosocial subjective effects of MDMA in humans. However, interpretation should be cautious due to the small sample size. Additionally, OXTR SNPs did not moderate the subjective overall effect of MDMA (any drug effect) or feelings of "closeness to others".Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, No: NCT00886886, NCT00990067, NCT01136278, NCT01270672, NCT01386177, NCT01465685, NCT01771874, and NCT01951508.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 30
- Reduction in social anxiety after MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with autistic adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Psychopharmacology November 1, 2018
- Reviewing the Potential of Psychedelics for the Treatment of PTSD The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology March 12, 2020
- Psychedelics in Psychiatry: Neuroplastic, Immunomodulatory, and Neurotransmitter Mechanisms Pharmacological Reviews December 16, 2020
- Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A State-of-the-art Review. Current Neuropharmacology 2024
- Psilocybin and MDMA for the treatment of trauma-related psychopathology International Review of Psychiatry April 3, 2021
and 25 more in the library
Cites 31
- The safety and efficacy of {+/-}3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 19, 2010
- Gender differences in the subjective effects of MDMA Psychopharmacology March 5, 2001
- MDMA enhances emotional empathy and prosocial behavior Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience October 4, 2013
- LSD Acutely Impairs Fear Recognition and Enhances Emotional Empathy and Sociality Neuropsychopharmacology June 1, 2016
- Increased oxytocin concentrations and prosocial feelings in humans after ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) administration Social Neuroscience June 25, 2009
and 26 more in the library