MDMA, PTSD and the amygdala: Promising approach for treating SUDs
Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly October 29, 2021 DOI: 10.1002/adaw.33242 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Interview Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety MDMA PTSD |
| Keywords | Amygdala Feeling Clinical psychology Alcohol abuse Substance abuse Psychotherapist |
| Key points | The amygdala's inability to distinguish between physical and emotional threats in PTSD drives ineffective self-medication with substances. |
Abstract
Most patients with substance use disorder (SUD) also have anxiety, and many have post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), using drugs or alcohol to self‐medicate (although not effectively). What happens with PTSD occurs in the amygdala, explained George Koob, Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), in an interview with ADAW last week. The emotional part of the brain, the amygdala gets out of control with PTSD, because it not only gives positive emotional feelings, but it also senses threat. It doesn't distinguish between a physical and an emotional threat, so feeling fearful, sad and unloved can all be felt as threats.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on MDMA for anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patterns, Trends, and Meanings of Drug Use by Dance-drug Users in Edinburgh, Scotland Clubbers in clubs and pre-club bars | 2004 | Cross-sectional survey with focus groups | n = 124 |
| Facing death, returning to life: A qualitative analysis of MDMA-assisted therapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening illness Adult participants from a pilot phase 2 clinical trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for... | 2022 | Qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis | |
| Questions and Concerns About MDMA-Assisted Therapy (MDMA-AT) in Veterans with PTSD Symptoms Veterans receiving healthcare from Veterans Affairs | 2025 | Qualitative study | n = 30 |