Effects of MDMA on attention to positive social cues and pleasantness of affective touch.
Anya K. Bershad, Leah M. Mayo, Kathryne Van Hedger, Francis P McGlone, Susannah C Walker, Harriet de Wit
Neuropsychopharmacology September 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0402-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover behavioral and psychophysiological study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Healthy young adult men and women |
| Interventions | MDMA Methamphetamine Placebo |
| Dose | MDMA 0.75 or 1.5 mg/kg; methamphetamine 20 mg |
| Measures | facial electromyography (EMG), electrooculography (EOG), subjective ratings |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key points | MDMA (0.75 or 1.5 mg/kg), but not methamphetamine (20 mg), selectively increased pleasantness ratings of experienced affective touch and increased attentional bias toward happy faces, while neither drug altered pleasantness ratings of observed touch. The authors argue these findings indicate prosocial effects unique to MDMA relative to another stimulant. |
Abstract
The psychostimulant drug ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) reportedly produces distinctive feelings of empathy and closeness with others. MDMA increases social behavior in animal models and has shown promise in psychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). How it produces these prosocial effects is not known. This behavioral and psychophysiological study examined the effects of MDMA, compared with the prototypical stimulant methamphetamine (MA), on two measures of social behavior in healthy young adults: (i) responses to socially relevant, "affective" touch, and (ii) visual attention to emotional faces. Men and women (N = 36) attended four sessions in which they received MDMA (0.75 or 1.5 mg/kg), MA (20 mg), or a placebo in randomized order under double-blind conditions. Responses to experienced and observed affective touch (i.e., being touched or watching others being touched) were assessed using facial electromyography (EMG), a proxy of affective state. Responses to emotional faces were assessed using electrooculography (EOG) in a measure of attentional bias. Subjective ratings were also included. We hypothesized that MDMA, but not MA, would enhance the ratings of pleasantness and psychophysiological responses to affective touch and increase attentional bias toward positive facial expressions. Consistent with this, we found that MDMA, but not MA, selectively enhanced ratings of pleasantness of experienced affective touch. Neither drug altered the ratings of pleasantness of observed touch. On the EOG measure of attentional bias, MDMA, but not MA, increased attention toward happy faces. These results provide new evidence that MDMA can enhance the experience of positive social interactions; in this case, pleasantness of physical touch and attentional bias toward positive facial expressions. The findings are consistent with evidence that the prosocial effects are unique to MDMA relative to another stimulant. Understanding the behavioral and neurobiological processes underlying the distinctive social effects of MDMA is a key step to developing the drug for psychiatric disorders.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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- Modulation of Social Cognition via Hallucinogens and “Entactogens” Frontiers in Psychiatry December 3, 2019
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- MDMA and MDMA-Assisted Therapy. American Journal of Psychiatry 2025
- Effects of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Conditioned Fear Extinction and Retention in a Crossover Study in Healthy Subjects Frontiers in Pharmacology July 13, 2022
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Cites 29
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- Reduction in social anxiety after MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with autistic adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Psychopharmacology November 1, 2018
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