Oral ulcerations associated with ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine - MDMA) use are extremely rare, with only three cases reported in the literature to date. A 25-year-old man presented with palatal pain upon awakening following a night of recreational activity. Initial examination revealed a small, centrally located erythematous plaque with a friable surface on the soft palate. Within...
Comorbidity between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use is common and mutually-reinforcing, yet there are no pharmacological strategies that specifically target trauma-linked escalation of alcohol intake. We evaluated whether 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), given in a therapy-adjunctive fashion (30 min before fear extinction), could facilitate extinction of...
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has emerged as a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generating considerable enthusiasm in the field. However, rapidly changing evidence in a fast-moving field can be challenging to integrate. Here, we present a living systematic review and open-data meta-analytic resource on MDMA treatment for PTSD. In this initial release,...
Neurology BulletinMarch 23, 2026Azat R. Asadullin, Elvina A. Akhmetova, Ilia S. Efremov et al.
BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders remain a global public health problem. In recent decades, the drug market has undergone substantial changes, with traditional drugs increasingly replaced by new psychoactive substances characterized by high toxicity and strong addictive potential. Their distribution via the Internet and social media impedes control and increases risks to public health. AIM:...
Background: Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is a trauma-related condition characterized by pervasive disturbances in affect regulation, self-concept, and interpersonal functioning that extend beyond the symptom profile of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While neurobiological studies have implicated limbic, salience, and prefrontal systems in C-PTSD, mechanistic accounts...
Aims The recent regulatory approval of esketamine in adults heralded the renaissance of research into psychedelic compounds. However, the relevance of this resurgence for children and adolescents remains unclear. This review examines the rationale for investigating psychedelics in pediatric psychopharmacology. Methods We reviewed recent literature, regulatory documents, and clinical trial...
There is growing interest in novel approaches to treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including the use of psychedelic substances combined with psychotherapy, often referred to as psychedelic-assisted therapy, to better meet the needs of patients who do not prefer or respond to traditional evidence-based treatments. Among these treatments, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine...
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and disabling condition and identifying beneficial therapies is timely and important. We aimed to estimate the efficacy of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) compared with control on clinical and functional outcomes in PTSD. A PRISMA-compliant search (PROSPEROCRD42022353261) up to August 14, 2025, covered nine databases...
This article investigates the novel therapeutic approach of “amplified psychoanalysis” through a detailed examination of the Ygg case, which offers a descriptive single-case illustration of the integration of MDMA-assisted therapy with traditional psychoanalytic treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The study explores how subjective experience induced by MDMA can interact with an...
There is growing interest in incorporating MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) into structured, evidence-based cognitive-behavioral treatment protocols for post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet this risks overlooking the distinctive qualities of MDMA-assisted therapy, which has already demonstrated strong clinical effects, high response rates, and low dropout using a principle-guided,...
Abstract Fear extinction requires dynamic updating of cortical representations, yet the neural mechanisms underlying successful extinction remain poorly understood. Some psychoactive substances induce structural plasticity in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), possibly underlying their therapeutic potential. Here we investigated whether MDMA, which enhances fear extinction, induces prefrontal...
Correction 1: Table 1.The analyses were conducted using the correct data, and all results, interpretations, and conclusions in the paper remain fully accurate.The issue is limited to the presentation of values in the table.Correction 2: p 4733, second paragraph, 1 st sentence.Thigmotaxis was evaluated to assess potential anxiety-like effects induced by the compounds.When comparing the tested...
PsychopharmacologyMarch 4, 2026Ava M. Mac, Srinivasu Kallakuri, Alixandria T. Mascarin et al.
MDMA (3–4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) assisted psychotherapy has gained considerable attention as a potential adjuvant therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Reports of the nonmedical use of MDMA suggest its adverse effects may include anxiety and anhedonia. However, the time course of these signs and symptoms and the potential alterations in neurotransmitter levels that may...
MDMA and ketamine IV currently have the greatest support in the literature for efficacy in PTSD. Studies suggest treatment with these agents under supervision may lead to improvements in PTSD symptoms, with the medications being generally well tolerated. However, caution should be used when interpreting study results due to limitations such as treatment expectancy effect and the potential for...
Drug alerts are sometimes issued when samples are found to exceed a pre-determined dose threshold. In Australia, it is common for alerts to be issued when MDMA pills contain ≥ 150 mg of MDMA free-base or 179 mg hydrochloride. Nineteen such alerts were issued in Australia in 2024, raising concerns that repeat alerts may lose impact over time. This study examined experts' viewpoints on the...
Both the rewarding and aversive effects of a drug contribute to its abuse potential. One factor known to impact the balance of these effects is concurrent and serial polydrug use. A drug class for which such interactions are common is synthetic cathinones. In prior work, history with the synthetic cathinone eutylone had no effect on cocaine- or MDMA-induced taste avoidance in male rats,...
Abstract While prior research links psychedelic use to improved psychological outcomes, less is known about whether psychedelic exposure relates to engagement with formal mental health care when treatment is recognized as needed. Using pooled data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008–2019), this study examines whether lifetime psychedelic use is associated with missed needed...
S elective S erotonin R euptake I nhibitors (SSRIs) and two psychedelics, Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine), and MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) act on serotonergic-related neural circuits and function as serotonin modulators. All three molecules are either currently used or proposed as novel therapeutic modalities to treat P ost- T raumatic S tress D isorder (PTSD)....
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), particularly in individuals unresponsive to conventional interventions such as SSRIs and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. As recent clinical trials report durable symptom remission, ongoing debate surrounds the mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects. This review...
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or "ecstasy," is a commonly used drug worldwide, including in New Zealand, where 4.8% of the population aged 15 years or over reported using it in a 2023/2024 survey. This study provides additional insights on MDMA prevalence data in New Zealand by reporting toxicology data from Coronial and driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) cases positive for...