A randomized, placebo-controlled trial with 34 healthy adults examined whether a single dose of MDMA alters five-factor model personality traits and affective states 48 hours later. No statistically significant changes were observed for the four pre-registered hypotheses, but medium effect sizes emerged: trait Openness increased (d = .79) and Positive Affect increased (d = .51) compared to placebo. These preliminary findings suggest MDMA may produce short-term shifts in openness and positive mood, warranting larger, longer-term studies to clarify how such changes might inform MDMA-assisted therapy.
Prolonged exposure (PE) therapy is effective for PTSD, but dropout and partial response remain problems. This trial tests whether synthetic THC (dronabinol) can improve PE outcomes. Adults with PTSD are randomly assigned to receive 7.5 mg THC or placebo before PE sessions 3 through 6, when extinction learning occurs. The study measures PTSD symptom severity, brain activation during fear extinction, and physiological responses. If THC enhances extinction learning, this FDA-approved drug could be quickly added to PE therapy to boost its effectiveness.