MDMA administration attenuates hippocampal IL-β immunoreactivity and subsequent stress-enhanced fear learning: An animal model of PTSD
Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health October 1, 2022 S. Parekh, Lydia Adams, Gillian A. Barkell et al. 7 citations
MDMA administration after severe stress reduces stress-enhanced fear learning in male rats, likely through an immunosuppressive mechanism. The drug lowered stress-induced increases in the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and reversed stress-induced reductions in the microglial marker IBA-1 in the dorsal hippocampus, while not affecting TNF-α or the astrocyte marker GFAP. These results support the hypothesis that MDMA blocks stress-enhanced fear learning via immune modulation and align with clinical findings on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD.