Separating the agony from ecstasy: R(−)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine has prosocial and therapeutic-like effects without signs of neurotoxicity in mice
Neuropharmacology October 6, 2017 D. Curry, M. B. Young, A‐nga T. Tran et al. 50 citations
The single-enantiomer compound R-MDMA increased social interaction and improved fear-extinction learning in male mice without causing the hyperthermia, increased activity, or signs of neurotoxicity seen with racemic MDMA. R-MDMA has much lower potency as a dopamine releaser, and blocking dopamine D1 receptors prevented racemic MDMA-induced hyperthermia, suggesting that dopamine signaling differences explain the reduced side effects. These results indicate that the prosocial and therapeutic effects of MDMA may be separable from its adverse effects, and R-MDMA could be a safer therapeutic option for PTSD and other conditions, though human translation requires further investigation.