Social Neuroscience
June 25, 2009
Glenn Dumont, Fred C.g.j. Sweep, R. van der Steen et al.
238 citations
MDMA (ecstasy) causes a strong increase in blood oxytocin levels and enhances feelings of prosociality in healthy people. The changes in prosocial feelings are more closely tied to changes in oxytocin than to changes in MDMA concentration in the blood. This suggests that oxytocin release may be a key mechanism behind the drug's characteristic social effects.
Social Neuroscience
June 21, 2008
Murray R. Thompson, Glenn E. Hunt, Iain S. Mcgregor
48 citations
MDMA (Ecstasy) produces feelings of love and closeness in humans and prosocial effects in animals. In male Wistar rats, a moderate dose (5 mg/kg) increased social interaction, specifically general investigation of other rats while decreasing anogenital sniffing. Analysis of neural activation across 39 brain regions showed that MDMA given in a social context caused considerably greater brain activation than the same dose given to solitary rats. Six brain regions—including the caudate-putamen, medial preoptic area, paraventricular thalamic nucleus, central amygdala, ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, and medial amygdala—showed augmented activation in the social-MDMA group. The nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area, and periaqueductal grey were activated only when MDMA was combined with social interaction. These findings suggest MDMA modulates neural circuits regulating affiliative behavior, possibly via oxytocin.
Social Neuroscience
January 20, 2016
Anya K. Bershad, Jessica Weafer, Matthew G. Kirkpatrick et al.
35 citations
MDMA (ecstasy) increases sociability and empathy, likely through the release of oxytocin. A single-letter variation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR rs53576) influences how people respond to the drug. In a double-blind, within-subjects study, 68 healthy volunteers with past MDMA experience received placebo, 0.75 mg/kg, or 1.5 mg/kg of MDMA. At the higher dose, individuals with the A/A genotype did not show the increase in sociability seen in G allele carriers. No genotypic differences appeared at the lower dose or in cardiovascular or other subjective effects. The results suggest MDMA-induced sociability depends on oxytocin signaling and that genetic variation in the oxytocin receptor modulates the drug's social effects.