MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AT) significantly reduces PTSD symptoms and improves response and remission rates in people with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD, according to a meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials involving 297 participants. The treatment led to a large reduction in clinician-rated PTSD severity scores compared to control conditions (inactive MDMA doses or placebo). Patients receiving MDMA-AT were about 1.6 times more likely to show a meaningful response and over twice as likely to achieve remission. No significant differences were found between groups in rates of treatment-emergent adverse events, severe adverse events, or suicidal ideation, indicating a favorable safety profile.
MDMA, a recreational drug known for prosocial effects, was studied in mice to examine how it affects neural activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) during social behaviors. Using fiber photometry, researchers measured NAc activity while mice interacted with novel mice. NAc activity transiently increased at the onset of turning toward and sniffing novel mice, though turning was infrequent. MDMA reduced the duration of sniffing per bout but did not alter the transient NAc activity at the onset of these social behaviors, suggesting the drug does not affect this specific neural response.
Among 3142 Japanese cannabis users surveyed online in 2021, those who started using cannabis at a younger age, had a family history of mental health problems, had psychiatric disorders before using cannabis, or used cannabis products other than dry flower were more likely to develop cannabis use disorders. Cannabis psychosis was linked to younger age at first use and family history of mental health problems. The causal direction of these associations remains unclear.