Healthy VolunteersInterpersonal Functioning & Social ConnectednessMDMA

Increased oxytocin concentrations and prosocial feelings in humans after ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) administration

This double-blind randomised trial (n=15) explores the effect of MDMA (100mg) on blood oxytocin and MDMA levels and the subjective prosocial effects of MDMA in healthy volunteers. MDMA induced a robust increase in blood oxytocin levels and an increase in prosocial feelings.

Authors

  • Robbert-Jan Verkes

Published

Social Neuroscience
individual Study

Abstract

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or “ecstasy”) is a recreationally used drug with remarkable and characteristic prosocial effects. In spite of abundant attention in the scientific literature, the mechanism of its prosocial effects has not been elucidated in humans. Recently, research in animals has suggested that the neuropeptide oxytocin may induce these effects. In a double-blind, randomized, crossover, and placebo-controlled study in 15 healthy volunteers, we assessed blood oxytocin and MDMA concentrations and subjective prosocial effects after oral administration of 100 mg MDMA or placebo. MDMA induced a robust increase in blood oxytocin concentrations and an increase in subjective prosocial feelings. Within subjects, the variations in these feelings were significantly and positively correlated with variations in oxytocin levels, and the correlations between these feelings and oxytocin were significantly stronger than those between these feelings and blood MDMA levels. MDMA induces oxytocin release in humans, which may be involved in the characteristic prosocial effects of ecstasy.

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Research Summary of 'Increased oxytocin concentrations and prosocial feelings in humans after ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) administration'

Introduction

Dumont and colleagues introduce MDMA (ecstasy) as a recreational ‘‘club’’ drug notable for producing increased empathy, friendliness and other prosocial effects. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying these social effects are not well understood, but oxytocin—a hypothalamic neuropeptide known to facilitate affiliative behaviour in animals and humans—has been proposed as a plausible mediator. Animal studies have shown that MDMA elevates oxytocin and that blocking oxytocin receptors or 5-HT1A signalling can attenuate MDMA-induced sociability, but evidence in humans has been limited and confounded by naturalistic designs. This study therefore set out to test whether MDMA induces oxytocin release in healthy human volunteers and whether changes in peripheral oxytocin relate to subjective prosocial feelings. To address gaps in earlier observational work, the investigators used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design to measure blood oxytocin and MDMA concentrations alongside self-reported amicability and gregariousness after a single oral dose of MDMA or placebo.

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Study Details

  • Study Type
    individual
  • Journal
    Social Neuroscience
  • Compound
    MDMA
  • Topics
    Healthy VolunteersInterpersonal Functioning & Social Connectedness
  • Author
    Robbert-Jan Verkes
  • APA Citation

    Dumont, G. J. H., Sweep, F. C. G. J., van der Steen, R., Hermsen, R., Donders, A. R. T., Touw, D. J., van Gerven, J. M. A., Buitelaar, J. K., & Verkes, R. J. (2009). Increased oxytocin concentrations and prosocial feelings in humans after ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) administration. Social Neuroscience, 4(4), 359-366. https://doi.org/10.1080/17470910802649470

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