Interpersonal Functioning & Social ConnectednessMDMA

MDMA as a Probe and Treatment for Social Behaviors

This commentary (2016) reviews the history of MDMA and argues for the further exploration of MDMA's mechanism of action.

13 cited-by links indexed in Blossom

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Authors

  • Boris Heifets

Published

Cell
meta Study

Abstract

MDMA, better known as the recreational drug “ecstasy,” is well known for stimulating a feeling of closeness and empathy in its users. We advocate that exploring its mechanism of action could lead to new treatments for psychiatric conditions characterized by impairments in social behavior.

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Research Summary of 'MDMA as a Probe and Treatment for Social Behaviors'

Editorial

βBlossom's Take

This commentary is useful because it frames MDMA as both a probe of social behaviour and a candidate adjunct to treatment, which is a more disciplined claim than treating its sociability effects as self-explanatory. It is not evidence on its own, but it helps organise the mechanistic questions that later social and psychotherapy studies need to answer.

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Study Details

Cited By (13)

Papers indexed in Blossom that reference this study.

The empathogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, but not methamphetamine, increases feelings of global trust

Martinez, R. L., Radošić, N., Molla, H. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2025)

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Therapeutic mechanisms of psychedelics and entactogens

Heifets, B. D., Olson, D. E. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)

66 cited
Examining associations between MDMA/ecstasy and classic psychedelic use and impairments in social functioning in a U.S. adult sample

Jones, G. M., Lipson, J., Wang, E. · Scientific Reports (2023)

2 cited
Psilocybin-assisted therapy mediates psycho-social-spiritual change in cancer patients as assessed by the NIH-HEALS

Shnayder, S., Ameli, R., Sinaii, N. et al. · Journal of Affective Disorders (2023)

65 cited
MDMA and memory, addiction, and depression: dose-effect analysis

Pantoni, M. M., Kim, J. L., Van Alstyne, K. R. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2022)

33 cited
Evaluating the Potential Use of Serotonergic Psychedelics in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Markopoulos, A., Inserra, A., De Gregorio, D. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022)

43 cited
Does ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) induce subjective feelings of social connection in humans? A multilevel meta-analysis

Regan, A., Margolis, S., De Wit, H. et al. · PLOS ONE (2021)

18 cited
MDMA-Assisted Therapy as a Means to Alter Affective, Cognitive, Behavioral, and Neurological Systems Underlying Social Dysfunction in Social Anxiety Disorder

Luoma, J. B., Lear, M. K. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)

11 cited
Modulation of Social Cognition via Hallucinogens and “Entactogens”.

Preller, K. H., Vollenweider, F. X. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2019)

64 cited
Sensitization to the prosocial effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)

Curry, D. W., Berro, L. F., Belkoff, A. R. et al. · Neuropharmacology (2019)

13 cited
Show all 13 papers
Greater empathy in MDMA users

Carlyle, M., Stevens, T., Fawaz, L. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2019)

22 cited
Dark Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine

Dunlap, L. E., Andrews, A. M. · ACS Chemical Neuroscience (2018)

103 cited
Serotonin and brain function: a tale of two receptors

Carhart-Harris, R. L., Nutt, D. J. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2017)

727 cited

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