Could MDMA be used to Treat Symptoms of PTSD?

Recent research suggests that MDMA or ecstasy may be helpful in treating people with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to a study that involved 25 volunteers who underwent brain scans during two different times-once after taking the drug and another, after taking a placebo-results showed that ecstasy actually lowered activity in the limbic system or the area that are responsible for emotional stressors.

Study results also showed that the drug reduced communication between the medial temporal lobe and medial prefrontal cortex that's involved in emotional control.

"The study found that ecstasy also increased communication between the amygdala and the hippocampus. Previous studies revealed that PTSD patients have a reduction in communication between these two brain areas.

"We found that MDMA caused reduced blood flow in regions of the brain linked to emotion and memory. These effects may be related to the feelings of euphoria that people experience on the drug," researcher Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, said in a news release.

During the study, participants were asked to recall their favorite and worst memories while inside an fMRI scanner. Favorite memories were more vivid and emotionally intense after MDMA was taken than those who received a placebo. Negative memories were also perceived less harshly for those on the drug instead of the placebo.

"In healthy volunteers, MDMA seems to lessen the impact of painful memories. This fits with the idea that it could help patients with PTSD revisit their traumatic experiences in psychotherapy without being overwhelmed by negative emotions, but we need to do studies in PTSD patients to see if the drug affects them in the same way," Carhart-Harris added.

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Biological Psychiatry.