Neurobiology of ecstasy

Acute psychological and neurophysiological effects of MDMA in humans

The scientific term for ecstasy is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). A

methamphetamine-like structure may be found in MDMA, an amphetamine derivative. Young people in

Europe and the US have started using MDMA as a recreational drug known as "Ecstasy" more often

since the mid-1990s. Ecstasy is often used for recreational purposes, although there are few

comprehensive studies on the psychological and neurological impacts of MDMA. The authors carried out

multiple investigations in healthy human volunteers to describe the psychological, cognitive, and

behavioral effects of MDMA in an attempt to further our knowledge of the mechanism of action of the

drug. To evaluate the acute, short-term, and long-term effects of the medication, prospective placebo-

controlled within-subject research designs, standardized psychometric scores, and neuropsychological

tests were utilized. The blocking effects of certain receptor antagonists on MDMA-induced psychological

disturbances and measures of sensory information processing were investigated in order to clarify the

involvement of diverse neurotransmitter as well as receptor systems involved in the effect of MDMA in

humans.

Effects of MDMA on sociability and neural response to social threat and social reward

By examining brain responses to emotional stimuli, neural pathways are investigated that may

explain this increase in sociability in this work. The findings indicate that MDMA may have prosocial

effects by dampening neural responses to social threat stimuli and increasing responses to pleasant

social pictures. The results on stimuli that evoke fear are in line with those of earlier imaging studies

examining reactions to socioemotional content. THC and alcohol, two other medications that are said to

lessen social anxiety, also lessen limbic responses to social danger. In contrast to individuals who are

genetically prone to excessive friendliness, those with social anxiety have a heightened amygdala
reaction to danger signals and often avoid social situations. Administration of OT reduces the limbic

danger response and boosts behavioral trust signs. All of these earlier studies point to a relationship

between increased sociability and a diminished brain response to social danger.

MDMA could also make people more sociable by making pleasant social interactions more

enjoyable. Rodents show conditioned preferences for locations associated with a social partner, and in

humans, positive social cues like smiling faces activate reward circuitry. Positive social cues operate as a

natural reward. The ventral striatum (VS), which plays a key role in processing rewards, is triggered by a

variety of rewarding stimuli, including illicit substances. Higher VS activation in response to positive

social signals, which is reflected in increased salience of rewarding social stimuli, would be predicted to

improve social approach behavior and hence sociability.

Is MDMA ('Ecstasy') neurotoxic in humans?

MDMA is neurotoxic, according to studies done on a variety of animal species, including rats and

non-human primates. This article quickly reviews three different categories of research: (1)

neurobiological, (2) psychological/somatic, and (3) psychiatric, in order to analyze the evidence that

MDMA may be neurotoxic in people. The first form of data stems from neuropharmacological and

neuroendocrine investigations, the second type is concerned with psychological function and physical

symptoms in MDMA users, and the third type contains research on psychiatric cases involving MDMA

users. These studies provide indirect evidence that varies in how strongly any causal connections

between reported effects, MDMA use, and human neurotoxicity are inferred.

Human psychobiology of MDMA or ‘Ecstasy’:

Synaptosomal activation results from recreational stimulants. This overall stimulation from

MDMA is accompanied by symptoms of the serotonin syndrome: Many Ecstasy users who frequent

clubs have been shown to have subtle serotonin syndrome symptoms. For the majority of Ecstasy users,
common on-drug symptoms include trismus (jaw clenching), hyperactivity, mental disorientation, and

heat. Given that dance clubs contain loud music, lively light displays, and are often packed, this

overstimulation may be the result of the interactions between sympathomimetic drugs' effects and

environmental factors.

An analysis of the empirical data uncovered some intriguing historical trends. Ecstasy/MDMA

was once thought to being a high-street-purity drug. 20 000 samples of recreational drug use provided

to a Californian laboratory between 1972 and 1985 were chromatographically analyzed by Renfroe. The

Ecstasy/MDMA supplies received great quality reviews; in fact, it was found that they were purer than

any other street drug.

Individual variation in the long-term neurobiological effects of ecstasy in mice selected for

aggressive behavior

Ecstasy usage for recreational purposes is on the rise. Since there is strong evidence that MDMA

may cause long-term serotonin depletion in a number of animals, including rats and primates, which

may result in chronic behavioral adverse effects, this has given rise to worry. However, little is

understood about how different individuals within a species are vulnerable to the neurological effects of

MDMA.

In the experiment shown in this article, mice with high (SAL) and low (LAL) levels of aggression

were genetically chosen. In SAL and LAL mice that got the maximum dosage of MDMA, dopamine levels

were found to be 86% lower three days following injections. We draw the conclusion that there are

individual differences in MDMA-induced long-term serotonergic response between the chosen mouse

lines, despite the fact that the exact mechanism behind the variation in the induced serotonin up-

regulation between SAL and LAL animals is yet unknown.

Conclusion
 Biological psychology of ecstasy neuroscience analyses MDMA's impacts on the brain. Addiction

includes altered brain reward systems and elevated amounts of stress hormones. These events provide

a neurochemical basis for serotonin cells' poor health. Compulsive drug usage and MDMA use are fueled

by the drive to offset unpleasant feelings. Studies suggest that abstainers display reduced brain activity

owing to MDMA's effects on the prefrontal cortex. Studies should help understand how it affects the

brain and how to limit its consequences on society.