Exploring Mechanisms of Action in MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD

This study measures biological and psychological processes that might help researchers to understand what is taking place during low or medium-dose and full-dose MDMA-assisted psychotherapy treatment in people with PTSD.

Heart rate variability (HRV) will be measured up to three times; before and once or twice after receiving MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Brain activity will be measured before and after MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in response to personalized trauma-related scripts. Participants will complete a measure of self-compassion at baseline and two months after a final experimental treatment session. Therapy techniques observed during recorded treatment sessions will be classified using a standardized clinical measure.

Topic PTSD
Compound Placebo MDMA
Country United States of America
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Trial Details



Trial Number

Sponsors & Collaborators

MAPS
MAPS stands for Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, it's the front runner in making psychedelics a legal way to use (and improve) in therapy.

Papers

Altered brain activity and functional connectivity after MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder
This follow-up analysis (n=9), of fMRI data from veterans and first responders who underwent MDMA-assisted therapy (3x 100-125mg) for PTSD, finds a correlation between reductions in PTSD and 1) increased amygdala-hippocampal connectivity, and 2) reduced amygdala-precuneus connectivity during memory recall.

Data attribution

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