This comparative study (n=165) evaluated social cognitive functions and behaviours in chronic METH users, chronic MDMA users, and stimulant-naïve controls. METH users exhibited diminished cognitive and emotional empathy towards positive stimuli, elevated punitive social behaviour regardless of provocation, and heightened trait anger. MDMA users showed a distinct rise in punitive behaviour when provoked, with correlations suggesting associations between substance use patterns and social-cognitive deficits.
Abstract of Chemical cousins with contrasting behavioural profiles: MDMA users and methamphetamine users differ in social-cognitive functions and aggression
“Methamphetamine (METH, “Crystal Meth”) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”) share structural-chemical similarities but have distinct psychotropic profiles due to specific neurochemical actions. Previous research has suggested that their impact on social cognitive functions and social behaviour may differ significantly, however, direct comparisons of METH and MDMA users regarding social cognition and interaction are lacking. Performances in cognitive and emotional empathy (Multifaceted Empathy Test) and emotion sensitivity (Face Morphing Task), as well as aggressive social behaviour (Competitive Reaction Time Task) were assessed in samples of n = 40 chronic METH users, n = 39 chronic MDMA users and n = 86 stimulant-naïve controls (total N = 165). Self-reports and hair samples were used to obtain subjective and objective estimates of substance use patterns. METH users displayed diminished cognitive and emotional empathy towards positive stimuli, elevated punitive social behaviour regardless of provocation, and self-reported heightened trait anger relative to controls. MDMA users diverged from the control group only by exhibiting a distinct rise in punitive behaviour when faced with provocation. Correlation analyses indicated that both higher hair concentrations of MDMA and METH may be associated with reduced cognitive empathy. Moreover, greater lifetime MDMA use correlated with increased punitive behaviour among MDMA users. Our findings confirm elevated aggression and empathy deficits in chronic METH users, while chronic MDMA users only displayed more impulsive aggression. Dose-response correlations indicate that some of these deficits might be a consequence of use. Specifically, the dopaminergic mechanism of METH might be responsible for social-cognitive deficits.”
Authors: Amelie Zacher, Josua Zimmermann, David M. Cole, Nicole Friedli, Antje Opitz, Markus R. Baumgartner, Andrea E. Steuer, Antonio Verdejo-Garcia, Ann-Kathrin Stock, Christian Beste & Boris B. Quednow
Summary of Chemical cousins with contrasting behavioural profiles: MDMA users and methamphetamine users differ in social-cognitive functions and aggression
Introduction
Methamphetamine (METH) and 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) are substituted amphetamines that are similar in chemical structure. Recent wastewater analyses demonstrate METH’s extensive usage in Eastern Europe, including Eastern Germany, and its diffusion into Western and Southern European countries.
METH and MDMA both cause impairments in impulse control and declarative memory, but they also have distinct cognitive profiles, particularly within the domain of social cognition. METH and MDMA differ in their affinity to and release capacity at different types of monoamine transporters, and have been linked to lasting alterations within the 5-HT system when used regularly.
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2024.04.010
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Zacher, A., Zimmermann, J., Cole, D. M., Friedli, N., Opitz, A., Baumgartner, M. R., ... & Quednow, B. B. (2024). Chemical cousins with contrasting behavioural profiles: MDMA users and methamphetamine users differ in social-cognitive functions and aggression. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 83, 43-54.