New understanding of how the drug Ecstasy creates euphoria may indicate potential therapeutic use for the drug

New understanding of how the drug Ecstasy creates euphoria may indicate potential therapeutic use for the drug
Many people report that the club drug Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine, also known as MDMA) produces feelings of euphoria--hence the name. But scientists weren't exactly sure how the drug produced these effects. Now, researchers at Imperial College London and University College London have studied how the drug works using fMRI, and they say their findings hint at how MDMA may be used therapeutically in anxiety disorders and PTSD. In work published in Biological Psychiatry, the researchers scanned the brains of 25 participants on two occasions: after taking MDMA and after taking placebo (the participants did not know what pill they were taking). MDMA decreased activity in the limbic system, which helps to control emotional responses, and decreased communication between the medial temporal lobe and medial prefrontal cortex, which helps to control emotions. Communication between the hippocampus and amygdala, however, was increased. Since communication between these two brain regions is decreased in individuals with PTSD, the researchers say that this hints that MDMA may be a useful adjunct to PTSD treatment, although they won't know for sure until it is tested on these individuals.

Source:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_17-1-2014-11-35-46
Journal article: The Effects of Acutely Administered 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Spontaneous Brain Function in Healthy Volunteers Measured with Arterial Spin Labelling and Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent Resting-State Functional Connectivity. Biological Psychiatry, 2014. 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.12.015
Story via Neuroscience Research Techniques 
Image:
fMRI scans show reduced blood flow in the visual cortex (back of the brain) and limbic system (middle of the brain) under MDMA.