PMID- 29087534
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20190429
LR  - 20191210
IS  - 1469-5111 (Electronic)
IS  - 1461-1457 (Print)
IS  - 1461-1457 (Linking)
VI  - 21
IP  - 4
DP  - 2018 Apr 1
TI  - Social Cognition and Interaction in Chronic Users of 
      3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy").
PG  - 333-344
LID - 10.1093/ijnp/pyx098 [doi]
AB  - BACKGROUND: The empathogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is the 
      prototypical prosocial club drug inducing emotional openness to others. It has 
      recently been shown that acutely applied 3,4-MDMA in fact enhances emotional 
      empathy and prosocial behavior, while it simultaneously decreases cognitive 
      empathy. However, the long-term effects of 3,4-MDMA use on socio-cognitive 
      functions and social interactions have not been investigated yet. Therefore, we 
      examined emotional and cognitive empathy, social decision-making, and oxytocin 
      plasma levels in chronic 3,4-MDMA users. METHODS: We tested 38 regular but 
      recently abstinent 3,4-MDMA users and 56 3,4-MDMA-naive controls with the Movie 
      for the Assessment of Social Cognition, the Multifaceted Empathy Test, and the 
      Distribution Game and the Dictator Game. Drug use was objectively quantified by 
      6-month hair analyses. Furthermore, oxytocin plasma levels were determined in 
      smaller subgroups (24 3,4-MDMA users, 9 controls). RESULTS: 3,4-MDMA users showed 
      superior cognitive empathy compared with controls in the Multifaceted Empathy 
      Test (Cohen's d=.39) and in the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition 
      (d=.50), but they did not differ from controls in emotional empathy. Moreover, 
      3,4-MDMA users acted less self-serving in the Distribution Game. However, within 
      3,4-MDMA users, multiple regression analyses showed that higher 3,4-MDMA 
      concentrations in hair were associated with lower cognitive empathy (betaMDMA=-.34, 
      t=-2.12, P<.05). Oxytocin plasma concentrations did not significantly differ 
      between both groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that people with high cognitive 
      empathy abilities and pronounced social motivations might be more prone to 
      3,4-MDMA consumption. In contrast, long-term 3,4-MDMA use might nevertheless have 
      a detrimental effect on cognitive empathy capacity.
FAU - Wunderli, Michael D
AU  - Wunderli MD
AD  - Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, 
      Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of 
      Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
FAU - Vonmoos, Matthias
AU  - Vonmoos M
AD  - Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, 
      Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of 
      Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
FAU - Treichler, Lorena
AU  - Treichler L
AD  - Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, 
      Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of 
      Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
FAU - Zeller, Carmen
AU  - Zeller C
AD  - Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, 
      Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of 
      Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
FAU - Dziobek, Isabel
AU  - Dziobek I
AD  - Berlin School of Mind and Brain and Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universitat 
      zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
FAU - Kraemer, Thomas
AU  - Kraemer T
FAU - Baumgartner, Markus R
AU  - Baumgartner MR
AD  - Center of Forensic Hairanalytics, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of 
      Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
FAU - Seifritz, Erich
AU  - Seifritz E
AD  - Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital 
      of the University of Zurichm, Zurich, Switzerland.
AD  - Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of 
      Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
FAU - Quednow, Boris B
AU  - Quednow BB
AD  - Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, 
      Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of 
      Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
AD  - Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of 
      Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - Int J Neuropsychopharmacol
JT  - The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology
JID - 9815893
RN  - 0 (Illicit Drugs)
RN  - 0 (Neurotransmitter Agents)
RN  - 50-56-6 (Oxytocin)
RN  - KE1SEN21RM (N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Decision Making/*drug effects
MH  - Empathy/*drug effects
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Illicit Drugs/*pharmacology
MH  - *Interpersonal Relations
MH  - Male
MH  - N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine/*pharmacology
MH  - Neurotransmitter Agents/*pharmacology
MH  - Oxytocin/*blood
MH  - *Social Behavior
MH  - *Social Perception
MH  - Young Adult
PMC - PMC5888715
EDAT- 2017/11/01 06:00
MHDA- 2019/04/30 06:00
PMCR- 2017/11/26
CRDT- 2017/11/01 06:00
PHST- 2017/07/20 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2017/10/24 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2017/11/01 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2019/04/30 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2017/11/01 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2017/11/26 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 4565842 [pii]
AID - pyx098 [pii]
AID - 10.1093/ijnp/pyx098 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2018 Apr 1;21(4):333-344. doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyx098.