Trial reportPsychopharmacology2012
MDMA (ecstasy) effects on actual driving performance before and after sleep deprivation, as function of dose and concentration in blood and oral fluid.
Trial report in Psychopharmacology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Review of Selected 2-Phenylethylamine Derivatives and Opioids, Systematic Review of Their Effects on Psychomotor Abilities and Driving Performance: Psychopharmacology in the Context of Road Safety.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Driving under the influence of cocaine and MDMA: Relationship between blood concentrations and results from clinical test of impairment.Journal of analytical toxicology · 2024Article
- The impact of sleep deprivation and alcohol on driving: a comparative study.BMC public health · 2020Article
- Comparing treatment effects of oral THC on simulated and on-the-road driving performance: testing the validity of driving simulator drug research.Psychopharmacology · 2015Article
- Sensitivity and validity of psychometric tests for assessing driving impairment: effects of sleep deprivation.PloS one · 2015Article
- Residual effects of zopiclone 7.5 mg on highway driving performance in insomnia patients and healthy controls: a placebo controlled crossover study.Psychopharmacology · 2014Article
- Effects of stimulant drugs on actual and simulated driving: perspectives from four experimental studies conducted as part of the DRUID research consortium.Psychopharmacology · 2012Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleExperimental research has shown that 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) can improve some psychomotor driving skills when administered during the day. In real life, however, MDMA is taken during the night, and driving may likely occur early in the morning after a night of "raving" and sleep loss.
objectivesThe present study assessed the effects of MDMA on road-tracking and car-following performance in on-the-road driving tests in normal traffic.
methodsSixteen recreational MDMA users participated in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled four-way cross-over design. They received single, evening doses of 0, 25, 50, and 100 mg MDMA on separate occasions. Actual driving tests were conducted in the evening when MDMA serum concentrations were maximal and in the morning after a night of sleep loss.
resultsThe primary measure of driving, i.e., standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP, a measure of weaving) was significantly increased during driving tests in the morning in all treatment conditions, irrespective of MDMA dose and concentration. The increments in SDLP were of high clinical relevance and comparable to those observed for alcohol at blood alcohol concentrations >0.8 mg/mL. These impairments were primarily caused by sleep loss.
conclusionsIn general, MDMA did not affect driving performance nor did it change the impairing effects of sleep loss. It is concluded that MDMA cannot compensate for the impairing effects of sleep loss and that drivers who are under the influence of MDMA and sleep deprived are unfit to drive.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.