Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24495461›Full record

Trial reportBiological psychiatry2015

The Effects of Acutely Administered 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Spontaneous Brain Function in Healthy Volunteers Measured with Arterial Spin Labeling and Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent Resting State Functional Connectivity.

Robin L Carhart-Harris, Kevin Murphy, Robert Leech, David Erritzoe, Matthew B Wall, Bart Ferguson, Luke T J Williams, Leor Roseman, Stefan Brugger, Ineke De Meer and 13 more

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Biological psychiatry, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03752918 (The Effects of MDMA on Prefrontal and Amygdala Activation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), which is not on this map. Cited by 64 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
64citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
10.1field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT03752918 phase1withdrawnnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

The Effects of MDMA on Prefrontal and Amygdala Activation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

TypeinterventionalSponsorYale UniversityRan2024 to 2028Enrolled0ConditionsPost Traumatic Stress DisorderArmsMDMA, Niacin
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

64 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 182 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  15. Altered Insula Connectivity under MDMA.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2017
    Trial
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Dissociable effects of LSD and MDMA on striato-cortical connectivity in healthy subjects.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Review

4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.

Robin L Carhart-HarrisCentre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London. Electronic address: r.carhart-harris@imperial.ac.uk.
Kevin MurphyCardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (KM), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, London, United Kingdom.
Robert LeechDivision of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine.
David ErritzoeCentre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London.
Matthew B WallInstitute of Neurology (MBW),; Imanova (MBW, IDM, MT, RDN), Centre for Imaging Sciences, London.
Bart FergusonClinical Psychopharmacology Unit (BF, LS, CM, HVC), University College London, London; University College London, London.
Luke T J WilliamsCentre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London.
Leor RosemanCentre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London.
Stefan BruggerCentre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London.
Ineke De MeerImanova (MBW, IDM, MT, RDN), Centre for Imaging Sciences, London.
Mark TannerImanova (MBW, IDM, MT, RDN), Centre for Imaging Sciences, London.
Robin TyackeCentre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London.
Kim WolffSchool of Biomedical Sciences (KW), Kings College London, London, United Kingdom.
Ajun SethiCentre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London.
Michael A P BloomfieldPsychiatric Imaging Group (MAPB), MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Institute of Clinical Science, Imperial College London, London.
Tim M WilliamsCentre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London.
Mark BolstridgeCentre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London.
Lorna StewartClinical Psychopharmacology Unit (BF, LS, CM, HVC), University College London, London; University College London, London.
Celia MorganClinical Psychopharmacology Unit (BF, LS, CM, HVC), University College London, London; University College London, London.
Rexford D NewbouldImanova (MBW, IDM, MT, RDN), Centre for Imaging Sciences, London.
Amanda FeildingThe Beckley Foundation (AF), Beckley Park, Oxford.
H Val CurranClinical Psychopharmacology Unit (BF, LS, CM, HVC), University College London, London; University College London, London.
David J NuttCentre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London.
University College London · GBBeckley Foundation · GBBrain (Germany) · DECardiff University · GBImperial College London · GBInstitute of Neurobiology · BGKing's College London · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/J00460X/1Wellcome Trust 090199
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe compound 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a potent monoamine releaser that produces an acute euphoria in most individuals.

methodsIn a double-blind, placebo-controlled, balanced-order study, MDMA was orally administered to 25 physically and mentally healthy individuals. Arterial spin labeling and seed-based resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) were used to produce spatial maps displaying changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and RSFC after MDMA administration. Participants underwent two arterial spin labeling and two blood oxygen level-dependent scans in a 90-minute scan session; MDMA and placebo study days were separated by 1 week.

resultsMarked increases in positive mood were produced by MDMA. Decreased CBF only was observed after MDMA, and this was localized to the right medial temporal lobe (MTL), thalamus, inferior visual cortex, and the somatosensory cortex. Decreased CBF in the right amygdala and hippocampus correlated with ratings of the intensity of global subjective effects of MDMA. The RSFC results complemented the CBF results, with decreases in RSFC between midline cortical regions, the medial prefrontal cortex, and MTL regions, and increases between the amygdala and hippocampus. There were trend-level correlations between these effects and ratings of intense and positive subjective effects.

conclusionsThe MTLs appear to be specifically implicated in the mechanism of action of MDMA, but further work is required to elucidate how the drug's characteristic subjective effects arise from its modulation of spontaneous brain activity.

Indexed as

AdultAffectAmygdalaCerebrovascular CirculationDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHealthy VolunteersHippocampusHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineOxygenPrefrontal CortexSerotonin AgentsN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineOxygenSerotonin Agents5-HTAmygdalafMRIHippocampusMDMAPTSDSerotonin

Identifiers

PMID24495461
PMCPMC4578244
OpenAlexW2097563002

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.