Acute effects of MDMA on trust, cooperative behaviour and empathy: A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment

Anna Borissova; Bart Ferguson; Matthew B. Wall; Celia J. A. Morgan; Robin L. Carhart-Harris; Mark Bolstridge; Michael A. P. Bloomfield; Tim M. Williams; Amanda Feilding; Kevin Murphy; Robin J. Tyacke; David Erritzoe; Lorna Stewart; Kim Wolff; David Nutt; H. Valerie Curran; Will Lawn

doi:10.1177/0269881120926673

Acute effects of MDMA on trust, cooperative behaviour and empathy: A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment

Anna Borissova, Bart Ferguson, Matthew B. Wall, Celia J. A. Morgan, Robin L. Carhart-Harris, Mark Bolstridge, Michael A. P. Bloomfield, Tim M. Williams, Amanda Feilding, Kevin Murphy, Robin J. Tyacke, David Erritzoe, Lorna Stewart, Kim Wolff, David Nutt, H. Valerie Curran, Will Lawn

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is being actively researched as an adjunct to psychotherapy. It may be beneficial to trust, empathy and cooperative behaviour due to its acute prosocial effects. Aim: To test (a) the acute effects of MDMA on measures of empathy, trust and cooperative behaviour, and (b) subacute changes in mood three days after MDMA administration. Methods: Twenty-five participants (n=7 female), participated in this double-blind, repeated-measures, placebo-controlled experiment. Participants attended two acute sessions, one week apart. Each acute session was followed by a subacute session three days later. Participants received placebo (100 mg ascorbic acid) during one acute session, and MDMA (100 mg MDMA-HCl) at the other, with order counterbalanced. Participants completed the following tasks assessing prosocial behaviour: a trust investment task, a trustworthy face rating task, an empathic stories task, a public project game, a dictator game and an ultimatum game. Participants reported subjective effects. Blood was taken pre-drug, 2 and 4 hours post-drug, and tested for plasma MDMA levels. Results: MDMA acutely increased self-reported ‘closeness to others’ and ‘euphoria’ and increased plasma concentrations of MDMA. MDMA did not significantly change task-based empathy, trust or cooperative behaviour. Using Bayesian analyses, we found evidence that MDMA and placebo did not differ in their effects on empathy and cooperative behaviour. MDMA did not significantly change subacute mood and this was supported by our Bayesian analyses. Conclusion: Despite augmentation in plasma MDMA levels and subjective drug effects, we found no increase in prosocial behaviour in a laboratory setting.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	547-555
Number of pages	9
Journal	Journal of Psychopharmacology
Volume	35
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881120926673
Publication status	Published - May 2021

Keywords

cooperative behaviour
empathy
MDMA
prosocial
trust

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10.1177/0269881120926673

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Borissova, A., Ferguson, B., Wall, M. B., Morgan, C. J. A., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Bolstridge, M., Bloomfield, M. A. P., Williams, T. M., Feilding, A., Murphy, K., Tyacke, R. J., Erritzoe, D., Stewart, L., Wolff, K., Nutt, D., Curran, H. V., & Lawn, W. (2021). Acute effects of MDMA on trust, cooperative behaviour and empathy: A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 35(5), 547-555. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881120926673

@article{e8c8c44201c047f2acf3477b9e6a558b,

title = "Acute effects of MDMA on trust, cooperative behaviour and empathy: A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment",

abstract = "Background: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is being actively researched as an adjunct to psychotherapy. It may be beneficial to trust, empathy and cooperative behaviour due to its acute prosocial effects. Aim: To test (a) the acute effects of MDMA on measures of empathy, trust and cooperative behaviour, and (b) subacute changes in mood three days after MDMA administration. Methods: Twenty-five participants (n=7 female), participated in this double-blind, repeated-measures, placebo-controlled experiment. Participants attended two acute sessions, one week apart. Each acute session was followed by a subacute session three days later. Participants received placebo (100 mg ascorbic acid) during one acute session, and MDMA (100 mg MDMA-HCl) at the other, with order counterbalanced. Participants completed the following tasks assessing prosocial behaviour: a trust investment task, a trustworthy face rating task, an empathic stories task, a public project game, a dictator game and an ultimatum game. Participants reported subjective effects. Blood was taken pre-drug, 2 and 4 hours post-drug, and tested for plasma MDMA levels. Results: MDMA acutely increased self-reported {\textquoteleft}closeness to others{\textquoteright} and {\textquoteleft}euphoria{\textquoteright} and increased plasma concentrations of MDMA. MDMA did not significantly change task-based empathy, trust or cooperative behaviour. Using Bayesian analyses, we found evidence that MDMA and placebo did not differ in their effects on empathy and cooperative behaviour. MDMA did not significantly change subacute mood and this was supported by our Bayesian analyses. Conclusion: Despite augmentation in plasma MDMA levels and subjective drug effects, we found no increase in prosocial behaviour in a laboratory setting.",

keywords = "cooperative behaviour, empathy, MDMA, prosocial, trust",

author = "Anna Borissova and Bart Ferguson and Wall, {Matthew B.} and Morgan, {Celia J. A.} and Carhart-Harris, {Robin L.} and Mark Bolstridge and Bloomfield, {Michael A. P.} and Williams, {Tim M.} and Amanda Feilding and Kevin Murphy and Tyacke, {Robin J.} and David Erritzoe and Lorna Stewart and Kim Wolff and David Nutt and Curran, {H. Valerie} and Will Lawn",

note = "Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by funds provided by the British public service broadcaster Channel 4 Television and the Beckley Foundation. AB was supported by a National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR BRC) fellowship. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2020. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

year = "2021",

month = may,

doi = "10.1177/0269881120926673",

language = "English",

volume = "35",

pages = "547--555",

journal = "Journal of Psychopharmacology",

issn = "0269-8811",

publisher = "SAGE Publications Ltd STM",

number = "5",

}

Borissova, A, Ferguson, B, Wall, MB, Morgan, CJA, Carhart-Harris, RL, Bolstridge, M, Bloomfield, MAP, Williams, TM, Feilding, A, Murphy, K, Tyacke, RJ, Erritzoe, D, Stewart, L, Wolff, K, Nutt, D, Curran, HV & Lawn, W 2021, 'Acute effects of MDMA on trust, cooperative behaviour and empathy: A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment', Journal of Psychopharmacology, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 547-555. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881120926673

TY - JOUR

T1 - Acute effects of MDMA on trust, cooperative behaviour and empathy

T2 - A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment

AU - Borissova, Anna

AU - Ferguson, Bart

AU - Wall, Matthew B.

AU - Morgan, Celia J. A.

AU - Carhart-Harris, Robin L.

AU - Bolstridge, Mark

AU - Bloomfield, Michael A. P.

AU - Williams, Tim M.

AU - Feilding, Amanda

AU - Murphy, Kevin

AU - Tyacke, Robin J.

AU - Erritzoe, David

AU - Stewart, Lorna

AU - Wolff, Kim

AU - Nutt, David

AU - Curran, H. Valerie

AU - Lawn, Will

N1 - Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by funds provided by the British public service broadcaster Channel 4 Television and the Beckley Foundation. AB was supported by a National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR BRC) fellowship. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2020. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2021/5

Y1 - 2021/5

N2 - Background: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is being actively researched as an adjunct to psychotherapy. It may be beneficial to trust, empathy and cooperative behaviour due to its acute prosocial effects. Aim: To test (a) the acute effects of MDMA on measures of empathy, trust and cooperative behaviour, and (b) subacute changes in mood three days after MDMA administration. Methods: Twenty-five participants (n=7 female), participated in this double-blind, repeated-measures, placebo-controlled experiment. Participants attended two acute sessions, one week apart. Each acute session was followed by a subacute session three days later. Participants received placebo (100 mg ascorbic acid) during one acute session, and MDMA (100 mg MDMA-HCl) at the other, with order counterbalanced. Participants completed the following tasks assessing prosocial behaviour: a trust investment task, a trustworthy face rating task, an empathic stories task, a public project game, a dictator game and an ultimatum game. Participants reported subjective effects. Blood was taken pre-drug, 2 and 4 hours post-drug, and tested for plasma MDMA levels. Results: MDMA acutely increased self-reported ‘closeness to others’ and ‘euphoria’ and increased plasma concentrations of MDMA. MDMA did not significantly change task-based empathy, trust or cooperative behaviour. Using Bayesian analyses, we found evidence that MDMA and placebo did not differ in their effects on empathy and cooperative behaviour. MDMA did not significantly change subacute mood and this was supported by our Bayesian analyses. Conclusion: Despite augmentation in plasma MDMA levels and subjective drug effects, we found no increase in prosocial behaviour in a laboratory setting.

AB - Background: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is being actively researched as an adjunct to psychotherapy. It may be beneficial to trust, empathy and cooperative behaviour due to its acute prosocial effects. Aim: To test (a) the acute effects of MDMA on measures of empathy, trust and cooperative behaviour, and (b) subacute changes in mood three days after MDMA administration. Methods: Twenty-five participants (n=7 female), participated in this double-blind, repeated-measures, placebo-controlled experiment. Participants attended two acute sessions, one week apart. Each acute session was followed by a subacute session three days later. Participants received placebo (100 mg ascorbic acid) during one acute session, and MDMA (100 mg MDMA-HCl) at the other, with order counterbalanced. Participants completed the following tasks assessing prosocial behaviour: a trust investment task, a trustworthy face rating task, an empathic stories task, a public project game, a dictator game and an ultimatum game. Participants reported subjective effects. Blood was taken pre-drug, 2 and 4 hours post-drug, and tested for plasma MDMA levels. Results: MDMA acutely increased self-reported ‘closeness to others’ and ‘euphoria’ and increased plasma concentrations of MDMA. MDMA did not significantly change task-based empathy, trust or cooperative behaviour. Using Bayesian analyses, we found evidence that MDMA and placebo did not differ in their effects on empathy and cooperative behaviour. MDMA did not significantly change subacute mood and this was supported by our Bayesian analyses. Conclusion: Despite augmentation in plasma MDMA levels and subjective drug effects, we found no increase in prosocial behaviour in a laboratory setting.

KW - cooperative behaviour

KW - empathy

KW - MDMA

KW - prosocial

KW - trust

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105733608&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/0269881120926673

DO - 10.1177/0269881120926673

M3 - Article

C2 - 32538252

AN - SCOPUS:85105733608

SN - 0269-8811

VL - 35

SP - 547

EP - 555

JO - Journal of Psychopharmacology

JF - Journal of Psychopharmacology

IS - 5

ER -

Acute effects of MDMA on trust, cooperative behaviour and empathy: A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment

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Keywords

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