The DOI matches its Crossref record; 34 of the 34 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Psychological and Physiological Effects of MDMA (“Ecstasy”) after Pretreatment with the 5-HT2 Antagonist Ketanserin in Healthy Humans
Abstract
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, "Ecstasy") mainly releases serotonin and dopamine. In animals, pretreatment with 5-HT(2) antagonists has been shown to attenuate neurochemical and behavioral effects of MDMA. In humans, the role of 5-HT(2) receptors in the action of MDMA has not been studied. We investigated the effect of pretreatment with the 5-HT(2A/C) antagonist ketanserin (50 mg p.o.) on subjective responses to MDMA (1.5 mg/kg p.o.) in 14 healthy volunteers using a double-blind placebo-controlled within-subject design. Subjective effects were rated by psychometric rating scales. Physiological effects measured were blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature. Adverse effects were assessed during the sessions, and after one and three days. Ketanserin attenuated MDMA-induced perceptual changes, emotional excitation, and acute adverse responses but had little effect on MDMA-induced positive mood, well-being, extroversion, and short-term sequelae. Body temperature was lower under MDMA plus ketanserin compared to MDMA alone. The results suggest a contributing role for 5-HT(2) receptors in the action of MDMA in humans.
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“only about 20% of recreational MDMA users report experiencing any visual hallucinations, and these are relatively mild compared to those induced by psilocybin and LSD”
From Psychedelics and Other Psychoplastogens for Treating Mental Illness. (2021) · cites this paper as [239]
In the citing paper
“These studies indicate that MDMA increases feelings related to empathy and sociability, including self-rated friendliness [7–8], extroversion [9–10], closeness to others [11], sociability [7, 12], talkativeness [7–8], amicability, and gregariousness [13], although some of these effects are inconsistent [14–16].”
From Is Ecstasy an “Empathogen”? Effects of +/- 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Prosocial Feelings and Identification of Emotional States in Others (2010) · cites this paper as [10]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Liechti, M.
- Affiliations
- Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Liechti, M
- ORCID
- Liechti, M
- Venue
- Neuropsychopharmacology
- Published
- 2000-10
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 396-404
- ISSN
- 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2137229007
- Cited by
- 245
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 10.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Heffter Research Institute
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
- Keywords
- MDMA, ecstasy, ketanserin, 5-HT2 receptor antagonism, serotonin, subjective effects, perceptual change, emotional arousal, body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, adverse effects, drug interactions
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Analysis of Variance, Blood Pressure, Body Temperature, Double-Blind Method, Female, Hallucinations, Hallucinogens, Heart Rate, Humans, Ketanserin, Male, Perception, Psychometrics, Receptors, Serotonin, Serotonin Antagonists, Serotonin Agents, Statistics, Nonparametric, N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A, Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C
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