At Gallaudet University, Dr. Evan Goodman, similar to Dr. Johansen, had a hypothesis that MDMA could be used to treat individuals with PTSD, but also Cancer patients. However, Dr. Goodman took a step further and found success in his subjects in which MDMA was used to not only treat individuals who suffered from PTSD, but also Cancer. In Dr. Goodman’s experiment, his colleagues, discovered several complications with this treatment, including legality, and the risks including serotonin depletion, anxiety, metabolic dangers, and panic.
However, some of the problems with using MDMA that I, as a Neuroscientist can see are the constant bombardment of Serotonin, and its dependency. Although, serotonin is linked to depression (low levels), it can also incite paranoia due to the agonist chemical, and have adverse effects on the patient. Another complication that should be taken into consideration is the long-term effects on a single dose of ecstasy. In primates, the serotonin axons in the dorsal cortex were damaged, and there was a reduction in its efficiency. “Humans who take MDMA also display reduces serotonin binding in the cortex (Semple, 1999).” In other words, damage to the serotonin axons can cause cognitive, and memory complications which could result in depression (Sumnal and Cole, 2005).
In another article, The Maudsley Hospital at Denmark Hill, Londen, and Dr. Karl Jansen had also addressed the complications of MDMA dependence. Although MDMA, according to Dr. Jansen is a non-addictive recreational drug, there had been “three cases of dependence had met the criteria.” Dr. Jansen makes that claim that ecstasy can be an addictive drug in rare cases, but with heavy doses can cause neuronal changes. “In one case, dependence was linked with self-medication of Post-traumatic stress disorder. (Jansen, 1998)”
All and all, MDMA could be a treatment in helping those who suffer from PTSD that allows the individual to self-medicate, and internally think to themselves about the problem. While MDMA shows positive results, scientists such as Dr. Johansen, and Dr.Goodman explain the difficulty in using MDMA for medicinal purposes due to its additive attributes. Besides the possibility of addiction, the increase of serotonin could induce a paranoid state, and have detrimental effects on the patient itself.
Cited:
World Health Organization (2004). Neuroscience of Psychoactive Substance Use and Dependence World Health Organization. pp. 97-. ISBN 978-92-4-156235-5 Retrieved 16 August 2013
“DSM-5 Criteria for PTSD.” – NATIONAL CENTER for PTSD. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.
Hellerman, Caleb. CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Dec. 2012. Web. 18 Sept. 2013
Cumming, P., M�ller, M., Benda, K., Minuzzi, L., Jakobsen, S., Jensen, S. B., Pakkenberg, B., Stark, A. K., Gramsbergen, J. B., Andreasen, M. F. and Olsen, A. K. (2007), A PET study of effects of chronic 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) on serotonin markers in G�ttingen minipig brain. Synapse, 61: 478-487. doi: 10.1002/syn.20377
J.C. Cole, H.R. Sumnall, Altered states: the clinical effects of Ecstasy, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Volume 98, Issue 1, April 2003, Pages 35-58, ISSN 0163-7258, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0163-7258(03)00003-2.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163725803000032)
Keywords: Ecstasy; 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA); Entactogen; Neurotoxicity; Cognition; Psychopathology