Two researchers are calling for rigorous scientific exploration of MDMA (ecstasy) to identify exactly how the drug promotes strong feelings of empathy, according to a Commentary in the journal Cell. Such research may help researchers develop new therapeutic compounds, particularly for autism and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
MDMA is described as an “empathogen,” a compound that promotes feelings of empathy and close positive social feelings in users. The drug is a strictly regulated Schedule I compound, a category reserved for substances with no accepted medical use and high abuse potential.
You may also like
The latest way into health-care change is empathy-based design thinking. Some of health care’s heavyweights have already invested it: The Mayo Clinic, for example, opened an innovation center in 2008, and Massachusetts General Hospital has design…
How simple day-to-day practices can shape an empathetic lifestyle to create change in schools and the environment. Like most routines, empathetic habits are a result of practice. In order to form strong habits, we need to practice a routine …
People with psychopathic tendencies—who may constitute upwards of 15 percent of prison populations—poorly activate parts of the brain responsible for empathy, according to a study in the April 24 JAMA Psychiatry online. While control subjec…
The purpose of this study was to teach empathetic responding to 4 children with autism. Instructors presented vignettes with dolls and puppets demonstrating various types of affect and used prompt delay, modeling, manual prompts, behavioral rehearsals,…