Prof. Dr. Robert Malenka: Serotonin & Sociability

INSIGHT 2023 Replay:
Prof. Robert Malenka - Pritzker Professor of Psychiatry; Deputy Director, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute.
The study combines behavioral tests and cutting-edge science to uncover how MDMA boosts empathy in mice.
Key takeaway: MDMA and serotonin (5-HT) are the key players in empathy coding in the brain. A brain structure called the nucleus accumbens plays a central role in MDMA-related social transfer of pain and analgesia (behavioral assessments modelling empathy) in mice. Additionally, MDMA rescued empathy deficits in a mouse model of autism spectrum disorder.
So, what's the bottom line? MDMA as opposed to being just a party drug can be a fascinating therapeutic tool shedding light on the complex world of how empathy is coded in the brain. Especially relevant to this article is the current FDA application from LYKOS Therapeutics for an MDMA-based novel drug molecule for treating PTSD
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