Thus , the current state of research does not allow for the conclusion that long-term use of MDMA affects decision-making behavior in general .
Different cognitive impairments have been reported as a result of long-term MDMA/ecstasy use .
Increased impulsivity and altered decision-making have been shown to be associated with the development and maintenance of addictive disorders pointing toward the necessity to underst and a potential impairment of decision-making due to MDMA use .
Thus , assessing the long-term effects of MDMA is crucial in order to evaluate its controversially discussed therapeutic use .
The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the scientific literature on potential effects of chronic MDMA use on higher order decision-making processes in humans .
MDMA enhances emotional empathy and prosocial behavior.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine ( MDMA , ' ecstasy ' ) releases serotonin and norepinephrine . MDMA is reported to produce empathogenic and prosocial feelings . It is unknown whether MDMA in fact alters empathic concern and prosocial behavior . We investigated the acute effects of MDMA using the Multifaceted Empathy Test ( MET ) , dynamic Face Emotion Recognition Task ( FERT ) and Social Value Orientation ( SVO ) test . We also assessed effects of MDMA on plasma levels of hormones involved in social behavior using a placebo-controlled , double-blind , r and om-order , cross-over design in 32 healthy volunteers ( 16 women ) .  MDMA enhanced explicit and implicit emotional empathy in the MET and increased prosocial behavior in the SVO test in men . MDMA did not alter cognitive empathy in the MET but impaired the identification of negative emotions , including fearful , angry and sad faces , in the FERT , particularly in women . MDMA increased plasma levels of cortisol and prolactin , which are markers of serotonergic and noradrenergic activity , and of oxytocin , which has been associated with prosocial behavior . In summary , MDMA sex-specifically altered the recognition of emotions , emotional empathy and prosociality . These effects likely enhance sociability when MDMA is used recreationally and may be useful when MDMA is administered in conjunction with psychotherapy in patients with social dysfunction or post-traumatic stress disorder
Thus , the current state of research does not allow for the conclusion that long-term use of MDMA affects decision-making behavior in general .
Different cognitive impairments have been reported as a result of long-term MDMA/ecstasy use .
Increased impulsivity and altered decision-making have been shown to be associated with the development and maintenance of addictive disorders pointing toward the necessity to underst and a potential impairment of decision-making due to MDMA use .
Thus , assessing the long-term effects of MDMA is crucial in order to evaluate its controversially discussed therapeutic use .
The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the scientific literature on potential effects of chronic MDMA use on higher order decision-making processes in humans .