±3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a synthetic, psychoactive drug that is primarily used recreationally but also may have some therapeutic value. At low doses, MDMA produces feelings of relaxation, empathy, emotional closeness, and euphoria. Higher doses can produce unpleasant psychostimulant- and hallucinogen-like adverse effects and therefore are usually not taken intentionally. There is considerable evidence that MDMA produces neurotoxicity and cognitive deficits at high doses; however, these findings may not generalize to typical recreational or therapeutic use of low-dose MDMA. Here, we systematically review 25 years of research on the cognitive effects of MDMA in animals, with a critical focus on dose. We found no evidence that doses of less than 3 mg/kg MDMA-the dose range that users typically take-produce cognitive deficits in animals. Doses of 3 mg/kg or greater, which were administered most often and frequently ranged from 5 to 20 times greater than an average dose, also did not produce cognitive deficits in a slight majority of experiments. Overall, the preclinical evidence of MDMA-induced cognitive deficits is weak and, if anything, may be the result of unrealistically high dosing. While factors associated with recreational use such as polydrug use, adulterants, hyperthermia, and hyponatremia can increase the potential for neurotoxicity, the short-term, infrequent, therapeutic use of ultra low-dose MDMA is unlikely to pose significant cognitive risks. Future studies must examine any adverse cognitive effects of MDMA using clinically relevant doses to reliably assess its potential as a psychotherapeutic.

中文翻译：

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MDMA对实验动物的认知作用：以剂量为中心的系统评价。

±3,4-亚甲基二氧甲基苯丙胺（MDMA）是一种合成的精神活性药物，主要用于娱乐目的，但也可能具有一定的治疗价值。在低剂量下，摇头丸会产生放松，同理心，情感亲密和欣快感。较高剂量可能会产生令人不快的精神兴奋剂和致幻剂样副作用，因此通常不故意服用。有大量证据表明，高剂量摇头丸在高剂量时会产生神经毒性和认知缺陷。但是，这些发现可能无法推广到低剂量MDMA的典型娱乐或治疗用途。在这里，我们系统地回顾了25年间关于MDMA对动物的认知作用的研究，重点是剂量。我们没有发现低于3 mg / kg MDMA的剂量（使用者通常服用的剂量范围）在动物中产生认知缺陷的证据。3 mg / kg或更高的剂量（最常见且是平均剂量的5到20倍）给药，在绝大多数实验中也不会产生认知缺陷。总体而言，MDMA引起的认知功能障碍的临床前证据微弱，并且，如果有的话，可能是不切实际的高剂量给药的结果。尽管与娱乐性使用相关的因素（例如多药使用，掺假剂，体温过高和低钠血症）会增加神经毒性的可能性，但超低剂量MDMA的短期非经常性治疗性使用不太可能带来重大的认知风险。