Den här översättningen är inte klar ännu. Den här sidan är just nu på engelska.

Gå till den engelska sidan

Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Ecstasy drug used to probe social brain in autism

NCT ID NCT07555132

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study gives 40 adults—half with autism, half without—a single dose of MDMA (the active ingredient in ecstasy) or a placebo to see how it changes oxytocin levels in the blood. Oxytocin is often called the 'love hormone' and helps with social bonding. The goal is not to treat autism but to understand whether the oxytocin system works differently in autistic individuals. Participants will be monitored for several hours after taking the drug.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could reveal why social bonding feels different for some people with autism, pointing toward new ways to support social connection.
What could go wrong
This is a very early, small study (40 people) using a single dose of MDMA—not a treatment. It only measures short-term chemical changes, so it may not lead to any practical therapy.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Jun 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Jun 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria for patients: * Adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder level 1 according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) V Inclusion criteria for healthy controls: * Adult healthy controls * Matched for age, sex, BMI, and oestrogen replacement/menopause/hormonal contraceptives to patients * No medication, except hormonal contraception * A score of \<32 in the Autism Spectrum Quotient Exclusion Criteria: * Participation in a trial with investigational drugs within 30 days * Illicit substance use (except for cannabis) more than 10 times in lifetime or any time within the previous two months * Consumption of alcoholic beverages \>15 drinks/week * Tobacco smoking \>10 cigarettes/day * Cardiovascular disease (coronary artery disease, heart failure, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \<40%, stroke in the last 3 months, atrial fibrillation/flutter, Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW)-Syndrome) * Uncontrolled arterial hypertension (\>140/90 mmHg) or hypotension (\<85mmHg) * Current or previous major psychiatric disorder (e.g., major depression, schizophrenia spectrum disorder) * Psychotic disorder in first-degree relatives * Pregnancy and breastfeeding * Diagnosed CKD \> grade III (GFR \< 30ml/min) * Diagnosed liver cirrhosis or alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) or aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) levels 2.5 times above the normal range * Confirmed epilepsy diagnosis * Diagnosed autism spectrum disorder level 2 or 3 (according to DSM V criteria)

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Autism spectrum disorder are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

autism spectrum disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Autism spectrum disorder

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University Hospital Basel, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

    Basel, 4031, Switzerland

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.