Hyperscan Neuroimaging to Reveal the Brain Mechanisms Supporting Analgesia Following MDMA-assisted Therapy for Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a debilitating chronic pain disorder. Based on prior research with MDMA, it can be hypothesized MDMA-assisted therapy in fibromyalgia patients may increase the range of positive emotions, interpersonal trust, and heighten the state of empathic rapport that can lead to an enhanced patient-clinician interaction and to initiate reattribution processes targeting dysfunctional thoughts towards pain. Therapeutic alliance, i.e. a positive patient-clinician relationship, is already acknowledged as an essential component for MDMA-assisted therapy. Despite its importance, the patient-clinician interaction and the neuroscience supporting patient/clinician therapeutic alliance has received almost no attention in MDMA research. The investigators will examine the potential therapeutic benefit of MDMA-assisted therapy for fibromyalgia. Additionally, this study will also target secondary objectives including the investigation of the clinical and physiological response (i.e. brain-to-brain concordance) supporting enhanced patient-clinician therapeutic alliance in fibromyalgia patients. The study includes two Experimental Sessions of therapy with MDMA combined with neuroimaging, along integrative therapy, baseline neuroimaging, and a 3 month follow up.
- Status
- recruiting
- Phase
- Early Phase 1
- Institution
- Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
- Principal investigator
- Vitaly Napadow, PhD
- Start date
- 2026-07-01
- End date
- 2026-12-01
- Registry ID
- NCT06066853
Tracked by the DMT Code Clinical Trials Observatory, an open record of DMT-related clinical research.