On January 26, 2012, the MAPS clinical team finalized negotiations with a qualified research team who responded to our Request for Proposals for an upcoming study of MDMA-assisted treatment for Adult Asperger’s syndrome. MAPS has agreed to contribute $10,000 for protocol development expenses. Asperger’s syndrome is characterized by difficulties in interpreting social cues and nonverbal communication. This study will seek to evaluate how individuals experience certain types of empathy, as well as larger questions of global functioning, before and after MDMA-assisted treatments. The research team will collaborate with the MAPS clinical team to develop a protocol for submission to the FDA, enabling us to begin exploring a new indication within our overall research program into the risks and benefits of MDMA used in a therapeutic setting. We have preliminary budgeted $200,000 for this study, and will refine that estimate as the protocol is developed.
