Spectral signatures of serotonergic psychedelics and glutamatergic dissociatives Carla Pallavicini, Martina G. Vilas, Mirta Villarreal, Federico Zamberlan, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, David Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris, Enzo Tagliazucchi NeuroImage, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.06.053 Abstract Classic serotonergic psychedelics are remarkable for their capacity to induce reversible alterations in consciousness of the self and the surroundings, mediated by agonism at serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. The subjective effects elicited by dissociative drugs acting as N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists (e.g. ketamine and phencyclidine) overlap in certain domains with those of serotonergic psychedelics, suggesting some potential similarities in the brain activity patterns induced by both classes of drugs, despite different pharmacological mechanisms of action. We investigated source-localized [...]
Lire la suiteCannabinoids: potential antitumoral agents ? Manuel Guzmán Cannabinoids, 2006, 1, 2, 15-17 © International Association for Cannabis as Medicine Mini-review Abstract Cannabinoids, the active components of Cannabis sativa L., act in the body by mimicking endogenous substances - the endocannabinoids - that activate specific cell surface receptors. Cannabinoids exert palliative effects in cancer patients. For example, they inhibit chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, stimulate appetite and inhibit pain. In addition, cannabinoids inhibit tumor growth in laboratory animals. They do so by modulating key cell signaling pathways, thereby inducing antitumoral actions such as the apoptotic death of tumor cells as well as the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. Of [...]
Lire la suiteHallucinatory altered states of consciousness Levente Móró Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 2010, 9, 2, 241-252. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11097-010-9162-2 DOI: 10.1007/s11097-010-9162-2 Abstract Altered states of consciousness (ASC), especially hallucinatory ones, are philosophically and scientifically interesting modes of operation of the mind–brain complex. However, classical definitions of ASC seem to capture only a few common characteristics of traditionally regarded phenomena, thus lacking exact classification criteria for assessing altered and baseline states. The current situation leads to a priority problem between phenomena-based definitions and definition-based selection. In order to solve the problem, this paper introduces a self-mapping procedure that is based on a three-part analysis on certain aspects of consciousness. [...]
Lire la suitePrevalence and epidemiological associates of novel psychedelic use in the United States adult population James D. Sexton, Michael S. Crawford, Noah W. Sweat, Allyson Varley , Emma E. Green and Peter S. Hendricks Journal of Psychopharmacology, 1-10 DOI : 10.1177/0269881119827796 journals.sagepub.com/home/jopract Abstract Background : Novel psychedelics approximate classic psychedelics, but unlike classic psychedelics, novel psychedelics have been used by humans for a shorter period of time, with fewer data available on these substances. Aims : The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of novel psychedelic use and the associations of novel psychedelic use with mental health outcomes. Methods : We estimated the prevalence of self-reported, [...]
Lire la suiteDisruptive Psychopharmacology Boris D. Heifets, MD, PhD1; Robert C. Malenka, MD, PhD2 JAMA Psychiatry. Published online June 26, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.1145 The paucity of medications with novel mechanisms for the treatment of mental illnesses combined with the delayed response to currently available medications has led to great excitement about the potential therapeutic utility of previously demonized drugs, which offer the hope of generating rapid symptom reductions in some of the sickest patients. Within the past 2 years, the US Food and Drug Administration approved esketamine for treatment-resistant depression and 2 compounds that are still on the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s most restrictive schedule, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and psilocybin, [...]
Lire la suiteComparison of the behavioral effects of mescaline analogs using the head twitch response in mice Adam L. Halberstadt, Muhammad Chatha, Stephen J. Chapman and Simon D. Brandt Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2019, 1 –9 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119826610 journals.sagepub.com/home/jop Abstract Background : In recent years, there has been increasing scientific interest in the effects and pharmacology of serotonergic hallucinogens. While a large amount of experimental work has been conducted to characterize the behavioral response to hallucinogens in rodents, there has been little systematic investigation of mescaline and its analogs. The hallucinogenic potency of mescaline is increased by α-methylation and by homologation of the 4-methoxy group but it not clear [...]
Lire la suiteCANNABIS PEER REVIEW 1964-2016 Over 650 Peer Reviewed Reports & Studies On Cannabis A Free Jeff Prager Publication Health benefits, cancer fighting qualities and many other medicinal advantages can be attributed to the Cannabis Plant. Likewise, diseases and disorders are also related to smoking, vaping and ingesting components of the Cannabis Plant. Cannabis users should be aware and well informed regarding both the positive effects and the negative consequences of regular Cannabis use and this eBook accomplishes that goal by employing over 400 current peer reviewed reports and studies—their findings— with active hyper links to each report. A Free Jeff Prager No-Copyright Publication for [...]
Lire la suiteThe Divergent Effects of CDPPB and Cannabidiol on Fear Extinction and Anxiety in a Predator Scent Stress Model of PTSD in Rats John Shallcross, Peter Hámor, Allison R. Bechard, Madison Romano, Lori Knackstedt and Marek Schwendt Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, May 2019 | Volume 13 | Article 91 ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 10 May 2019 doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00091 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) currently has no FDA-approved treatments that reduce symptoms in the majority of patients. The ability to extinguish fear memory associations is impaired in PTSD individuals. As such, the development of extinction-enhancing pharmacological agents to be used in combination with exposure therapies may benefit the treatment of [...]
Lire la suiteFamilial abnormalities of endocannabinoid signaling in schizophrenia Dagmar Koethe, Franziska Pahlisch, Martin Hellmich , Cathrin Rohleder , Juliane K. Mueller, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg , E. Fuller Torrey, Daniele Piomelli and F. Markus Leweke, THE WORLD JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY, 2018 https://doi.org/10.1080/15622975.2018.1449966 ABSTRACT Objectives : Epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system plays a pathophysiological role in schizophrenia. This is reflected by elevated cerebrospinal levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide in schizophrenia and its initial prodromal states. Methods : We analyzed plasma concentrations of anandamide, 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol, palmitoylethanolamide and oleoylethanolamide from 25 twin pairs discordant for schizophrenia, six discordant for bipolar disorder and eight healthy twin pairs to [...]
Lire la suiteMedical Cannabis : Effects on Opioid and Benzodiazepine Requirements for Pain Control. Megan O’Connell, PharmD, Megan Sandgren, PharmD, MS, BCPS, Leah Frantzen, PharmD, BCPS, Erika Bower, PharmD, BCACP, Brian Erickson, MD Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 2019 May 25:1060028019854221. doi: 10.1177/1060028019854221. PMID : 31129977 Abstract BACKGROUND : There is currently little evidence regarding the use of medical cannabis for the treatment of intractable pain. Literature published on the subject to date has yielded mixed results concerning the efficacy of medical cannabis and has been limited by study design and regulatory issues. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine if the use of medical [...]
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