The Mechanisms of Psychedelic Visionary Experiences: Hypotheses from Evolutionary Psychology Michael J. Winkelman Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2017, 11, article 539, 1-17. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00539 Neuropharmacological effects of psychedelics have profound cognitive, emotional, and social effects that inspired the development of cultures and religions worldwide. Findings that psychedelics objectively and reliably produce mystical experiences press the question of the neuropharmacological mechanisms by which these highly significant experiences are produced by exogenous neurotransmitter analogs. Humans have a long evolutionary relationship with psychedelics, a consequence of psychedelics’ selective effects for human cognitive abilities, exemplified in the information rich visionary experiences. Objective evidence that psychedelics produce classicmystical experiences, coupled [...]
Lire la suiteSalvinorin A : Pharmacology, therapeutic potential and structural considerations of a unique non-nitrogenous selective k-opioid receptor agonist, and active component of the sage Salvia divinorum. Adriano Ciaffoni Graduate School of Life Sciences, Utrecht University July 2014, Utrecht, The Netherlands Summary Salvia divinorum is a plant indigenous of Oaxaca, Mexico. Traditionally, the plant is used for healing and divinatory purposes. At present, S. divinorum is also used recreationally by teenagers and young adults around the world. The main active component is salvinorin A, a unique non-nitrogenous kappa-opioid receptor agonist with hallucinogenic properties. Scientific interest is high, due to two facts: 1) salvinorin A was the first [...]
Lire la suiteSalvinorin A, a kappa-opioid receptor agonist hallucinogen : pharmacology and potential template for novel pharmacotherapeutic agents in neuropsychiatric disorders Eduardo R. Butelman and Mary Jeanne Kreek Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2015 doi: 10.3389/fphar.2015.00190 Salvinorin A is a potent hallucinogen, isolated from the ethnomedical plant Salvia divinorum. Salvinorin A is a selective high efficacy kappa-opioid receptor (KOPr) agonist, and thus implicates the KOPr system and its endogenous agonist ligands (the dynorphins) in higher functions, including cognition and perceptual effects. Salvinorin A is the only selective KOPr ligand to be widely available outside research or medical settings, and salvinorin A-containing products have undergone frequent nonmedical use. KOPr/dynorphin [...]
Lire la suiteHuman psychopharmacology and dose-effects of salvinorin A, a kappa-opioid agonist hallucinogen present in the plant Salvia divinorum Matthew W. Johnson, Katherine A. MacLean, Chad J. Reissig, Thomas E. Prisinzano and Roland R. Griffiths Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2011, 115, (1-2), 150–155. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.11.005 Abstract Salvinorin A is a potent, selective nonnitrogenous kappa opioid agonist and the known psychoactive constituent of Salvia divinorum, a member of the mint family that has been used for centuries by Mazatec shamans of Mexico for divination and spiritual healing. Salvia divinorum has over the last several years gained increased popularity as a recreational drug. This is a double-blind, placebo controlled [...]
Lire la suiteAcute and post-acute behavioral and psychological effects of salvinorin A in humans Peter H. Addy Psychopharmacology, 2012, 220, 195–204 DOI 10.1007/s00213-011-2470-6 Abstract Rationale : Salvia divinorum has been used for centuries, and nontraditional use in modern societies is increasing. Inebriation and aftereffects of use are poorly documented in the scientific literature. Objectives : This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study analyzed subjective experiences of salvinorin A (SA) inebriation and consequences of use after 8 weeks. Methods : Thirty middle-aged, well-educated, hallucinogenexperienced participants smoked either 1,017 or 100μg SA 2 weeks apart in counterbalanced order. Vital signs were recorded before and after inhalation. A researcher rated participants' behavior during sessions. [...]
Lire la suiteHuman hallucinogen research : Guidelines for safety. Matthew W. Johnson, William A. Richards, Roland R. Griffiths Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2008, 22, 603–620. doi : 10.1177/0269881108093587 Abstract There has recently been a renewal of human research with classical hallucinogens (psychedelics). This paper first briefly discusses the unique history of human hallucinogen research, and then reviews the risks of hallucinogen administration and safeguards for minimizing these risks. Although hallucinogens are relatively safe physiologically and are not considered drugs of dependence, their administration involves unique psychological risks. The most likely risk is overwhelming distress during drug action ('bad trip'), which could lead to potentially dangerous behaviour such as [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy : A Paradigm Shift in Psychiatric Research and Development Eduardo Ekman Schenberg Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2018, Volume 9, Article 733, 1-11 doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00733 Abstract Mental disorders are rising while development of novel psychiatric medications is declining. This stall in innovation has also been linked with intense debates on the current diagnostics and explanations for mental disorders, together constituting a paradigmatic crisis. A radical innovation is psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP): professionally supervised use of ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, LSD and ibogaine as part of elaborated psychotherapy programs. Clinical results so far have shown safety and efficacy, even for “treatment resistant” conditions, and thus deserve increasing attention [...]
Lire la suitePsychiatry might need some psychedelic therapy Matthew W. Johnson International Review of Psychiatry, 2018, 30, 4, 285-290, DOI: 10.1080/09540261.2018.1509544 EDITORIAL Psychiatry might need some psychedelic therapy In historical and modern-day studies, psychedelic drugs have shown promise in managing a variety of psychiatric disorders, but their medical use has often raised controversies. The controversies have related to social, political, and legal challenges. History Although anthropological evidence suggests that classic psychedelic drugs (hereafter, ‘psychedelics’) have been used by various indigenous peoples as sacraments and healing agents before recorded history, in the mid-twentieth century they came to occupy a place at the cutting edge of psychiatric research (Johnson, Richards, & Griffiths, [...]
Lire la suiteLong-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation Johnson M.W., Garcia-Romeu A., Griffiths R.R. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 2017, 43, (1), 55–60 http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/00952990.2016.1170135 Abstract Background : A recent open-label pilot study (N = 15) found that two to three moderate to high doses (20 and 30 mg/70 kg) of the serotonin 2A receptor agonist, psilocybin, in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for smoking cessation, resulted in substantially higher 6-month smoking abstinence rates than are typically observed with other medications or CBT alone. Objectives : To assess long-term effects of a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation program at ≥12 months after psilocybin administration. Methods : The present [...]
Lire la suiteUnifying Theories of Psychedelic Drug Effects Link R. Swanson Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2018, Volume 9, Article 172, 1-23 www.frontiersin.org (2 March 2018) doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00172 Abstract How do psychedelic drugs produce their characteristic range of acute effects in perception, emotion, cognition, and sense of self? How do these effects relate to the clinical efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapies? Efforts to understand psychedelic phenomena date back more than a century in Western science. In this article I review theories of psychedelic drug effects and highlight key concepts which have endured over the last 125 years of psychedelic science. First, I describe the subjective phenomenology of acute psychedelic effects using [...]
Lire la suite