“Go Ask Alice”: The Case for Researching Schedule I Drugs Kenneth V. ISERSON Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 2019, 28, 168–177. © Cambridge University Press 2018. doi : 10.1017/S0963180118000518 Abstract : The available treatments for disorders affecting large segments of the population are often costly, complex, and only marginally effective, and many have numerous side effects. These disorders include dementias, debilitating neurological disorders, the multiple types of drug addiction, and the spectrum of mental health disorders. Preliminary studies have shown that a variety of psychedelic and similar U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Schedule I drugs may offer better treatment options than those that currently exist and pose potentially [...]
Lire la suiteAntidepressant-like effects of β-caryophyllene on restraint plus stress-induced depression Eun-Sang Hwang, Hyun-Bum Kim, Seok Lee, Min-Jeong Kim, Kwan-Joong Kim, Gaeul Han, Se-Young Han, Eun-A Lee, Jeong-Hee Yoon, Dae-Ok Kim, Sungho Maeng, Ji-Ho Park Behavioural Brain Research, 2020, 380, 112439 doi : 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112439 A B S T R A C T Chronic stress is depressogenic by altering neurotrophic and neuroinflammatory environments of the organism. The endocannabinoid system controls cognitive and emotional responses related with stress through the interaction with endocannabinoid receptors. β-Caryophyllene (BCP) is a CB2 agonist that exhibited anti-inflammatory, analgesic effects but minimal psychoactive effects. To test if BCP exhibits antidepressant-like action, animals were chronically restrained with additional [...]
Lire la suiteCannabis Use Rising Faster Among Depressed Americans Lisa Rapaport Medscape - Dec 26, 2019. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/923160?nlid=133282_2052&src=WNL_mdplsnews_200103_mscpedit_psyc&uac=292598PZ&spon=12&impID=2232271&faf=1 (Reuters Health) - Regular cannabis use has risen more quickly among people with depression, and they're less likely to perceive it as risky, compared with people who aren't depressed, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data collected from a total of almost 729,000 people aged 12 years and older between 2005 and 2017, including any prior-month cannabis use and any depression experienced over the previous year. By the final year of the study, about 19% of people with depression reported at least some cannabis use, compared with 8.7% of individuals without a recent history of [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin-Induced Decrease in Amygdala Reactivity Correlates with Enhanced Positive Mood in Healthy Volunteers Rainer Kraehenmann, Katrin H. Preller, Milan Scheidegger, Thomas Pokorny, Oliver G. Bosch, Erich Seifritz, and Franz X. Vollenweider Biological Psychiatry, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.04.010 Background : The amygdala is a key structure in serotonergic emotion-processing circuits. In healthy volunteers, acute administration of the serotonin 1A/2A/2C receptor agonist psilocybin reduces neural responses to negative stimuli and induces mood changes toward positive states. However, it is little known whether psilocybin reduces amygdala reactivity to negative stimuli and whether any change in amygdala reactivity is related to mood change. Methods : This study assessed the effects of [...]
Lire la suitePatient-reported use of medical cannabis for pain, anxiety, and depression symptoms : Systematic review and meta-analysis Jesse D. Kosiba, Stephen A. Maisto, Joseph W. Ditre Social Science & Medicine, 2019, 181-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.06.005 This study is the first to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of empirical studies that assess patient-reported reasons for using medical cannabis to alleviate pain, anxiety, and depression. The present review further assessed the quality of studies and identified several methodological flaws in extant research. Highlights •Systematically reviewed studies why patients use medical cannabis. •Pain was a common reason for medical cannabis use (64%). •Anxiety (50%) and depression (34%) were [...]
Lire la suiteThe mixed serotonin receptor agonist psilocybin reduces threat-induced modulation of amygdala connectivity Rainer Kraehenmann, André Schmidt, Karl Friston, Katrin H. Preller, Erich Seifritz, Franz X. Vollenweider NeuroImage : Clinical, 2016, 11, 53–60 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2015.08.009 a b s t r a c t Stimulation of serotonergic neurotransmission by psilocybin has been shown to shift emotional biases away from negative towards positive stimuli. We have recently shown that reduced amygdala activity during threat processing might underlie psilocybin's effect on emotional processing. However, it is still not known whether psilocybin modulates bottom-up or top-down connectivity within the visual-limbic-prefrontal network underlying threat processing.We therefore analyzed our previous fMRI data using [...]
Lire la suiteThe psychedelic renaissance : the next trip for psychiatry ? J. R. Kelly, A. Baker, M. Babiker, L. Burke, C. Brennan and V. O’Keane Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2019, 1 - 5 doi : 10.1017/ipm.2019.39 Abstract The psychedelic research renaissance is gaining traction. Preliminary clinical studies of the hallucinogenic fungi, psilocybin, with psychological support, have indicated improvements in mood, anxiety and quality of life. A seminal, open-label study demonstrated marked reductions in depression symptoms in participants with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The associated neurobiological processes involve alterations in brain connectivity, together with altered amygdala and default mode network activity. At the cellular level, psychedelics promote [...]
Lire la suiteSerotonergic hallucinogens/psychedelics could be promising treatments for depressive and anxiety disorders in endstage cancer Rafael Guimarães dos Santos, José Carlos Bouso and Jaime E. C. Hallak BMC Psychiatry, 2019, 19, 321 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2288-z Abstract In a recent issue of the BMC Psychiatry, the evidence of effectiveness of treatments for psychiatric conditions in end-stage cancer patients was reviewed (Johnson, 2018). The review was comprehensive, and included traditional and non-traditional/alternative treatments, including herbal medicines and spirituality. However, evidence showing that classic or serotonergic hallucinogens/psychedelics such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) could be effective treatments for depressive and anxiety disorders in end-stage cancer was not included. In [...]
Lire la suiteAntidepressive and anxiolytic effects of ayahuasca : a systematic literature review of animal and human studies Rafael G. dos Santos, Flavia L. Osorio, José Alexandre S. Crippa, Jaime E.C. Hallak Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria, 2016, 38, 65–72 doi:10.1590/1516-4446-2015-1701 ABSTRACT Objective : To conduct a systematic literature review of animal and human studies reporting anxiolytic or antidepressive effects of ayahuasca or some of its isolated alkaloids (dimethyltryptamine, harmine, tetrahydroharmine, and harmaline). Methods : Papers published until 3 April 2015 were retrieved from the PubMed, LILACS and SciELO databases following a comprehensive search strategy and using a predetermined set of criteria for article selection. Results : Five hundred and [...]
Lire la suiteThe Impact of Ayahuasca on Suicidality : Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial Richard J. Zeifman, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Jaime Hallak, Emerson Arcoverde, João Paulo Maia-Oliveira, Draulio B. Araujo Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2019, Volume 10, Article 1325, 1-10. doi : 10.3389/fphar.2019.01325 Suicide is a major public health problem. Given increasing suicide rates and limitations surrounding current interventions, there is an urgent need for innovative interventions for suicidality. Although ayahuasca has been shown to target mental health concerns associated with suicidality (i.e., depression and hopelessness), research has not yet explored the impact of ayahuasca on suicidality. Therefore, we conducted secondary analyses of a randomized placebo-controlled trial in [...]
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