Why Psychiatry Needs 3,4 Methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine : A Child Psychiatrist’s Perspective Ben SESSA Neurotherapeutics, 2017, 14, (3), 741-749. doi:10.1007/s13311-017-0531-1 Abstract Since the late 1980s the psychoactive drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has had a well-known history as the recreationally used drug ecstasy. What is less well known by the public is that MDMA started its life as a therapeutic agent and that in recent years an increasing amount of clinical research has been undertaken to revisit the drug’s medical potential. MDMA has unique pharmacological properties that translate well to its proposed agent to assist trauma-focused psychotherapy. Psychological trauma—especially that which arises early in life from child abuse—underpins many [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin exerts distinct effects on resting state networks 1 associated with serotonin and dopamine in mice Joanes Grandjean, David Buehlmann, Michaela Buerge, Hannes Sigrist, Erich Seifritz, Franz X. Vollenweider, Christopher R. Pryce, Markus Rudin Preprint · September 2019 Doi : 10.1101/751255 Abstract Hallucinogenic agents have been proposed as potent antidepressants; this includes the serotonin (5-HT) receptor 2A agonist psilocybin. In human subjects, psilocybin alters functional connectivity (FC) within the default-mode network (DMN), a constellation of inter-connected regions that is involved in self-reference and displays altered FC in depressive disorders. In this study we investigated the effects of psilocybin on FC in the analogue of the [...]
Lire la suiteAcute effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on resting state brain function and their modulation by COMT genotype Matthijs G. Bossong, Hendrika H. van Hell, Chris D. Schubart, Wesley van Saane, Tabitha A. Iseger, Gerry Jager, Matthias J.P. van Osch, J. Martijn Jansma, René S. Kahn, Marco P. Boks, Nick F. Ramsey European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2019, 13, 56, 1–11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.03.010 Abstract Cannabis produces a broad range of acute, dose-dependent psychotropic effects. Only a limited number of neuroimaging studies have mapped these effects by examining the impact of cannabis on resting state brain neurophysiology. Moreover, how genetic variation influences the acute effects of cannabis on resting state brain function [...]
Lire la suiteAnandamide administration alone and after inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) increases dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens shell in rats Marcello Solinas, Zuzana Justinova, Steven R. Goldberg and Gianluigi Tanda Journal of Neurochemistry, 2006, 98, 408–419. doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03880.x Abstract Although endogenous cannabinoid systems have been implicated in the modulation of the rewarding effects of abused drugs and food, little is known about the direct effects of endogenous ligands for cannabinoid receptors on brain reward processes. Here we show for the first time that the intravenous administration of anandamide, an endogenous ligand for cannabinoid receptors, and its longer-lasting synthetic analog methanandamide, increase the extracellular dopamine [...]
Lire la suiteCannabinoids in Parkinson's Disease Mario Stampanoni Bassi, Andrea Sancesario, Roberta Morace, Diego Centonze, and Ennio Iezzi Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2017, Volume 2.1 DOI: 10.1089/can.2017.0002 Abstract The endocannabinoid system plays a regulatory role in a number of physiological processes and has been found altered in different pathological conditions, including movement disorders. The interactions between cannabinoids and dopamine in the basal ganglia are remarkably complex and involve both the modulation of other neurotransmitters (c-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, opioids, peptides) and the activation of different receptors subtypes (cannabinoid receptor type 1 and 2). In the last years, experimental studies contributed to enrich this scenario reporting interactions between cannabinoids [...]
Lire la suiteBrain Imaging Studies on the Cognitive, Pharmacological and Neurobiological Effects of Cannabis in Humans : Evidence from Studies of Adult Users. Aviv Weinstein, Abigail Livny, Abraham Weizman. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2016, 22, 42, 6366-6379. doi: 10.2174/1381612822666160822151323. PMID : 27549374 Abstract Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug worldwide. Regular cannabis use has been associated with a range of acute and chronic mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, psychotic symptoms and neurocognitive impairments and their neural mechanisms need to be examined. This review summarizes and critically evaluates brain-imaging studies of cannabis in recreational and regular cannabis users between January 2000 and January 2016. The [...]
Lire la suiteThe effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on the dopamine system Michael A P Bloomfield, Abhishekh H Ashok, Nora D Volkow, and Oliver D Howes Nature, 2016, 539, 7629, 369–377. doi : 10.1038/nature20153. Preface Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, is a pressing concern to global mental health. Patterns of use are changing drastically due to legalisation, availability of synthetic analogues (‘spice’), cannavaping and aggrandizements in the purported therapeutic effects of cannabis. Many of THC’s reinforcing effects are mediated by the dopamine system. Due to complex cannabinoid-dopamine interactions there is conflicting evidence from human and animal research fields. Acute THC causes increased dopamine release and neuron [...]
Lire la suiteThe endocannabinoid system as a target for novel anxiolytic drugs S. Patel, M.N. Hill, J.F. Cheer, C.T. Wotjak, A. Holmes, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 2017, 76, 56-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.033 Abstract The endocannabinoid (eCB) system has attracted attention for its role in various behavioral and brain functions, and as a therapeutic target in neuropsychiatric disease states, including anxiety disorders and other conditions resulting from dysfunctional responses to stress. In this mini-review, we highlight components of the eCB system that offer potential ‘druggable’ targets for new anxiolytic medications, emphasizing some of the less well-discussed options. We discuss how selectively amplifying eCBs recruitment by interfering with eCB-degradation, via fatty [...]
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