New psychoactive substances: a review and updates Abu Shafi, Alex J. Berry, Harry Sumnall, David M. Wood and Derek K. Tracy Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 2020, Vol. 10, 1–21. Doi : 10.1177/2045125320967197 Abstract : New psychoactive substances (NPS) are a heterogeneous group of substances. They are associated with a number of health and social harms on an individual and societal level. NPS toxicity and dependence syndromes are recognised in primary care, emergency departments, psychiatric inpatient and community care settings. One pragmatic classification system is to divide NPS into one of four groups: synthetic stimulants, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic hallucinogens and synthetic depressants (which include synthetic opioids [...]
Lire la suiteMolecular Mechanisms of Action of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS). A New Threat for Young Drug Users with Forensic-Toxicological Implications Arianna Giorgetti, Jennifer P. Pascali, Paolo Fais, Guido Pelletti, Andrea Gabbin, Giorgia Franchetti, Giovanni Cecchetto and Guido Viel Life, 2021, 11, 440, 1-17. doi : 10.3390/life11050440 Abstract : Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) represent a severe health risk for drug users. Even though the phenomenon has been growing since the early 2000s, the mechanisms of action of NPS at the receptors and beyond them are still scarcely understood. The aim of the present study was to provide a systematic review of the updated knowledge regarding the molecular [...]
Lire la suiteDynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems Morten L. Kringelbach, Josephine Cruzat, Joana Cabral, Gitte Moos Knudsen, Robin Carhart-Harris, Peter C. Whybrow Nikos K. Logothetis, and Gustavo Deco PNAS, 2020, 1-11 doi : 10.1073/pnas.1921475117 Remarkable progress has come from whole-brain models linking anatomy and function. Paradoxically, it is not clear how a neuronal dynamical system running in the fixed human anatomical connectome can give rise to the rich changes in the functional repertoire associated with human brain function, which is impossible to explain through long-term plasticity. Neuromodulation evolved to allow for such flexibility by dynamically updating the effectivity of the fixed anatomical connectivity. [...]
Lire la suiteMolecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of ketamine enantiomers and its metabolites Chun Yang, Jianjun Yang, Ailin Luo and Kenji Hashimoto Translational Psychiatry, 2019, 9, 280 doi : 10.1038/s41398-019-0624-1 Abstract Although the robust antidepressant effects of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist ketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression are beyond doubt, the precise molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying its antidepressant effects remain unknown. NMDAR inhibition and the subsequent α-amino-3-hydroxy-5- methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) activation are suggested to play a role in the antidepressant effects of ketamine. Although (R)-ketamine is a less potent NMDAR antagonist than (S)-ketamine, (R)-ketamine has shown more marked and longer-lasting antidepressant-like [...]
Lire la suiteCommon neural signatures of psychedelics : Frequency-specific energy changes and repertoire expansion revealed using connectome-harmonic decomposition Selen Atasoy, Jakub Vohryzek, Gustavo Deco, Robin L. Carhart-Harris, Morten L. Kringelbach Progress in Brain Research, 2018, Volume 242,97- https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.08.009 ISSN 0079-6123 © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Abstract The search for the universal laws of human brain function is still on-going but progress is being made. Here we describe the novel concepts of connectome harmonics and connectomeharmonic decomposition, which can be used to characterize the brain activity associated with any mental state. We use this new frequency-specific language to describe the brain activity elicited by psilocybin and LSD [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics as Medicines for Substance Abuse Rehabilitation : Evaluating Treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca Michael Winkelman Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 2014, 7, 101-116 Abstract : Substances known as psychedelics, hallucinogens and entheogens have been employed in ethnomedical traditions for thousands of years, but after promising uses in the 1950’s and 1960’s they were largely prohibited in medical treatment and human research starting in the 1970’s as part of the fallout from the war on drugs. Nonetheless, there are a number of studies which suggest that these substances have potential applications in the treatment of addictions. While these substances are generally classified as [...]
Lire la suiteCan Psychedelic Drugs Attenuate Age-Related Changes in Cognition and Affect ? Jacob S. Aday, Emily K. Bloesch, & Christopher C. Davoli Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, August 2019 DOI: 10.1007/s41465-019-00151-6 Abstract Older adulthood can be characterized by various cognitive and affective changes. In general, older adults show declines in creativity and executive functioning. They also score lower in openness to experience, empathy, and many suffer from a paucity of meaningful experiences. Further, depression, pessimism, and suicide can be major concerns for this population. Although currently there are few interventions that can effectively address these changes, recent findings from psychedelic science suggest myriad parallels between the effects [...]
Lire la suiteAyahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Gerald Thomas, Philippe Lucas, N. Rielle Capler, Kenneth W. Tupper and Gina Martin Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 2013, 6, (1), 1-13. Abstract: Introduction : This paper reports results from a preliminary observational study of ayahuasca-assisted treatment for problematic substance use and stress delivered in a rural First Nations community in British Columbia, Canada. Methods : The “Working with Addiction and Stress” retreats combined four days of group counselling with two expert-led ayahuasca ceremonies. This study collected pre-treatment and six months follow-up data from 12 participants on several psychological and behavioral factors related to [...]
Lire la suiteHeavy Cannabis Use, Dependence and the Brain: A Clinical Perspective KROON E., KUHNS L., HOCH E., COUSIJN J. Addictions, 2019 Aug 13. doi: 10.1111/add.14776. PMID: 31408248 Abstract AIMS : To summarize and evaluate our knowledge of the relationship between heavy cannabis use, Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), and the brain. METHODS : Narrative review of relevant literature identified through existing systematic reviews, meta-analyses and a PubMed search. Epidemiology, clinical representations, potential causal mechanisms, assessments, treatment and prognosis are discussed. RESULTS : Although causality is unclear, heavy and dependent cannabis use is consistently associated with a high prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders and learning and memory impairments that seem [...]
Lire la suiteMultiple receptors contribute to the behavioral effects of indoleamine hallucinogens Adam L. Halberstadt & Mark A. Geyer Neuropharmacology, 2011, 61, (3), 364–381. doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.01.017. Abstract Serotonergic hallucinogens produce profound changes in perception, mood, and cognition. These drugs include phenylalkylamines such as mescaline and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (DOM), and indoleamines such as (+)-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin. Despite their differences in chemical structure, the two classes of hallucinogens produce remarkably similar subjective effects in humans, and induce cross-tolerance. The phenylalkylamine hallucinogens are selective 5-HT2 receptor agonists, whereas the indoleamines are relatively nonselective for serotonin (5-HT) receptors. There is extensive evidence, from both animal and human studies, that the [...]
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