Learning to Let Go : A Cognitive-Behavioral Model of How Psychedelic Therapy Promotes Acceptance Max Wolff, Ricarda Evens, Lea J. Mertens, Michael Koslowski, Felix Betzler, Gerhard Gründer and Henrik Jungaberle Frontiers in Psychiatry, February 2020 | Volume 11 | Article 5, 1-13. doi : 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00005 The efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental disorders has been attributed to the lasting change from experiential avoidance to acceptance that these treatments appear to facilitate. This article presents a conceptual model that specifies potential psychological mechanisms underlying such change, and that shows substantial parallels between psychedelic therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy: We propose that in the carefully controlled [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelic Medicines for Mood Disorders Current Evidence and Clinical Considerations Jerome Sarris; Diego Pinzon Rubiano; Kimberley Day; Nicole L. Galvão-Coelho; Daniel Perkins Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 2022, 35, (1), 22-29. doi : 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000759 https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/964245 Abstract and Introduction Abstract Purpose of Review: Despite advances in treatment modalities for mood disorders over recent decades, further therapeutic options are still required. Increased research is occurring, with the pursuit of psychedelic-based pharmacotherapies for a range of mood disorders and other conditions. Recent Findings: Serotonergic psychedelics have been found to modulate brain networks underlying various psychiatric disorders, as well promoting neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. Randomized placebo-controlled trials have found psilocybin with psychological support effective at [...]
Lire la suiteNovel Treatment Approaches for Substance Use Disorders : Therapeutic Use of Psychedelics and the Role of Psychotherapy Michael Koslowski, Matthew W. Johnson, Gerhard Gründer, Felix Betzler Current Addiction Reports, 2021, 1-11. doi : 10.1007/s40429-021-00401-8 Abstract Purpose of Review : The use of psychedelics in a therapeutical setting has been reported for the treatment of various diagnoses in recent years. However, as psychedelic substances are still commonly known for their (illicit) recreational use, it may seem counterintuitive to use psychedelic therapy to treat substance use disorders. This review aims to discuss how psychedelics can promote and intensify psychotherapeutic key processes, in different approaches like psychodynamic and [...]
Lire la suiteMolecular and Functional Imaging Studies of Psychedelic Drug Action in Animals and Humans Paul Cumming, Milan Scheidegger, Dario Dornbierer, Mikael Palner, Boris B. Quednow and Chantal Martin-Soelch Molecules, 2021, 26, 2451 doi : 10.3390/molecules26092451 Abstract : Hallucinogens are a loosely defined group of compounds including LSD, N,Ndimethyltryptamines, mescaline, psilocybin/psilocin, and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methamphetamine (DOM), which can evoke intense visual and emotional experiences. We are witnessing a renaissance of research interest in hallucinogens, driven by increasing awareness of their psychotherapeutic potential. As such, we now present a narrative review of the literature on hallucinogen binding in vitro and ex vivo, and the various molecular imaging studies with positron [...]
Lire la suiteA single dose of psilocybin increases synaptic density and decreases 5-HT2A receptor density in the pig brain Nakul Ravi Raval, Annette Johansen, Lene Lundgaard Donovan, Nidia Fernandez Ros, Brice Ozenne, Hanne Demant Hansen, Gitte Moos Knudsen Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 30 November 2020 doi : 10.20944/preprints202011.0742.v1 Abstract : A single dose of psilocybin, a psychedelic and serotonin 2A receptor (5 HT2AR) agonist, may be associated with antidepressant effects. The mechanism behind its antidepressive action is unknown but could be linked to increased synaptogenesis and down-regulation of cerebral 5-HT2AR. Here, we investigate if a single psychedelic dose of psilocybin changes synaptic vesicle protein 2A [...]
Lire la suiteTrial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression Robin Carhart-Harris, Ph.D., Bruna Giribaldi, B.Sc., Rosalind Watts, D.Clin.Psy., Michelle Baker-Jones, B.A., Ashleigh Murphy-Beiner, M.Sc., Roberta Murphy, M.D., Jonny Martell, M.D., Allan Blemings, M.Sc., David Erritzoe, M.D. and David J. Nutt, M.D.New England Journal of Medicine, 2021, 384, 1402-1411Doi : 10.1056/NEJMoa2032994 Abstract Background Psilocybin may have antidepressant properties, but direct comparisons between psilocybin and established treatments for depression are lacking. Methods In a phase 2, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial involving patients with long-standing, moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder, we compared psilocybin with escitalopram, a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor, over a 6-week period. Patients were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin for treatment-resistant depression : fMRI-measured brain mechanisms Robin L Carhart-Harris, Leor Roseman, Mark Bolstridge, Lysia Demetriou, J Nienke Pannekoek, Matthew B Wall, Mark Tanner, Mendel Kaelen, John McGonigle, Kevin Murphy, Robert Leech, H Valerie Curran & David J Nutt Nature, Scientific Reports, 2017, 7, 13187 |1-11 Doi : 10.1038/s41598-017-13282-7 Abstract Psilocybin with psychological support is showing promise as a treatment model in psychiatry but its therapeutic mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, cerebral blood flow (CBF) and blood oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) were measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after treatment with psilocybin (serotonin agonist) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin Delivers ‘Remarkable’ Relief in Severe Depression, Batya Swift Yasgur, Medscape.com, 2020
Psilocybin Delivers 'Remarkable' Relief in Severe Depression Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW Medscape Medical News, November 05, 2020 Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in "magic mushrooms," rapidly improves symptoms and produces remission in as little as two sessions for patients with major depression, new research suggests. Results of a small randomized trial showed that treatment with psilocybin was associated with a greater than 50% reduction in depressive symptoms in 67% of study participants. In addition, 71% showed improvement at 4-week follow-up, with more than 50% achieving remission. "The finding that the majority of people whom we treated showed efficacy was quite a remarkable and gratifying finding [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin Matches SSRI for Moderate-to-Severe Depression in Phase 2 Study Sarah Edmonds Medscape Medical News, April 14, 2021 The psychedelic drug psilocybin performed just as well as a widely used antidepressant in easing the symptoms of major depression, and outperformed the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) on a range of secondary measures, results of a small-scale phase 2 study show. In a 6-week trial that included 59 patients with moderate-to-severe depression, there was no significant difference between the impact of high-dose psilocybin on the study's primary yardstick — the 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology–Self-Report (QIDS-SR-16) — and that of selective serotonin reuptake [...]
Lire la suite'Magic Mushrooms' Effective for Severe Depression Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW Medscape Medical News © 2017 October 20, 2017 Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in “magic mushrooms,” is a promising intervention for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and appears to offer a rapid, sustained effect, new research shows. Investigators led by David Nutt, MD, PhD, professor of neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom, collected pre- and posttreatment fMRI data on the use of psilocybin in 19 patients with severe major depression who had failed to respond to conventional treatments. The patients experience dramatic improvements in depressive symptoms 1 day following treatment; close to half met criteria for full response at 5 [...]
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