The Neurobiology of Psychedelic Drugs: Implications for the Treatment of Mood Disorders Franz X. VOLLENWEIDER & Michael KOMETER Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2010, 11, (9), 642-51 DOI: 10.1038/nrn2884 Abstract After a pause of nearly 40 years in research into the effects of psychedelic drugs, recent advances in our understanding of the neurobiology of psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin and ketamine have led to renewed interest in the clinical potential of psychedelics in the treatment of various psychiatric disorders. Recent behavioural and neuroimaging data show that psychedelics modulate neural circuits that have been implicated in mood and affective disorders, and can reduce the clinical [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics and Mental Health : A Population Study Teri S. Krebs, Pal-Ørjan Johansen PLoS ONE, 2013, 8, (8): e63972. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0063972 Abstract Background : The classical serotonergic psychedelics LSD, psilocybin, mescaline are not known to cause brain damage and are regarded as non-addictive. Clinical studies do not suggest that psychedelics cause long-term mental health problems. Psychedelics have been used in the Americas for thousands of years. Over 30 million people currently living in the US have used LSD, psilocybin, or mescaline. Objective : To evaluate the association between the lifetime use of psychedelics and current mental health in the adult population. Method : Data drawn from years 2001 [...]
Lire la suitePredicting Responses to Psychedelics : A Prospective Study Eline C. H. M. Haijen, Mendel Kaelen, Leor Roseman, Christopher Timmermann, Hannes Kettner, Suzanne Russ, David Nutt, Richard E. Daws, Adam D. G. Hampshire, Romy Lorenz and Robin L. Carhart-Harris Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2018 doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00897 Abstract Responses to psychedelics are notoriously difficult to predict, yet significant work is currently underway to assess their therapeutic potential and the level of interest in psychedelics among the general public appears to be increasing. We aimed to collect prospective data in order to improve our ability to predict acute- and longer-term responses to psychedelics. Individuals who planned to take a [...]
Lire la suiteBeyond LSD : A Broader Psychedelic Zeitgeist during the Early to Mid-20th Century Jacob S. Aday, M.S. , Emily K. Bloesch, Ph.D. , and Christopher C. Davoli, Ph.D. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2019.1581961 ABSTRACT During the 1950s and 1960s, there was a tremendous surge in research into the effects of psychedelic drugs. When discussing this period of research, the discovery of the psychoactive properties of LSD in 1943 is often presented as the main, and sometimes only, driving force of the boom in research. This “Great Person,” or “Great Chemical,” historiographical lens fails to acknowledge other factors that were fundamental in setting the stage [...]
Lire la suiteEmotional breakthrough and psychedelics : Validation of the Emotional Breakthrough Inventory Leor Roseman, Eline Haijen, Kelvin Idialu-Ikato, Mendel Kaelen, Rosalind Watts and Robin Carhart-Harris Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2019, 1–12 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119855974 Abstract Background : Psychedelic therapy is gaining recognition and the nature of the psychedelic experience itself has been found to mediate subsequent long-term psychological changes. Much emphasis has been placed on the occurrence of mystical-type experiences in determining long-term responses to psychedelics yet here we demonstrate the importance of another component, namely: emotional breakthrough. Methods : Three hundred and seventy-nine participants completed online surveys before and after a planned psychedelic experience. Items pertaining to emotional [...]
Lire la suiteThe Meaning-Enhancing Properties of Psychedelics and Their Mediator Role in Psychedelic Therapy, Spirituality, and Creativity Ido Hartogsohn Frontiers in Neurosciences, 06 March 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00129 Past research has demonstrated to the ability of psychedelics to enhance suggestibility, and pointed to their ability to amplify perception of meaning. This paper examines the existing evidence for the meaning-enhancing properties of psychedelics, and argues that the tendency of these agents to enhance the perception of significance offers valuable clues to explaining their reported ability to stimulate a variety of therapeutic processes, enhance creativity, and instigate mystical-type experiences. Building upon previous research, which suggested the potential role of [...]
Lire la suitePeter Webster added a comment to the article : REBUS and the Anarchic Brain : Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelicss R. L. Carhart-Harris and K. J. Friston, Pharmacological Reviews, 2019, 71, 316–344 https://doi.org/10.1124/pr.118.017160 https://www.grecc.org/publications/ressources-documentaires/pharmacologie/rebus-and-the-anarchic-brain-toward-a-unified-model-of-the-brain-action-of-psychedelics-r-l-carhart-harris-and-k-j-friston-2019/ Prediction : ultimately you will find that the Salience Network has a far greater importance for understanding psychedelic experience than the DMN. See: Menon V. (2015) Salience Network. In: Arthur W. Toga, editor. Brain Mapping: An Encyclopedic Reference, vol. 2, p. 597. Academic Press: Elsevier. In Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley writes, [I was seeing] a bunch of flowers shining with their own inner light and all but quivering under the [...]
Lire la suiteIbogaine and Subjective Experience : Transformative States and Psychopharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Thomas K. Brown, PhDa, Geoff E. Noller, PhDb, and Julie O. Denenberg, MAc Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2019.1598603 ABSTRACT This article examines the therapeutic potential of ibogaine, a powerful oneiric alkaloid derived from Tabernanthe iboga, through exploring the subjective experiences of 44 participants from two observational treatment studies for opioid use disorder. Following treatment with ibogaine HCl, the participants (Mexico, n = 30; New Zealand, n = 14) completed the States of Consciousness Questionnaire (SCQ) to quantify the magnitude of their psychotropic experience. Participants were asked to provide [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin and Mental Health–Don’t Lose Control (Opinion) Joseph M. Barnby and Mitul A. Mehta Frontiers in Psychiatry, published: 03 July 2018 | Volume 9 | Article 293 doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00293 Keywords : psychedelics, psilocybin, depression, clinical trials, methodology Psilocybin—the hallucinogenic pro-drug in magic mushrooms—has recently dominated the popular narrative on new approaches to treating depression. For example, recent papers from John’s Hopkins (1) and Imperial College (2, 3) demonstrate the potential for psilocybin to promote positive lifestyle changes, and as an intervention for treatment-resistant depression, respectively. They also provide an opportunity to highlight two recurrent issues with psychedelic research which we place in the context of more [...]
Lire la suite5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety Alan K. Davis PhD, Sara So MS, Rafael Lancelotta MS, Joseph P. Barsuglia PhD, Roland R. Griffiths PhD The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 2018 DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2018.1545024 Abstract Background : A recent epidemiological study suggested that 5-methoxy-N,Ndimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used for spiritual and recreational reasons is associated with subjective improvement in depression and anxiety. Further exploration of the potential psychotherapeutic effects of 5-MeO-DMT could inform future clinical trials. Objectives : We examined self-reported improvement in depression and anxiety among people who use 5-MeODMT in a group setting with [...]
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