The 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 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 suiteModulation of Social Cognition via Hallucinogens and “Entactogens” Katrin H. Preller and Franz X. Vollenweider Frontiers in Psychiatry, décembre 2019 doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00881 Social cognition is a fundamental ability in human everyday lives. Deficits in social functioning also represent a core aspect of many psychiatric disorders. Yet, despite its significance, deficits in social cognition skills are insufficiently targeted by current treatments. Hallucinogens and entactogens have been shown to have the potential to modulate social processing. This article reviews the literature on the influence of hallucinogens and entactogens on social processing in controlled experimental studies in humans and elucidates the underlying neurobiological and neuropharmacological mechanisms. Furthermore, [...]
Lire la suiteCBD & the Psychedelic Receptor Lex Pelger On March 11, 2018 (Updated on April 16, 2019) https://www.projectcbd.org/science/cbd-psychedelic-receptor CBD and LSD bind to the same serotonin receptor, which mediates psychedelic altered states. But cannabidiol has anti-psychotic properties and doesn't cause hallucinations. In a shorthand that drives scientists mad, serotonin is often called ‘the neurotransmitter of happiness.’ This tag is especially troublesome as more and more flaws become apparent in the ‘serotonin hypothesis’ of depression – the idea that depression is caused by a serotonin deficit, which a pill (a serotonin reuptake inhibitor) could correct.1 Serotonin is a complex molecule in the brain and the [...]
Lire la suiteTribune pour l’expérimentation des psychédéliques en médecine, contre la dépression, l’anxiété, les addictions et pour les soins palliatifs. Société Psychédélique Française, novembre 2019 D’après l’Organisation mondiale de la santé, une personne sur quatre dans le monde sera affectée à un moment donné de sa vie par des troubles mentaux ou neurologiques. Or, après des décennies d’oubli, nous assistons en dehors de nos frontières à un regain de la recherche clinique psychothérapeutique sur les psychédéliques et au développement de thérapies novatrices impliquant ces substances. Les psychédéliques sont des composés, issus du monde vivant ou de la chimie, provoquant des effets analogues sur le psychisme [...]
Lire la suiteA Chocolate a Day Keeps Depression Away ? Megan Brooks, Laurie Barclay Medscape, 13 / 09 /2019 https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/917963 Clinical Context Accumulating evidence suggests that dietary factors, such as eating chocolate, may affect depressive symptoms. The potential mood-enhancing properties of chocolate may relate to its orosensory properties, psychoactive ingredients, and activation of neural reward pathways. However, only a few studies have analyzed associations between chocolate consumption and depressive symptoms, with conflicting results. The goal of this analysis was to evaluate associations between chocolate consumption and depressive symptoms in a large, representative sample of US adults enrolled in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between [...]
Lire la suiteWhy 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 suiteThe Effects of Acutely Administered 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Spontaneous Brain Function in Healthy Volunteers Measured with Arterial Spin Labeling and Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent Resting State Functional Connectivity Robin L. Carhart-Harris, Kevin Murphy, Robert Leech, David Erritzoe, Matthew B. Wall, Bart Ferguson, Luke T.J. Williams, Leor Roseman, Stefan Brugger, Ineke De Meer, Mark Tanner, Robin Tyacke, Kim Wolff, Ajun Sethi, Michael A.P. Bloomfield, Tim M. Williams, Mark Bolstridge, Lorna Stewart, Celia Morgan, Rexford D. Newbould, Amanda Feilding, H. Val Curran, and David J. Nutt Biological Psychiatry, 2015, 78, 554-562. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.12.015 ABSTRACT BACKGROUND : The compound 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a potent monoamine releaser that produces an acute euphoria in most individuals. METHODS : [...]
Lire la suiteReceptor-Enriched Analysis of functional connectivity by targets (REACT) : A novel, multimodal analytical approach informed by PET to study the pharmacodynamic response of the brain under MDMA Ottavia Dipasquale, Pierluigi Selvaggi, Mattia Veronese, Anthony S. Gabay, Federico Turkheimer, Mitul A. Mehta NeuroImage, 2019, 195, 252–260 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.04.007 A B S T R A C T One of the main limitations of pharmacological fMRI is its inability to provide a molecular insight into the main effect of compounds, leaving an open question about the relationship between drug effects and haemodynamic response. The aim of this study is to investigate the acute effects of 3,4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on functional [...]
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 [...]
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