The Role of MDMA Neurotoxicity in Anxiety Casey R. Guillot, Mitchell E. Berman and Brenton R. Abadie In : Neurotoxicity Syndromes, Chapter I ISBN: 978-1-60021-797-5 Editor: Linda R. Webster, pp. 1 - 36 © 2007 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Abstract The drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; Ecstasy) long has been considered a neurotoxin selective for serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) axons in rats and nonhuman primates. MDMA is also thought to have the potential to cause persistent serotonergic alterations in humans. Since the serotonin system is involved in the regulation of anxiety, researchers have proposed that recreational Ecstasy users may be at risk for the development of anxiety disorders and symptoms. [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics David E. Nichols Pharmacological Review, 2016, 68, 264–355 http://dx.doi.org/10.1124/pr.115.011478 Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .266 I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]
Lire la suiteClinical potential of psilocybine as a treatment for mental health conditions Jeremy Daniel & Margaret Haberman Mental Health Clinician, 2017, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 24-28 https://doi.org/10.9740/mhc.2017.01.024 Abstract Psilocybin, a classic hallucinogen, is a chemical produced by more than 100 species of mushrooms worldwide. It has high affinity for several serotonin receptors, including 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT2C, located in numerous areas of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and thalamus. With legislation introduced in 1992, more work is being done to further understand the implications of psilocybin use in a number of disease states. Certain mental health disease states and symptoms have been studied, including [...]
Lire la suiteThe Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca : Possible Effects against Various Diseases of Civilization Ede Frecska, Petra Bokor and Michael Winkelman Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2016, Vol 7, Article 35, 1-17. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00035 Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychoactive brew of two main components. Its active agents are b-carboline and tryptamine derivatives. As a sacrament, ayahuasca is still a central element of many healing ceremonies in the Amazon Basin and its ritual consumption has become common among the mestizo populations of South America. Ayahuasca use amongst the indigenous people of the Amazon is a form of traditional medicine and cultural psychiatry. During the last two decades, the [...]
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 [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin – Summary of knowledge and new perspectives Filip Tylš, Tomáš Páleníček, Jiří Horáček European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2014, 24, 342–356 Doi : 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2013.12.006 Abstract Psilocybin, a psychoactive alkaloid contained in hallucinogenic mushrooms, is nowadays given a lot of attention in the scientific community as a research tool for modeling psychosis as well as due to its potential therapeutic effects. However, it is also a very popular and frequently abused natural hallucinogen. This review summarizes all the past and recent knowledge on psilocybin. It briefly deals with its history, discusses the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and compares its action in humans and animals. It attempts to describe the mechanism of psychedelic effects [...]
Lire la suiteEffects of psilocybin on hippocampal neurogenesis and extinction of trace fear conditionning CATLOW B.J., SONG S., PAREDES D.A., KIRSTEIN C.L., SANCHEZ-RAMOS J. Experimental Brain Research, 2013, 228, 481-491. Doi : 10.1007/s00221-013-3579-0 Abstract Drugs that modulate serotonin (5-HT) synaptic concentrations impact neurogenesis and hippocampal (HPC)-dependent learning. The primary objective is to determine the extent to which psilocybin (PSOP) modulates neurogenesis and thereby affects acquisition and extinction of HPC-dependent trace fear conditioning. PSOP, the 5-HT2A agonist 25I-NBMeO and the 5-HT2A/C antagonist ketanserin were administered via an acute intraperitoneal injection to mice. Trace fear conditioning was measured as the amount of time spent immobile in the presence of the conditioned [...]
Lire la suiteLysergic Acid Diethylamide and Psilocybin Revisited Mark A. Geyer Biological Psychiatry, 2015, Volume 78, Issue 8, 544-553 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.08.003 The past decade brought the beginnings of a renaissance in research on psychedelic drugs. Two articles in this issue of Biological Psychiatry signify that the resurrection of this long ignored topic has begun to mature and bear at least the promise of fruit. In the early 1970s, the onset of the “War on Drugs” brought with it a near-total hiatus in serious research on psychedelic drugs, especially in the United States. The resumption of credible work in this area has come from Switzerland, where many of [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Roland R. Griffiths, William A. Richards, Una McCann, Robert Jesse Psychopharmacology, 2006 DOI 10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5 Abstract Rationale : Although psilocybin has been used for centuries for religious purposes, little is known scientifically about its acute and persisting effects. Objectives : This double-blind study evaluated the acute and longer-term psychological effects of a high dose of psilocybin relative to a comparison compound administered under comfortable, supportive conditions. Materials and methods : The participants were hallucinogennaïve adults reporting regular participation in religious or spiritual activities. Two or three sessions were conducted at 2-month intervals. Thirty volunteers [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin dose-dependently causes delayed, transient headaches in healthy volunteers Matthew W. Johnson, R. Andrew Sewell, and Roland R. Griffiths Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2012, 123, (1-3), 132–140. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2011.10.029 Abstract Background—Psilocybin is a well-characterized classic hallucinogen (psychedelic) with a long history of religious use by indigenous cultures, and nonmedical use in modern societies. Although psilocybin is structurally related to migraine medications, and case studies suggest that psilocybin may be efficacious in treatment of cluster headache, little is known about the relationship between psilocybin and headache. Methods—This double-blind study examined a broad range of psilocybin doses (0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 mg/70 kg) on headache in [...]
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