Effects of Schedule I drug laws on neuroscience research and treatment innovation. Nutt D.J., King L.A., Nichols D.E. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2013, 14, 577-585 DOI : 10.1038/nrn3530 Abstract Many psychoactive drugs are used recreationally, particularly by young people. This use and its perceived dangers have led to many different classes of drugs being banned under national laws and international conventions. Indeed, the possession of cannabis, 3,4‑methylenedioxy- N‑methyl-amphetamine (MDMA; also known as ecstasy) and psychedelics is stringently regulated. An important and unfortunate outcome of the controls placed on these and other psychoactive drugs is that they make research into their mechanisms of action and potential therapeutic [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelic drugs in the treatment of anxiety, depression and addiction Tor-Morten Kvam, Lowan H. Stewart & Ole A. Andreassen Tidsskriftet, Den Norske Legeforening, November 2018 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332136512 B A C K G R O U N D There is growing interest in the use of psychedelic drugs for the treatment of mental disorders. The drugs are considered safe when administered within a clinical framework. Older studies performed prior to 1970 had methodological shortcomings, but studies in recent years have shown promising results regarding the use of psychedelic drugs in unipolar depression, depression in life-threatening illness, anxiety and addiction. The aim of this literature review is to [...]
Lire la suiteMechanisms of Therapeutic Action of Psilocybin Cubensis in Treating Patients with Depression Stephan Tap, Universiteit Leiden, Sociale Wetenschappen, 2018 Introduction Depression is a serious mental illness affecting over 300 to 350 million people worldwide (WHO, 2018; Cipriani et al., 2018). People suffering from depression experience a wide variety of symptoms, including a depressed mood, loss of interest, and reduced energy. There are many different therapeutic approaches to treat depression, of which cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and the use of antidepressants (e.g. SSRI’s) are probably the most prominent. Both seem to be efficacious in alleviating the symptoms of depression (Butler et al., 2006; Driessen & [...]
Lire la suiteHow do hallucinogens work on the brain? Robin Carhart-Harris, Mendel Kaelen and David Nutt The Psychologist, 2014, 27, 9, 662-665 What do we know about how hallucinogens work on the brain to produce their characteristic subjective effects? This question can be approached from a number of different levels. At the lowest functionally relevant level, how do the hallucinogenic compounds themselves interact with a certain neurotransmitter receptor to alter neuronal activity? Then at the neuronal population level, how does a drug-induced change in neuronal firing interact with the integrated oscillatory activity of large populations of neurons? Finally, how does this all play out at [...]
Lire la suiteL'éclosion d'une nouvelle discipline scientifique: l'enthéobotanique Vincent WATTIAUX http://liberterre.fr/entheogenes/recherches-modernes/vincentwattiaux.html « Dieu est une substance, une drogue ! » Gottfried BENN En 1967 quand le paléontologue Yves Coppens et son équipe découvrirent en Ethiopie le squelette d’une Australopithèque, ils la baptisèrent Lucie à cause d’une chanson des Beatles diffusée sans cesse à la radio. Cette rengaine, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds faisait directement allusion au LSD, la drogue hallucinogène la plus puissante jamais inventée (1). L’association, Lucie et le LSD, née du hasard ou d’un retour du refoulé collectif (?), aurait valeur d’oracle… En effet, une discipline scientifique flambant neuve, l’enthéobotanique (2) allait poser [...]
Lire la suiteIntérêt de la psilocybine, de l’acide lysergique diéthylamide (LSD) et de la diméthyltryptamine (DMT) dans la dépression : une revue de la littérature THÈSE MÉDECINE SPÉCIALISÉE CLINIQUE en Psychiatrie Présentée et soutenue publiquement par Sami SERGENT le 22 février 2019 ANNÉE 2019 (2019 TOU3 1503) Directeur de thèse : Dr François MONTASTRUC JURY Monsieur le Professeur Christophe ARBUS Président Monsieur le Professeur Laurent SCHMITT Assesseur Monsieur le Professeur Nicolas FRANCHITTO Assesseur Monsieur le Docteur François MONTASTRUC Assesseur Madame le Docteur Bénédicte JULLIAN Suppléant Monsieur le Docteur Nicolas NAVARRO membre invité RESUME EN FRANÇAIS : La psilocybine, l’acide lysergique diéthylamide et la diméthyltryptamine sont des psychédéliques agonistes sérotoninergiques. Les sociétés humaines en font usages depuis [...]
Lire la suiteKetamine Promising in Cocaine Addiction Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW American Journal of Psychiatry, July 05, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.18101123 A single ketamine infusion combined with mindfulness-based relapse prevention therapy (MBRP) improves abstinence and cuts cravings in cocaine-dependent adults, new research suggests. Results of a randomized control trial show that rates of abstinence were significiantly higher in patients who received ketamine plus MBRP compared to control patients. Moreover, those in the group that received ketamine were significantly less likely to experience relapse compared to control persons, and cravings were also significantly lower in the ketamine group throughout the trial. "In individuals receiving MBRP, a single ketamine infusion led to significantly greater [...]
Lire la suiteThe influence of therapists’ first-hand experience with psychedelics on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy research and therapist training ELIZABETH M. NIELSON and JEFFREY GUSS Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 2018 DOI: 10.1556/2054.2018.009 Abstract Clinical research on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is rapidly advancing in the USA, with two drugs, psilocybin and MDMA, progressing through a structure of FDA-approved trials on a trajectory toward Drug Enforcement Agency rescheduling for therapeutic use. Researcher’s and clinician’s personal use of psychedelics was cited as a potential confound in psychedelic research studies conducted in the 1950s and 1960s, a concern which contributed to the cessation of this research for some 20 years. Currently, there is no [...]
Lire la suiteCan psychedelics be the treatment for the crisis in psychopharmacology ? Genís Ona, José Carlos Bouso ICEERS Foundation, Preprint · January 2019 DOI: 10.20944/preprints201901.0249.v1 Keywords : Mental health, psychedelics, psychopharmacology, psychiatry, innovative 1. Introduction For the past few years, we have been witnessing a crisis in the field of psychopharmacology. Generally, it takes a decade and up to a billion dollars in investment to get a drug on the market. Furthermore, the majority of new drugs are ruled out during the pre-clinical phase. Less than 20% of the selected drugs make it to Phase-III evaluation involving humans. Drug development has never been an easy task. However, [...]
Lire la suiteInclusion of people of color in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy : a review of the literature Timothy I. Michaels, Jennifer Purdon, Alexis Collins and Monnica T. Williams BMC Psychiatry, 2018, 18, 245 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1824-6 Abstract Background : Despite renewed interest in studying the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of psychological disorders, the enrollment of racially diverse participants and the unique presentation of psychopathology in this population has not been a focus of this potentially ground-breaking area of research. In 1993, the United States National Institutes of Health issued a mandate that funded research must include participants of color and proposals must include methods for [...]
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