Psychedelic psychiatry’s brave new world. Nutt, D., Erritzoe, D., & Carhart-Harris, R. Cell, 2020, 181, (1), 24-28. Doi : 10.1016/j.cell.2020.03.020 After a legally mandated, decades-long global arrest of research on psychedelic drugs, investiga- tion of psychedelics in the context of psychiatric disorders is yielding exciting results. Outcomes of neuroscience and clinical research into 5-Hydroxytryptamine 2A (5-HT2A) receptor agonists, such as psilocybin, show promise for addressing a range of serious disorders, including depression and addiction. Introduction—Why the Psychedelic Revolution in Psychiatry? Research leading to the discovery of new pharmacological treatments for psychiat- ric disorders has been painfully slow. With a few exceptions, including the use of orexin [...]
Lire la suitePowerful substances in tiny amounts: Exploring the practice of microdosing psychedelic drugs Petter Grahl Johnstad, Pré-Print, 2017. This article presents an explorative study of microdosing practices with psychedelic drugs. A microdose is defined as a sub-perceptual dose, commonly about one tenth of an ordinary recreational dose, which gives no alteration of consciousness or feeling of intoxication. Respondents (n = 17) were recruited at several Internet fora for individual interviews mediated via private messaging. Every participant was male, and the median respondent was in his 30s with a stable job and relationship and extensive entheogen experience. Respondents tended to experiment with microdosing in phases, [...]
Lire la suiteBridging the Gap ? Altered Thalamocortical Connectivity in Psychotic and Psychedelic States Mihai Avram, Helena Rogg, Alexandra Korda, Christina Andreou, Felix Müller and Stefan Borgwardt Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2021, Volume 12, Article 706017, 1-13. Doi : 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.706017 Psychiatry has a well-established tradition of comparing drug-induced experiences to psychotic symptoms, based on shared phenomena such as altered perceptions. The present review focuses on experiences induced by classic psychedelics, which are substances capable of eliciting powerful psychoactive effects, characterized by distortions/alterations of several neurocognitive processes (e.g., hallucinations). Herein we refer to such experiences as psychedelic states. Psychosis is a clinical syndrome defined by impaired reality testing, [...]
Lire la suiteHallucinogens in Mental Health : Preclinical and Clinical Studies on LSD, Psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine Danilo De Gregorio, Argel Aguilar-Valles, Katrin H. Preller, Boris Dov Heifets, Meghan Hibicke, Jennifer Mitchell, and Gabriella Gobbi The Journal of Neuroscience, 2021, 41 (5), 891–900. Doi :10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1659-20.2020 A revamped interest in the study of hallucinogens has recently emerged, especially with regard to their potential application in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In the last decade, a plethora of preclinical and clinical studies have confirmed the efficacy of ketamine in the treatment of depression. More recently, emerging evidence has pointed out the potential therapeutic properties of psilocybin and LSD, as well as [...]
Lire la suiteFuture Directions for Clinical Psychedelic Research : The Relaxed Symptom Network Evan Lewis-Healey, Ruben Laukkonen , Michiel van Elk Pre-Print, May 2021 Doi : 10.31234/osf.io/q3ymd Abstract Recent clinical trials have demonstrated that psilocybin may have strong antidepressant effects, and may be effective in the treatment of depressive disorders when embedded in a psychotherapeutic protocol (psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy; PAP). There are now dozens of registered and ongoing clinical trials that intend to test for the efficacy of psilocybin within a psychotherapeutic protocol. Despite promising results, the mechanism(s) that may be responsible for the antidepressant effects of PAP are still hotly contested. In this paper, we provide a [...]
Lire la suiteParticipant Reports of Mindfulness, Posttraumatic Growth, and Social Connectedness in Psilocybin-Assisted Group Therapy : An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Eve Ekman, Brian Anderson, Maxx Malloy, Alexandra Haas, and Josh Woolley Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2021, 1–28 Doi : 10.1177/002216878211022949 Abstract The primary objective of this qualitative study was to explore the therapeutic trajectories of individuals undergoing psilocybin-assisted group therapy. This interpretive phenomenological analysis focused on an enriched study sample of gay-identified cisgender men (n = 9) with human immunodeficiency virus diagnosed before 1996 and clinically significant trauma symptoms. Microphenomenological interviews were carried out 1 day after participants’ individual psilocybin sessions to elicit fine-grained descriptions of the [...]
Lire la suiteDoes Psychedelic Therapy Have a Transdiagnostic Action and Prophylactic Potential ? Rita Kocárová, Jirí Horácek and Robin Carhart-Harris Frontiers in Psychiatry, July 2021, Volume 12, Article 661233, 1-18. doi : 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.661233 Addressing global mental health is a major 21st-century challenge. Current treatments have recognized limitations; in this context, new ones that are prophylactic and effective across diagnostic boundaries would represent a major advance. The view that there exists a core of transdiagnostic overlap between psychiatric disorders has re-emerged in recent years, and evidence that psychedelic therapy holds promise for a range of psychiatric disorders supports the position that it may be transdiagnostically effective. Here, [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelic perceptions: mental health service user attitudes to psilocybin therapy Kate Corrigan · Maeve Haran · Conor McCandliss · Roisin McManus · Shannon Cleary · Rebecca Trant · Yazeed Kelly · Kathryn Ledden · Gavin Rush · Veronica O’Keane · John R. Kelly Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -), 2021, 1-13. Doi : 10.1007/s11845-021-02668-2 Abstract Introduction : Despite the rapid advance of psychedelic science and possible translation of psychedelic therapy into the psychiatric clinic, very little is known about mental health service user attitudes. Objectives : To explore mental health service user attitudes to psychedelics and psilocybin therapy. Methods : A questionnaire capturing demographics, diagnoses, previous [...]
Lire la suiteRediscovering Psilocybin as an Antidepressive Treatment Strategy Rene Zeiss, Maximilian Gahr and Heiko Graf Pharmaceuticals, 2021, 14, 985, 1-14. doi : 10.3390/ph14100985 Abstract : There has recently been a renewal of interest in psychedelic research on the use of psilocybin in psychiatric treatment and, in particular, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Several state-of-the-art studies have provided new insight into the mechanisms of action of psilocybin and its therapeutic potential. Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered. With this review, we provide an overview of the current state of research on the potential mechanisms of psilocybin, its antidepressant potential, and the associated risks [...]
Lire la suiteThe Chemistry and Pharmacology of Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists as New Psychoactive Substances : Origins Samuel D. Banister and Mark Connor Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, # Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 doi : 10.1007/164_2018_143 Contents 1 Introduction 2 Chemical Classification of Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists 3 Cannabinoid Type 1 Receptor (CB1) Structure and Function 4 Historical Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists 4.1 Classical Cannabinoids and Phytocannabinoid Analogs 4.2 Nonclassical Cannabinoids 4.3 Aminoalkylindoles (AAIs) 5 Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists as New Psychoactive Substances 5.1 Molecular Hybridization 5.2 Bioisosteric Fluorination 6 Conclusions References Abstract Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) have proliferated as new psychoactive substances (NPS) over the past decade. Relative to other classes of NPS, SCRAs [...]
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