LSD enhances suggestibility in healthy volunteers R. L. Carhart-Harris, M. Kaelen, M. G. Whalley, M. Bolstridge, A. Feilding, D. J. Nutt Psychopharmacology, 2014 DOI 10.1007/s00213-014-3714-z Abstract Rationale : Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has a history of use as a psychotherapeutic aid in the treatment of mood disorders and addiction, and it was also explored as an enhancer of mind control. Objectives : The present study sought to test the effect of LSD on suggestibility in a modern research study. Methods : Ten healthy volunteers were administered with intravenous (i.v.) LSD (40–80 μg) in a within-subject placebocontrolled design. Suggestibility and cued mental imagery were assessed using the Creative [...]
Lire la suiteThe 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 suiteThe psychedelic renaissance : the next trip for psychiatry ? J. R. Kelly, A. Baker, M. Babiker, L. Burke, C. Brennan and V. O’Keane Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2019, 1 - 5 doi : 10.1017/ipm.2019.39 Abstract The psychedelic research renaissance is gaining traction. Preliminary clinical studies of the hallucinogenic fungi, psilocybin, with psychological support, have indicated improvements in mood, anxiety and quality of life. A seminal, open-label study demonstrated marked reductions in depression symptoms in participants with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The associated neurobiological processes involve alterations in brain connectivity, together with altered amygdala and default mode network activity. At the cellular level, psychedelics promote [...]
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 suiteEmerging from the dark side : new therapeutic applications of scheduled psychoactive substances Edward James, Thomas L Robertshaw & Andrew D Westwell Future Medical Chemistry, 2019 Doi : 10.4155/fmc-2018-0447 C - ISSN 1756-8919 “Public and mainstream scientific perceptions of these substances are shifting, and it is not difficult to envision a future in which MDMA and psilocybin play a role in contemporary medicine.” Keywords : harm reduction • healthcare • MDMA • positive psychology • psilocybin • psychoactive • psychotherapy The discovery and development of new medicines occupies years of painstaking and expensive scientific work, with multidisciplinary teams working together in the hope of developing a [...]
Lire la suiteAyahuasca : Psychological and Physiologic Effects, Pharmacology and Potential Uses in Addiction and Mental Illness Jonathan Hamill, Jaime Hallak, Serdar M. Dursun and Glen Baker Current Neuropharmacology, 2019, 17, 108-128. Doi : 10.2174/1570159X16666180125095902 Abstract Background : Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian decoction with psychoactive properties, is made from bark of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine (containing beta-carboline alkaloids) andleaves of the Psychotria viridis bush (supplying the hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine, DMT). Originally used by indigenous shamans for the purposes of spirit communication, magical experiences, healing, and religious rituals across several South American countries, ayahuasca has been incorporated into folk medicine and spiritual healing, and several Brazilian churches use [...]
Lire la suiteAntidepressive and anxiolytic effects of ayahuasca : a systematic literature review of animal and human studies Rafael G. dos Santos, Flavia L. Osorio, José Alexandre S. Crippa, Jaime E.C. Hallak Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria, 2016, 38, 65–72 doi:10.1590/1516-4446-2015-1701 ABSTRACT Objective : To conduct a systematic literature review of animal and human studies reporting anxiolytic or antidepressive effects of ayahuasca or some of its isolated alkaloids (dimethyltryptamine, harmine, tetrahydroharmine, and harmaline). Methods : Papers published until 3 April 2015 were retrieved from the PubMed, LILACS and SciELO databases following a comprehensive search strategy and using a predetermined set of criteria for article selection. Results : Five hundred and [...]
Lire la suiteThe Impact of Ayahuasca on Suicidality : Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial Richard J. Zeifman, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Jaime Hallak, Emerson Arcoverde, João Paulo Maia-Oliveira, Draulio B. Araujo Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2019, Volume 10, Article 1325, 1-10. doi : 10.3389/fphar.2019.01325 Suicide is a major public health problem. Given increasing suicide rates and limitations surrounding current interventions, there is an urgent need for innovative interventions for suicidality. Although ayahuasca has been shown to target mental health concerns associated with suicidality (i.e., depression and hopelessness), research has not yet explored the impact of ayahuasca on suicidality. Therefore, we conducted secondary analyses of a randomized placebo-controlled trial in [...]
Lire la suiteThe Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca in the Treatment of Depression Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Joao C. Alchieri, Joao Paulo M. Oliveira, Bruno Lobao Soares, Jaime E. C. Hallak, Nicole Galvao-Coelho and Draulio B. de Araujo Chapter 2, in B. C. Labate and C. Cavnar (eds.), "The Therapeutic Use of Ayahuasca", Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2014 Doi : 10.1007/978-3-642-40426-9_2, Abstract Major depressive disorder (MDD) is generally classified as a mood disorder with a profound effect on the individual’s behavior and quality of life. According to the World Health Organization, in about 20 years, depression will be the disorder with the most significant repercussions, both socially and economically. Despite [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin-assisted therapy for depression : How do we advance the field ? Sally E Meikle, Paul Liknaitzky, Susan L Rossell, Margaret Ross, Nigel Strauss, Neil Thomas, Greg Murray, Martin Williams, David J Castle Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2019, 1–7 Doi : 10.1177/0004867419888575 Abstract In the quest for new treatment options for depression, attention is being paid to the potential role of psychedelic drugs. Psilocybin is of particular interest given its mechanism of action, its benefits in early trials and its relatively low side effects burden. This viewpoint outlines a number of key issues that remain to be elucidated about its potential use [...]
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