Towards mapping neuro-behavioral heterogeneity of psychedelic neurobiology in humans Flora Moujaes, Katrin H. Preller, Jie Lisa Ji, John D. Murray, Lucie Berkovitch, Franz X. Vollenweider, Alan Anticevic Biological Psychiatry, 2023 doi : 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.10.021 ABSTRACT Precision psychiatry aims to identify markers of inter-individual variability that allow predicting the right treatment for each patient. However, bridging the gap between molecular-level manipulations and neural systems-level functional alterations remains an unsolved problem in psychiatry. After decades of low success rates in pharmaceutical R&D for psychiatric drugs, multiple studies now point to the potential of psychedelics as a promising fast-acting and long-lasting treatment for some psychiatric symptoms. Yet, given the highly [...]
Lire la suiteSerotonin and brain function : a tale of two receptors RL Carhart-Harris and DJ Nutt Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2017, Vol. 31, (9), 1091–1120. Doi : 10.1177/0269881117725915 Abstract Previous attempts to identify a unified theory of brain serotonin function have largely failed to achieve consensus. In this present synthesis, we integrate previous perspectives with new and older data to create a novel bipartite model centred on the view that serotonin neurotransmission enhances two distinct adaptive responses to adversity, mediated in large part by its two most prevalent and researched brain receptors: the 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors. We propose that passive coping (i.e. tolerating a source of stress) [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelic 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 suiteA single dose of psilocybin increases synaptic density and decreases 5-HT2A receptor density in the pig brain Nakul Ravi Raval, Annette Johansen, Lene Lundgaard Donovan, Nidia Fernandez Ros, Brice Ozenne, Hanne Demant Hansen, Gitte Moos Knudsen Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 30 November 2020 doi : 10.20944/preprints202011.0742.v1 Abstract : A single dose of psilocybin, a psychedelic and serotonin 2A receptor (5 HT2AR) agonist, may be associated with antidepressant effects. The mechanism behind its antidepressive action is unknown but could be linked to increased synaptogenesis and down-regulation of cerebral 5-HT2AR. Here, we investigate if a single psychedelic dose of psilocybin changes synaptic vesicle protein 2A [...]
Lire la suiteAyahuasca : Uses, Phytochemical and Biological Activities, Edgar Antonio Estrella‑Parra et al., 2019
Ayahuasca : Uses, Phytochemical and Biological Activities Edgar Antonio Estrella‑Parra · Julio Cesar Almanza‑Pérez · Francisco Javier Alarcón‑Aguilar Natural Products and Bioprospecting, 2019, 9, 251–265 doi : 10.1007/s13659-019-0210-5 Abstract Ayahuasca (caapi, yajé), is a psychoactive brew from the Amazon Basin region of South America traditionally considered a “master plant.” It is prepared as a decoction from Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, which it is thought that it stimulates creative thinking and visual creativity. Native healers of the Orinoco and Amazon basins have used traditionally ayahuasca as a healing tool for multiple purposes, particularly to treat psychological disorders in the patients, with some beneficial effects experimentally [...]
Lire la suiteMDMA-Induced Dissociative State not Mediated by the 5-HT2A Receptor Drew J. Puxty, Johannes G. Ramaekers, Rafael de la Torre, Magí Farré, Neus Pizarro, Mitona Pujadas and Kim P. C. Kuypers Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2017, Volume 8, Article 455 Doi : 10.3389/fphar.2017.00455 Previous research has shown that a single dose of MDMA induce a dissociative state, by elevating feelings of depersonalization and derealization. Typically, it is assumed that action on the 5-HT2A receptor is the mechanism underlying these psychedelic experiences. In addition, other studies have shown associations between dissociative states and biological parameters (heart rate, cortisol), which are elevated by MDMA. In order to investigate [...]
Lire la suiteRethinking Therapeutic Strategies for Anorexia Nervosa: Insights From Psychedelic Medicine and Animal Models Claire J. Foldi, Paul Liknaitzky, Martin Williams, Brian J. Oldfield Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2020 | Volume 14 | Article 43 : 1-8 doi : 10.3389/fnins.2020.00043 Anorexia nervosa (AN) has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disease, yet available pharmacological treatments are largely ineffective due, in part, to an inadequate understanding of the neurobiological drivers that underpin the condition. The recent resurgence of research into the clinical applications of psychedelic medicine for a range of mental disorders has highlighted the potential for classical psychedelics, including psilocybin, to alleviate symptoms of AN [...]
Lire la suiteRole of the 5-HT2A Receptor in Self- and Other-Initiated Social Interaction in Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Induced States : A Pharmacological fMRI Study Katrin H. Preller, Leonhard Schilbach, Thomas Pokorny, Jan Flemming, Erich Seifritz, and Franz X. Vollenweider The Journal of Neuroscience, 2018, 38, (14), 3603–3611. Doi : 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1939-17.2018 Distortions of self-experience are critical symptoms of psychiatric disorders and have detrimental effects on social interactions. In light of the immense need for improved and targeted interventions for social impairments, it is important to better understand the neurochemical substrates of social interaction abilities. We therefore investigated the pharmacological and neural correlates of self- and other-initiated social interaction. In [...]
Lire la suiteThe Varieties of the Psychedelic Experience: A Preliminary Study of the Association Between the Reported Subjective Effects and the Binding Affinity Profiles of Substituted Phenethylamines and Tryptamines Federico Zamberlan, Camila Sanz, Rocío Martínez Vivot, Carla Pallavicini, Fire Erowid, Earth Erowid and Enzo Tagliazucchi Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 2018, 12, 54. doi : 10.3389/fnint.2018.00054 Classic psychedelics are substances of paramount cultural and neuroscientific importance. A distinctive feature of psychedelic drugs is the wide range of potential subjective effects they can elicit, known to be deeply influenced by the internal state of the user (“set”) and the surroundings (“setting”). The observation of crosstolerance and a series [...]
Lire la suiteModern Clinical Research on LSD Matthias E Liechti Neuropsychopharmacology, 2017, 42, 2114–2127. doi : 10.1038/npp.2017.86 All modern clinical studies using the classic hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in healthy subjects or patients in the last 25 years are reviewed herein. There were five recent studies in healthy participants and one in patients. In a controlled setting, LSD acutely induced bliss, audiovisual synesthesia, altered meaning of perceptions, derealization, depersonalization, and mystical experiences. These subjective effects of LSD were mediated by the 5-HT2A receptor. LSD increased feelings of closeness to others, openness, trust, and suggestibility. LSD impaired the recognition of sad and fearful faces, reduced left [...]
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