Transdermal Delivery of Cannabidiol Attenuates Binge Alcohol- Induced Neurodegeneration in a Rodent Model of an Alcohol Use Disorder Daniel J. Liput, Dana C. Hammell, Audra L. Stinchcomb, and Kimberly Nixon Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 2013, 111, 120–127. doi : 10.1016/j.pbb.2013.08.013 Abstract Excessive alcohol consumption, characteristic of alcohol use disorders, results in neurodegeneration and behavioral and cognitive impairments that are hypothesized to contribute to the chronic and relapsing nature of alcoholism. Therefore, the current study aimed to advance the preclinical development of transdermal delivery of cannabidiol (CBD) for the treatment of alcohol-induced neurodegeneration. In experiment 1, 1.0%, 2.5% and 5.0% CBD gels were evaluated for neuroprotection. [...]
Lire la suiteThe Role of Endocannabinoid Signaling in Cortical Inhibitory Neuron Dysfunction in Schizophrenia David W. Volk and David A. Lewis Biological Psychiatry, 2016, 79, 595-603. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.06.015 ABSTRACT Cannabis use has been reported to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and to worsen symptoms of the illness. Both of these outcomes might be attributable to the disruption by cannabis of the endogenous cannabinoid system’s spatiotemporal regulation of the inhibitory circuitry in the prefrontal cortex that is essential for core cognitive processes, such as working memory, which are impaired in schizophrenia. In the healthy brain, the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonylglycerol 1) is synthesized by diacylglycerol lipase in pyramidal neurons; 2) [...]
Lire la suiteIn Vivo Availability of Cannabinoid 1 Receptor Levels in Patients With First-Episode Psychosis Faith Borgan, Heikki Laurikainen, Mattia Veronese, Tiago Reis Marques, Merja Haaparanta-Solin, Olof Solin, Tarik Dahoun, Maria Rogdaki, Raimo KR Salokangas, Max Karukivi, Marta Di Forti, Federico Turkheimer, Jarmo Hietala, Oliver Howes for the METSY Group JAMA Psychiatry, 2019. doi : 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.1427 IMPORTANCE Experimental and epidemiological studies implicate the cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R) in the pathophysiology of psychosis. However, whether CB1R levels are altered in the early stages of psychosis and whether they are linked to cognitive function or symptom severity remain unknown. OBJECTIVE To investigate CB1R availability in first-episode psychosis (FEP) without the [...]
Lire la suiteLong-Term Effects of Cannabis on Brain Structure Giovanni Battistella, Eleonora Fornari, Jean-Marie Annoni, Haithem Chtioui, Kim Dao, Marie Fabritius, Bernard Favrat, Jean-Frederic Mall, Philippe Maeder and Christian Giroud Neuropsychopharmacology, 2014, 39, 2041–2048. doi:10.1038/npp.2014.67 Abstract The dose-dependent toxicity of the main psychoactive component of cannabis in brain regions rich in cannabinoid CB1 receptors is well known in animal studies. However, research in humans does not show common findings across studies regarding the brain regions that are affected after long-term exposure to cannabis. In the present study, we investigate (using Voxel-based Morphometry) gray matter changes in a group of regular cannabis smokers in comparison with a group of [...]
Lire la suiteAssessment of the Psychotherapeutic Effects of Ritual Ayahuasca Use on Drug Dependency : A Pilot Study Xavier Fernández, Rafael Guimarães dos Santos, Marta Cutchet, Sabela Fondevila, Débora González, Miguel Ángel Alcázar, Jordi Riba, José Carlos Bouso, Josep María Fábregas, Xavier Fernández, Rafael Guimarães dos Santos in "The Therapeutic Use of Ayahuasca", Chapter 11, 183-196 Beatriz Caiuby LABATE, Clancy CAVNAR Editors, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2014 First Online: 23 November 2013 Abstract Using personality, psychopathology, and neuropsychological assessment instruments, our team assessed the therapeutic effects of an ayahuasca ritual treatment. Data was collected at the Institute of Applied Amazonian Ethnopsychology (IDEAA), in the Brazilian Amazon Basin. Psychological assessments [...]
Lire la suiteAyahuasca in Adolescence : A Neuropsychological Assessment Evelyn Doering-Silveira, Enrique Lopez, Charles S. Grob, Marlene Dobkin de Rios, Luisa K. Alonso, Cristiane Tacla,Itiro Shirakawa, Paulo H. Bertolucci, & Dartiu X. Da Silveira Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2005, 37, (2), 123-128. Abstract The purpose of the study was to evaluate neuropsychologically adolescents who use ayahuasca in a religious context. A battery of neuropsychological tests was administered to adolescents who use ayahuasca. These subjects were compared to a matched control group of adolescents who did not use ayahuasca. The controls were matched with regards to sex, age, and education. The neuropsychological battery included tests of speeded [...]
Lire la suiteHeavy cannabis use, dependence and the brain : a clinical perspective Emese Kroon, Lauren Kuhns, Eva Hoch & Janna Cousijn Addictions, 2019, 1-12. doi : 10.1111/add.14776 ABSTRACT Aims : To summarize and evaluate our knowledge of the relationship between heavy cannabis use, cannabis use disorder (CUD) and the brain. Methods : Narrative review of relevant literature identified through existing systematic reviews, meta-analyses and a PubMed search. Epidemiology, clinical representations, potential causal mechanisms, assessments, treatment and prognosis are discussed. Results : Although causality is unclear, heavy and dependent cannabis use is consistently associated with a high prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders and learning and memory impairments that seem [...]
Lire la suiteCan Psychedelic Drugs Attenuate Age-Related Changes in Cognition and Affect ? Jacob S. Aday, Emily K. Bloesch, & Christopher C. Davoli Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, August 2019 DOI: 10.1007/s41465-019-00151-6 Abstract Older adulthood can be characterized by various cognitive and affective changes. In general, older adults show declines in creativity and executive functioning. They also score lower in openness to experience, empathy, and many suffer from a paucity of meaningful experiences. Further, depression, pessimism, and suicide can be major concerns for this population. Although currently there are few interventions that can effectively address these changes, recent findings from psychedelic science suggest myriad parallels between the effects [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics and the new behaviourism : considering the integration of third-wave behaviour therapies with psychedelic-assisted therapy REVIEW ARTICLE Zach Walsh and Michelle S. Thiessen INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF PSYCHIATRY, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2018.1474088 ABSTRACT This narrative review examines evidence related to the potential for third wave behaviour therapies to serve as adjuncts to psychedelic-assisted therapy. It identifies shared theoretical foundations for both approaches, and notes enhanced mindfulness, decentering, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance as common mechanisms of action. It also identifies potential targets for which both approaches have demonstrated therapeutic potential, including problematic substance use, self-directed and other directed violence, and mood disorders. Based on these commonalities, there is [...]
Lire la suiteA Psychotherapeutic View on the Therapeutic Effects of Ritual Ayahuasca Use in the Treatment of Addiction Anja LOIZAGA-VELDER MAPS Bulletin Special Edition, Spring 2013, 36-40. Ayahuasca is a traditional plant preparation of the Amazon basin with psychoactive properties. In recent decades ayahuasca has gained the attention of researchers in multiple disciplines worldwide due to its acclaimed therapeutic and spiritual qualities. It is an admixture of two plants : the harmaline containing vine Banisteriopsis caapi, and the DMT-containing leafs from the Psychotria viridis bush. It is typically administered by a trained expert in a ritual context. The use of ayahuasca has spread beyond the Amazon [...]
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