Lysergic acid diethylamide : a drug of ‘use’ ? Saibal Das, Preeti Barnwal, Anand Ramasamy, Sumalya Sen and Somnath Mondal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 2016, Vol. 6, (3), 214–228 DOI: 10.1177/2045125316640440 Abstract : Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), described as a classical hallucinogen, began its journey from the middle of the last century following an accidental discovery. Since then, it was used as a popular and notorious substance of abuse in various parts of the world. Its beneficial role as an adjunct to psychotherapy was much unknown, until some ‘benevolent’ experiments were carried out over time to explore some of its potential uses. But, many [...]
Lire la suiteThe Neurobiology of Psychedelic Drugs: Implications for the Treatment of Mood Disorders Franz X. VOLLENWEIDER & Michael KOMETER Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2010, 11, (9), 642-51 DOI: 10.1038/nrn2884 Abstract After a pause of nearly 40 years in research into the effects of psychedelic drugs, recent advances in our understanding of the neurobiology of psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin and ketamine have led to renewed interest in the clinical potential of psychedelics in the treatment of various psychiatric disorders. Recent behavioural and neuroimaging data show that psychedelics modulate neural circuits that have been implicated in mood and affective disorders, and can reduce the clinical [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics and Mental Health : A Population Study Teri S. Krebs, Pal-Ørjan Johansen PLoS ONE, 2013, 8, (8): e63972. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0063972 Abstract Background : The classical serotonergic psychedelics LSD, psilocybin, mescaline are not known to cause brain damage and are regarded as non-addictive. Clinical studies do not suggest that psychedelics cause long-term mental health problems. Psychedelics have been used in the Americas for thousands of years. Over 30 million people currently living in the US have used LSD, psilocybin, or mescaline. Objective : To evaluate the association between the lifetime use of psychedelics and current mental health in the adult population. Method : Data drawn from years 2001 [...]
Lire la suiteThe Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: Past, Present, and Future Robin L Carhart-Harris and Guy M Goodwin Neuropsychopharmacology, 2017, 42, 2105–2113 doi:10.1038/npp.2017.84; published online 17 May 2017 Plant-based psychedelics, such as psilocybin, have an ancient history of medicinal use. After the first English language report on LSD in 1950, psychedelics enjoyed a short-lived relationship with psychology and psychiatry. Used most notably as aids to psychotherapy for the treatment of mood disorders and alcohol dependence, drugs such as LSD showed initial therapeutic promise before prohibitive legislature in the mid-1960s effectively ended all major psychedelic research programs. Since the early 1990s, there has been a steady [...]
Lire la suiteBeyond LSD : A Broader Psychedelic Zeitgeist during the Early to Mid-20th Century Jacob S. Aday, M.S. , Emily K. Bloesch, Ph.D. , and Christopher C. Davoli, Ph.D. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2019.1581961 ABSTRACT During the 1950s and 1960s, there was a tremendous surge in research into the effects of psychedelic drugs. When discussing this period of research, the discovery of the psychoactive properties of LSD in 1943 is often presented as the main, and sometimes only, driving force of the boom in research. This “Great Person,” or “Great Chemical,” historiographical lens fails to acknowledge other factors that were fundamental in setting the stage [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelic-assisted therapy for anxiety and depression in the face of death: A critical review with an anthropological lens Jenna VARLEY Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 2019, 3, (1), 14–18. DOI: 10.1556/2054.2019.005 Psychedelics have been investigated for their therapeutic applications in end-of-life care as early as 1960. Recently, there have been four main groups conducting clinical trials for either lysergic acid diethylamide or psilocybin for the treatment of anxiety and depression in patients with terminal illnesses. The recent trials have higher methodological quality and demonstrate the profound impact of psychedelics for this particular patient presentation. However, a number of gaps, including understanding the meaning of death [...]
Lire la suiteIntercultural, intermolecular : An ethnobotanical examination of the potential therapeutic value of LSD for the treatment of depression Karsten FATUR Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 2019, 3, (1), 32–34. DOI: 10.1556/2054.2019.002 Lysergic acid diethylamide holds great therapeutic potential in the treatment of depression, although currently illegal in many parts of the world and seen as a recreational drug. An intercultural ethnobotanical examination of plant substances with similar chemical profiles and effects displays the true potential value of this substance and justifies an increased focus on clinical trials and studies involving it. Keywords : psychedelic, LSD, ayahuasca, depression, serotonin Despite its current status as an illegal substance, lysergic [...]
Lire la suiteNeural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuro-imagerie Robin L. Carhart-Harris, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Leor Roseman, Mendel Kaelen, Wouter Droog, Kevin Murphy, Enzo Tagliazucchi, Eduardo E. Schenberg, Timothy Nest, Csaba Orban, Robert Leech, Luke T. Williams, Tim M. Williams, Mark Bolstridge, Ben Sessa, John McGonigle, Martin I. Sereno, David Nichols, Peter J. Hellyer, Peter Hobden, John Evans, Krish D. Singh, Richard G. Wise, H. Valerie Curran, Amanda Feilding, and David J. Nutt PNAS (Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of the USA), 2016, 113, 17, 4853-4858 www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1518377113 Abstract Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is the prototypical psychedelic drug, but its effects on the human [...]
Lire la suiteFor the First Time, Scientists Have Imaged the Brain on LSD The scientists hope their long-awaited study on LSD in humans will open the floodgates to further research into psychedelics. Victoria TURK, April 11, 2016 https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bmvm3w/for-the-first-time-scientists-have-imaged-the-brain-on-lsd Researcher, drug policy reformer, and Countess of Wemyss Amanda Feilding made a promise to Albert Hofmann, the "father of LSD," after meeting him in the 90s: She would carry out scientific research with his "problem child" on human subjects by his 100th birthday in 2006. A study published on Monday makes good on that vow, albeit ten years late: For the first time, researchers have imaged the human brain [...]
Lire la suiteLSD Brings Your Brain to the Edge of Chaos This new LSD study is like an acid trip all on its own. This story was first published by Tonic, VICE's health site. You can now find the same great health content right here at vice.com. One Saturday in 1964, neurologist Oliver Sacks took a bit of amphetamines, LSD, a “touch” of cannabis, faced a white wall in his home, and said “I want to see indigo now—now!” “And then,” he wrote in the New Yorker in 2012, “as if thrown by a giant paintbrush, there appeared a huge, trembling, pear-shaped blob of the [...]
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