Recreational drugs affect the cardiovascular system through distinct mechanisms; however, data regarding their cardiovascular impact in the emergency department setting is limited. This study aimed to assess the incidence of cardiovascular effects following recreational drug use in presentations to the emergency department, identify the main drug groups invo...
Psychotic symptoms are uncommon and non-specific adverse effects of classic (serotonergic) psychedelics such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and mescaline. They can emerge during the acute phase of psychedelic drug effects, persist into the subacute ("afterglow") period, or, in rare cases, develop into long-term psychotic illness. Across all...
This article explores innovative pharmacologic treatments for eating disorders, focusing on psychedelics, stimulant medications, and other emerging therapies. Preliminary evidence for psychedelics (eg, psilocybin) highlight their potential to enhance cognitive flexibility and support psychological interventions in some eating disorders (eg, anorexia nervosa)...
Tau protein is essential for the structural stability of neurons, particularly through its role in microtubule assembly and axonal transport. However, when abnormally hyperphosphorylated or cleaved, Tau can aggregate into insoluble forms that disrupt neuronal function, contributing to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease...
Psychoactive substances are compounds that can influence perception, consciousness, cognition, and emotions. The psychoactive substances caffeine, nicotine, cannabis, and psilocybin all originate from natural sources and can be used without complex processing or synthesis. Their natural availability has contributed to a long-standing history of human use and...
This is a single-arm, open-label interventional study of psilocybin-assisted interpersonal therapy for treatment resistant depression. 20 participants will be recruited to take part in this 8-week intervention that involves 8 sessions of psychotherapy and 2 doses of psilocybin. Study Design Interventional, Single arm, open label 1\. Hypotheses: 1. It is feas...
Psychoactive substances used for recreational purposes have mind-altering effects, but systematic evaluation of these effects is largely limited to self-reports. Automated analysis of expressed language (speech and written text) using natural language processing (NLP) tools can provide objective readouts of mental states. In this pre-registered systematic re...
BackgroundThe Hallucinogen Rating Scale (HRS) has been widely used to measure the subjective effects of psychedelics and other psychoactive substances. Its advantages include a basis in phenomenological interviews and clinical studies, straightforward items, and broad coverage of psychedelic effects. Previous studies have attempted to resolve its factor stru...
Abstract Psychoactive substances used for recreational purposes have mind-altering effects, but systematic evaluation of these effects is largely limited to self-reports. Automated analysis of expressed language (speech and written text) using Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools can provide objective readouts of mental states. In this pre-registered syst...
BACKGROUND: The emergence of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), including synthetic psilocybin, has raised concern among health experts due to the numerous health and socioeconomic consequences. The current trend is shifting to the hazardous use of synthetic psilocybin in vaping, and little is known about the prevalence of use, specifically among amphetamine...
BackgroundDrug use is prevalent among people who attend electronic dance music (EDM) parties at nightclubs or festivals. This population can serve as a sentinel population to monitor trends in use of party drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS) that may diffuse through larger segments of the population.MethodsWe surveyed adults entering randomly selecte...
Despite distinct classes of psychoactive drugs producing putatively unique states of consciousness, there is surprising overlap in terms of their effects on episodic memory and cognition more generally. Episodic memory is supported by multiple subprocesses that have been mostly overlooked in psychopharmacology and could differentiate drug classes. Here, we r...
It is well established that a wide range of drugs of abuse acutely boost the signaling of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, where norepinephrine and epinephrine are major output molecules. This stimulatory effect is accompanied by such symptoms as elevated heart rate and blood pressure, more rapid breathing, in...
Hallucinogens comprise of a vast amount of substances such as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Phenylcyclidine PCP, naturally occurring alkaloid like Belladona and even mushrooms such as psylocybins. Usage of these substances can be traced back to antiquity, serving various purpose such as spiritual rites or even recreational purposes. However, in the modern era,...
Background: Experiences with psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), are sometimes followed by changes in patterns of tobacco, opioid, and alcohol consumption. But, the specific characteristics of psychedelic experiences that lead to changes in drug consumption are unknown.Objective: Determine whether quantitative descripti...
Anhedonia is defined as a diminished ability to experience interest or pleasure, and is a critical psychopathological dimension of major depressive disorder (MDD). The purpose of the current systematic review is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of pharmacological treatments on measures of anhedonia in adults with MDD. Electronic databases Cochrane Librar...
A method for the statistical comparison of mass spectral data is demonstrated for applications in controlled substance analysis. The method uses an unequal variance t-test at each mass-to-charge ratio in the scan range to determine if two spectra are statistically associated or discriminated. If the two spectra are associated, a random-match probability is c...
There has been growing clinical, public, and media awareness and concern about the availability and potential harmfulness of so-called 'legal highs', which are more appropriately called new or novel psychoactive substances (NPS). A cat-and-mouse process has emerged wherein unknown chemists and laboratories are producing new, and as yet nonproscribed, compoun...
RationaleTrifluoromethylphenyl piperazine (TFMPP) is an active constituent of a relatively new group of recreational drugs known as 'party pills'. TFMPP has been anecdotally reported to induce mild psychedelic effects similar to lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin. There has been no research about the subjective effects of TFMPP in humans.ObjectivesThi...
Hallucinogenic mushrooms (e.g. Psilocybe and Panaeolus species) as well as leaves and young shoots of the khat tree (Catha edulis Forsk) are illicit drugs in many countries. The exact concentration of the hallucinogenic alkaloids psilocin and psilocybin in mushrooms and the sympathomimetic alkaloids cathinone and cathine in khat is usually essential for juri...
