Eating disorders (ED) are a group of potentially severe mental disorders characterized by abnormal energy balance, cognitive dysfunction, and emotional distress. Cognitive inflexibility is a major challenge to successful ED treatment and dysregulated serotonergic function has been implicated in this symptomatic dimension. Moreover, there are few effective tr...
OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this qualitative study was to delineate psychological mechanisms of change in the first randomized controlled trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD). Theories regarding psychological processes involved in psychedelic therapy remain underdeveloped. METHOD: Participants (N = 13) mostly ident...
Psilocybin therapy is an emerging intervention for depression that may be at least as effective as standard first-line treatments i.e., Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). Here we assess neural responses to emotional faces (fear, happy, and neutral) using Blood Oxygen-Level Dependent (BOLD) functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in two gro...
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a surge in depression cases, a pervasive and debilitating mental illness1. This trend is evident in the increased prescriptions for antidepressants. Depression is a chronic condition that affects a significant proportion of the global population, with ~280 million people, or about 3.8%, suffering from it. As a result, it...
Nature created a mushroom-based compound known as psilocybin that can biochemically alter perception and affect mental anguish. Medical research shows that psilocybin activates the brain, engendering new cognition and awareness. Although psilocybin usage dates to ancient times, its contemporary medical usefulness is still in its infancy. This review discusse...
Purpose of reviewThis review article summarizes clinically and socially relevant developments over the past five years in the therapeutic use of the classical tryptamine psychedelic substance psilocybin, with respect to the common challenges faced by palliative care patients and their care teams. Psilocybin is available in whole fungal and isolated forms but...
BACKGROUND: Growing numbers of people are using psychedelics for personal psychotherapy outside clinical settings, but research on such use is scarce. AIMS: This study investigated the patterns of use, self-reported outcomes and outcome predictors of psychedelic 'self-treatment' of mental health conditions or specific worries/concerns in life. METHODS: = 136...
2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromophenethylamine (2C-B) is a hallucinogenic phenethylamine derived from mescaline. Observational and preclinical data have suggested it to be capable of producing both subjective and emotional effects on par with other classical psychedelics and entactogens. Whereas it is the most prevalently used novel serotonergic hallucinogen to date, i...
Interest in the therapeutic potential of psilocybin across a broad range of neuropsychiatric disorders is rapidly expanding. Despite promising clinical data and tremendous public enthusiasm, complimentary basic and translational studies - which are critical for advancing our understanding of psilocybin's biological effects and promoting innovation - have bee...
Subjective responses to psychoactive drugs have served as intriguing windows into consciousness as well as useful predictors. Subjective reactions to psychedelic molecules are particularly interesting given how they covary with subsequent improvements associated with psychedelic-assisted treatments. Although links between subjective reactions and decreases i...
OBJECTIVES: People with bipolar disorder (BD) spend more time depressed than manic/hypomanic, and depression is associated with greater impairments in psychosocial functioning and quality of life than mania/hypomania. Emerging evidence suggests psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in "magic mushrooms," is a promising treatment for unipolar depression. Clini...
Purpose of reviewThis review examines recent evidence that informs the treatment of anxiety-related disorders.Recent findingsIn addition to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and benzodiazepines, agomelatine has demonstrated efficacy in treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Other ...
Classic psychedelics, such as psilocybin, act on the brain's serotonin system and produce striking psychological effects. Early work in the 1950s and 1960s and more recent controlled studies suggest benefit from psychedelic treatment in a number of conditions. A few case reports in recreational users and a single experimental study suggest benefit in patient...
BackgroundMusic listening is a staple and valued component of psychedelic therapy, and previous work has shown that psychedelics can acutely enhance music-evoked emotion.AimsThe present study sought to examine subjective responses to music before and after psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression, while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMR...
BackgroundPsilocybin is a serotonin type 2A (5-HT2A) receptor agonist and naturally occurring psychedelic. 5-HT2A receptor density is known to be associated with body mass index (BMI), however, the impact of this on psilocybin therapy has not been explored. While body weight-adjusted dosing is widely used, this imposes a practical and financial strain on the...
Mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety are major contributors to the overall global health burden. COVID-19 has further aggravated mental health disorders and also increased substance abuse due to lockdowns1. The Global Burden of Disease reported that the pandemic has led to a 27.6% increase in cases of major depressive disorder (MDD) and a 2...
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy holds great promise in the treatment of mental health disorders. Research into 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) agonist psychedelic compounds has increased dramatically over the past two decades. In humans, these compounds produce drastic effects on consciousness, and their therapeutic potential relates to changes ...
Background: Therapeutic administration of psychedelic drugs has shown significant potential in historical accounts and in recent clinical trials in the treatment of depression and other mood disorders. A recent randomized double-blind phase-IIb study demonstrated the safety and efficacy of COMP360, COMPASS Pathways’ proprietary synthetic formulation of psilo...
Background: Therapeutic administration of psychedelic drugs has shown significant potential in historical accounts and in recent clinical trials in the treatment of depression and other mood disorders. A recent randomized double-blind phase-IIb study demonstrated the safety and efficacy of COMP360, COMPASS Pathways’ proprietary synthetic formulation of psilo...
