The stresses of the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the burden of psychiatric disorders within the pediatric population, revealing a pre-existing need for rapid-onset therapies that have since driven efforts to expand effective therapeutic interventions. In this narrative review, we utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Syste...
Novel phenalkylamines and tryptamines such as psilocybin demonstrate promising nontraditional pharmacological profiles for treating psychiatric syndromes. Structural modifications yield functional selectivity at 5-HT receptors, mitigating hallucinogenic risk while preserving therapeutic efficacy. This study integrates receptor and behavioral data to support ...
Classic psychedelics and the gut microbiome interact bidirectionally through mechanisms involving 5-HT receptor signaling, neuroplasticity, and microbial metabolism. This viewpoint highlights how psychedelics may reshape microbiota and how microbes influence psychedelic efficacy, proposing microbiome-informed strategies─such as probiotics or dietary interven...
Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants has been associated with reduced intensity of emotional experience. Conversely, some research has shown that use of psilocybin in patients with depression leads to an increase in responsiveness to emotional face stimuli, suggesting that the psychedelic generates a transient elevation in moo...
Depression prevalence is markedly elevated in oncological patients, particularly among head and neck cancer (HNC) cohorts, who face twice the prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) compared to other cancer populations. MDD in this context independently predicts poorer clinical outcomes and increased morbidity. HNC management often involves acute surgi...
In the 1950s-60s, serotonergic psychedelic drugs were studied as potential adjuvants to psychotherapy to treat addiction and alcoholism. However, starting in the 70s, preclinical and clinical studies on psychedelics stopped for decades because legislation controlled its recreational use, citing their hallucinogenic and psychotomimetic effects, as well as the...
Psilocybin has profound therapeutic potential for various mental health disorders, but its mechanisms of action are unknown. Functional MRI studies have reported the effects of psilocybin on brain activity and connectivity; however, these measurements rely on neurovascular coupling to infer neural activity changes and assume that blood flow responses to neur...
Depression, a common mental disorder, affects people at different stages of life.Classic antidepressant treatment is generally effective, however, it is prolonged.Nonetheless, numerous patients who undergo various classic antidepressant therapies still suffer from depression.Therefore, the search for novel medications is essential.In this review, we explore ...
This study will test the hypothesis that brain systems are differentially regulated by serotonin in individuals with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder. To do this, the brain response to two single acute doses of partial serotonin (5HT)1A/2A receptor agonist psilocybin (COMP360) relative to a single dose of placebo (baseline serotonin activity) will be com...
Abstract Classical psychedelics such N,N -dimethyltryptamine (DMT), psilocybin, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) modulate consciousness via serotonergic receptor agonism, and are increasingly investigated for their psychotherapeutic potential. When combined with the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) inhibitor harmine-mimicking the pharmacological profile of ay...
Sleep paralysis (SP), an REM parasomnia, can be characterized as one of the symptoms of narcolepsy. The SP phenomenon involves regaining meta-consciousness by the dreamer during REM, when the physiological atonia of skeletal muscles is accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations that are perceived as vivid and distressing nightmares. Sensory impression...
The resurgence of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy marks a pivotal evolution in mental health treatment, challenging traditional paradigms by integrating compounds such as psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and ketamine into clinical practice. Historically marginalized due to regulatory and societal concerns, these agents are now gaining recognition for their unique n...
The classical psychedelics (+)-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and mescaline exert their psychedelic effects via activation of the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor (5-HT2AR). Recent clinical studies have suggested that classical psychedelics may additionally have therapeutic potential for many neuropsychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety,...
Perception of visual contrast depends on the surrounding spatial context. Typically, the salience of a central target is reduced by a high contrast surrounding stimulus, an effect known as surround suppression. Although this phenomenon is well-studied, the role of specific neurotransmitter systems during surround suppression in human vision remains unclear. ...
Background and HypothesisVisual hallucinations (VH) are a core symptom of both Lewy body diseases (LBDs; e.g., Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies) and serotonergic psychedelics (SPs; e.g., psilocybin and mescaline). While these classes of VH differ in etiology, shared pathways are suggested by overlapping phenomenology and neural mechanisms. T...
Background and Hypothesis Visual hallucinations (VH) are a core symptom of both Lewy body diseases (LBDs; e.g., Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies) and serotonergic psychedelics (SPs; e.g., psilocybin and mescaline). While these classes of VH differ in etiology, shared pathways are suggested by overlapping phenomenology and neural mechanisms. ...
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant global health challenge, with limited effective treatments for its acute and chronic consequences. TBI is characterized by neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, impaired neuroplasticity, imbalances in neurotransmission, and cell death - factors that contribute to the development of neurological and psychiatric dis...
