Serotonergic psychedelic drugs are under investigation as therapies for various psychiatric disorders, including major depression. Although serotonergic psychedelic drugs are 5-HT receptor agonists, some such agonists are not psychedelic, potentially due to differences in 5-HT receptor ligand bias or signalling efficacy. Here, we investigated 5-HT receptor s...
Psychedelic drugs that activate 5-HT receptors have been long used for cultural, medicinal and recreational purposes. Interest in psychedelics for treating psychiatric disorders has resurged recently and is well documented; less well recognised are their anti-inflammatory properties. Growing evidence now demonstrates that psychedelics modulate immune respons...
Psychedelics have garnered great attention in recent years as treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression because of their ability to alter consciousness and afflicted cognitive processes with lasting effects. We aimed to characterise how psychedelics are currently being investigated to treat substance use disorders (SUD...
Wood-lover paralysis is a rare complication of mushroom ingestion. The clinical spectrum is poorly characterized and published cases remain limited. We describe three patients who developed acute muscle weakness following ingestion of mushrooms in Victoria, Australia. Written informed consent was obtained from these patients for publication of this case seri...
Based on its in vitro profile and preliminary evidence, 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) may have psychoactive properties that are similar to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and psilocybin, which are investigated for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and depressive disorders. We compared acute effects of 2C-B (10, 20, and 30 m...
BackgroundAnorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder with high morbidity, mortality, and relapse rates, most commonly emerging during adolescence. Despite specialized psychological and nutritional treatments, outcomes remain suboptimal, with high rates of relapse and chronicity. Psilocybin has been investigated with preliminary efficacy in other ...
Psilocin (4-hydroxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine) is a substituted tryptamine alkaloid and a nonselective serotonergic agonist acting predominantly at 5-HT2A/C receptors, with substantial binding to 5-HT1A and 5-HT2B receptors. Microdosing is the practice of taking a very small, sub-perceptual dose, typically 5% to 10% of a full recreational dose, to improve mood...
Natural hallucinogenic compounds have arisen independently across plants, fungi, and animals, evolving into a diverse chemical arsenal that includes phenethylamines, indolealkylamines, and terpenoid scaffolds. Beyond clinical and cultural frameworks, their ecological origins and evolutionary trajectories may help explain why such potent modulators of percept...
PurposeMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a heterogeneous, debilitating disorder. A distinct subgroup within the MDD spectrum is identified to have treatment-resistant depression (TRD). There is an impetus to find alternative treatments for TRD to reduce disease burden and improve quality of life. Psychedelics have been used in the treatment of various psych...
The purpose of this study is to understand whether people with Parkinson's Disease and depression have improvement in their symptoms after psilocybin therapy. This is a randomized controlled trial of oral psilocybin therapy for depression in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). The primary goal is to examine efficacy of psilocybin therapy in this patient po...
This is a multi-site, double-blind, randomized clinical trial of the 5-HT2A receptor agonist psilocybin for smoking cessation. Four sites with experience in conducting psilocybin research will be involved in this trial: Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and New York University (NYU). The proposed study will treat ...
BackgroundPsychedelic microdosing-repeated sub-perceptual doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or psilocybin-has attracted scientific interest as a potential mood and cognitive intervention. The evidence base remains methodologically heterogeneous and vulnerable to expectancy bias.MethodsWe conducted an umbrella review with narrative synthesis following...
BackgroundPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder are often comorbid in humans. Psilocybin reportedly has beneficial therapeutic effects on depression, possibly by promoting neuroplasticity. PTSD is associated with the dysregulation of neuroplasticity in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We hypothesized that psil...
This is an open-label trial evaluating feasibility, tolerability, safety and efficacy of psilocybin assisted cognitive processing therapy for chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Current front-line treatments for Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are ineffective for up to half of patients, with serious medical and societal consequences. It is imp...
Through an open-label study involving a small group of UCSD physicians experiencing burnout, the investigators will evaluate the feasibility, safety, and preliminary effectiveness of PAT to reduce burnout symptoms. Physician burnout is a critical issue. Research shows that physician burnout is increasing, that physicians suffer higher rates of burnout than t...
With growing research on the use of psychedelics to treat mental health conditions, greater attention to the psychosocial procedures accompanying substance administration is warranted. This scoping review aims to categorize psychosocial protocols used in research involving psychedelics as psychiatric treatment according to their purpose, denomination, format...