The recent relaxation of psychedelic drug regulations has prompted extensive clinical investigation into their potential use to treat diverse mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and substance-abuse disorders. Most clinical trials have relied on a small number of known molecules found in nature, such as psilocybin, o...
In the contemporary landscape of psychiatric medicine, critical advancements have been noted in the utilization of psychoactive substances such as hallucinogens, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and ketamine for the treatment of severe mental health disorders. This review provides a detailed evaluation of these substances, focusing on their mechanis...
Source: Farah R, Kerns AF, Murray AC, et al. Psilocybin exposures reported to U.S. poison centers: national trends over a decade. J Adolesc Health. 2024;74(5):1053-1056; doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.01.027.Investigators from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, conducted a retrospective study to describe trends in psilocybin exposure in adolesc...
Psychedelics are currently undergoing a scientific renaissance, with modern studies investigating therapeutic efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy in a range of psychiatric conditions. In particular, psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) has been suggested to have positive effects on patients suffering from depression and psychiatric distress associated with...
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental disease that affects approximately 2% of the population. Obsessions and compulsions are troublesome for patients and may disturb their everyday activities. The pathogenesis of this disease is still not fully elucidated, but dysfunctions of serotonin-, dopamine- and glutamate-mediated neurotransmission t...
Background Current drug policy classifies psilocybin, a substance produced by psychoactive mushrooms, as having a high potential for abuse, neglecting its therapeutic properties. We aimed to investigate if psilocybin mushrooms pose a risk to Brazilian public health compared to other toxic agents and whether evidence-based regulatory discussions are needed. M...
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...
Alzheimer's disease (AD) stands as a formidable neurodegenerative ailment and a prominent contributor to dementia. The scarcity of available therapies for AD accentuates the exigency for innovative treatment modalities. Psilocybin, a psychoactive alkaloid intrinsic to hallucinogenic mushrooms, has garnered attention within the neuropsychiatric realm due to i...
In the past few years, psilocybin, a psychedelic compound found in "magic mushrooms" (psilocybin mushrooms), has undergone decriminalization in numerous cities across the US and has been legalized in Oregon and Colorado. Proponents of psilocybin decriminalization have emphasized its therapeutic potential in treating mental health disorders. Furthermore, psil...
Several trials of psilocybin for symptoms of depression have shown encouraging findings, as have a number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. However, several of the reviews have included nonrandomized trials and studies in which psilocybin was used in conjunction with psychotherapeutic interventions, making it difficult to isolate psilocybin's effects...
Data on medication interactions with psychedelics are limited. Here we present what may be the first published report of a hypertensive emergency following the combination of psilocybin mushrooms with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). A42-year-old man with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder took 1 g of Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, while presc...
There is an increasing demand for effective treatments for depression, particularly for individuals grappling with treatment-resistant depression. Over recent years, a surge of interest has focused on exploring the safety and efficacy of psilocybin as a potential treatment for depression. However, preliminary findings from phase 2 studies have been inconclus...
Psilocin, or 4-HO-DMT (or 3-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-1H-indol-4-ol), is a psychoactive alkaloid substance from the tryptamine family, isolated from Psilocybe mushrooms. This substance is being studied by various research groups because it has a clear therapeutic effect in certain dosages. In this work, the study of the structure and properties of psilocin was ...
Psilocybin fungi, also more informally known as psychedelic mushrooms, have a rich, cultural history and were criminalized in the 1970s. However, recent developments, including Food and Drug Administration breakthrough status and state-level legalization, revive interest in these substances. They may be able to treat many disorders without the addictiveness ...
Psilocybin, ketamine, and MDMA are psychoactive compounds that exert behavioral effects with distinguishable but also overlapping features. The growing interest in using these compounds as therapeutics necessitates preclinical assays that can accurately screen psychedelics and related analogs. We posit that a promising approach may be to measure drug action ...
Psychoactive substances obtained from botanicals have been applied for a wide variety of purposes in the rituals of different cultures for thousands of years. Classical psychedelics from N,N'-dimethyltryptamine, psilocybin, mescaline and various lysergamides cause specific alterations in perception, emotion and cognition by acting through serotonin 5-HT2A re...
This Patent Highlight explores advancements in pharmacology, focusing on the novel delivery and application of psychoactive substances. It highlights the development of transdermal formulations for psychoactive alkaloids, neuroenhancement techniques to augment emotional responses, and the intravenous infusion of psilocybin or psilocin for various therapeutic...
ObjectiveTo determine the efficacy of psilocybin as an antidepressant compared with placebo or non-psychoactive drugs.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesFive electronic databases of published literature (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, Embase, Science Citation Index and Conference Proceedings Citation Index, and Ps...
N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a psychoactive substance with similar effects such as LSD or psilocybin. However, DMT is less well characterized than the latter substances. The present study is a modern randomized cross-over trial, investigating different continuous intravenous DMT dose rates over a broad dose range. Thus, different doses will be tested and ...
Purpose: research of such items of illicit drug trafficking as plants and plant parts containing psychoactive substances. Methodology: study and analysis of judicial practice of higher courts and scientific research of natural science specialists; formal legal and technical legal methods. Conclusions: there is a lack of due attention to the problem of sellin...
