Psychedelic Research Links December 2023

This is all the other psychedelic research that came out in December 2023. These papers don’t (yet) have their own page in our database.

You can find all the added papers in our Papers Database.

Related Papers

In Animals (mostly Rodents)

• Decoding effects of psychoactive drugs in a high-dimensional space of eye movements in monkeys (in monkeys, daily administration of ketamine or PCP, trying to link it to similarity with schizophrenia, “Both drugs led to robust reduction in accuracy and increment in reaction time during high cognitive-demanding tasks.“)
• Enhanced TARP-γ8-PSD-95 coupling in excitatory neurons contributes to the rapid antidepressant-like action of ketamine in male mice (in mice, “Overexpression of TARP-γ8 reverses chronic stress-induced depressive-like behaviors and attenuation of AMPARs-mediated neurotransmission. Conversely, knockdown of TARP-γ8 in excitatory neurons prevents the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine.“)
• Ketamine alleviates fear memory and spatial cognition deficits in a PTSD rat model via the BDNF signaling pathway of the hippocampus and amygdala (in rats, “Overall, ketamine reversed SPS&S-induced fear and spatial memory impairment and the down-regulation of BDNF and BDNF-related PSD-95 signaling in the HIP and AMG.“)
• Whole-brain mapping reveals the divergent impact of ketamine on the dopamine system (in mice, “Here, we develop a sub-cellular resolution whole-brain phenotyping approach and utilize it in male mice to show that repeated ketamine administration leads to a dose-dependent decrease in dopamine neurons in midbrain regions linked to behavioral states, alongside an increase in the hypothalamus.“)
• Ketamine produces no detectable long-term positive or negative effects on cognitive flexibility or reinforcement learning of male rats (in rats, “Results showed that ketamine had acute effects 1-h post-injection, including a significant decrease in the value of the punishment learning rate. Beyond 1 h, ketamine produced no detectable improvements nor decrements in performance across 2 weeks.“)
• Neuroprotective effect of ketamine and sevoflurane against TNF-α induced cognitive impairment (in rats, “ketamine plus sevoflurane combination alleviates TNF-α/z-VAD induced decrease in viability of HT-22 cells in vitro and rat hippocampus neurons in vivo. Moreover, ketamine plus sevoflurane combination prevented TNF-α injection induced cognitive impairment in rats.“)
• Ketamine produces no detectable long-term positive or negative effects on cognitive flexibility or reinforcement learning of male rats (in rats, “Results showed that ketamine had acute effects 1-h post-injection, including a significant decrease in the value of the punishment learning rate. Beyond 1 h, ketamine produced no detectable improvements nor decrements in performance across 2 weeks.“)
• Curcumin-ZnO conjugated nanoparticles confer neuroprotection against ketamine-induced neurotoxicity (in mice, “ The neuroprotective properties of Cur-ZnO nanoparticles were efficient in preventing ketamine-induced neurotoxicity in the mouse brain. The nanoparticle form of curcumin (Cur-ZnO) required lower doses to produce neuroprotective effects against ketamine-induced toxicity than conventional curcumin.“)
• Memantine inhibits cortical spreading depolarization and improves neurovascular function following repetitive traumatic brain injury (in mice, Memantine (ketamine-like) for TBI)
• Sigma-1 receptor activation mediates the sustained antidepressant effect of ketamine in mice via increasing BDNF levels (in mice, “These results reveal a critical role of S1R in the sustained antidepressant effect of ketamine, and suggest that a combination of ketamine and S1R agonists may be more beneficial for depression patients.“)
• Psilocybin-induced default mode network hypoconnectivity is blunted in alcohol-dependent rats (in rats, “Psilocybin showed an AUD-specific blunting of DMN hypoconnectivity, which strongly correlated to the alcohol relapse intensity and was mainly driven by medial prefrontal regions.“)
• Identification of 5-HT2A receptor signaling pathways associated with psychedelic potential (in mice, “Overall, 5-HT_2A receptor Gq-signaling can be fine-tuned to generate ligands distinct from classical psychedelics.“)
• Intravenous psilocybin attenuates mechanical hypersensitivity in a rat model of chronic pain (in rats, “… and demonstrate that a single intravenous bolus administration of psilocybin can attenuate mechanical hypersensitivity for 28 days.”)
• Serotonergic psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT alters plasticity-related gene expression and generates anxiolytic effects in stressed mice (in mice, “We also found a long-term increase in TRIP8b, a gene related to the modulation of neuronal activity, in the vCA1 after 5 days. Behaviorally, 5-MeO-DMT treated mice showed mixed anxiolytic and anxiogenic effects in the elevated plus maze and open field test 24 hr or 5 days after treatment. However, pre-treated mice subjected to acute stress showed both lower corticosterone levels and robust anxiolytic effects of 5- MeO-DMT administration.“)

Chemistry

• Exploring Psilocybe spp. mycelium and fruiting body chemistry for potential therapeutic compounds
• A rapid, sensitive method for clinical monitoring of Ketamine and Norketamine by UPLC-MSMS (detection)
• Determination of psilocybin and psilocin content in multiple Psilocybe cubensis mushroom strains using liquid chromatography – Tandem mass spectrometry (analysis)

Perspectives/Opinions

• Serotonin 2A Receptor (5-HT2AR) Agonists: Psychedelics and Non-Hallucinogenic Analogues as Emerging Antidepressants (perspective, “provides an overview of the structure-activity relationships of existing 5-HT_2AR agonists based on their chemical classifications and discusses recent advancements in understanding their molecular pharmacology at a structural level.”)
• State-Regulated Psychedelics on a Collision Course With FDA (viewpoint)
• Progress in understanding the analgesic potential of ‘classic’ psychedelics (letter to the editor)
• If Everything Is Psychedelic, Then Nothing Is: A Response to O’Donnell et al. and Lepow et al. (perspective)
• Reply to “Capturing synergy holistically in psychedelic clinical trials” (commentary)
• Exploring new frontiers: Effects of psychedelics on neurotransmitter-regulated glucagon release in pancreatic islets (commentary, possibly interesting psilocybin x diabetes)
• Ketamine and the paradox of anaesthetic state transitions (editorial)
• Studying classic psychedelics for the management of headache disorders: Considerations for Veterans (perspective)
• Psychedelics for military and Veteran communities? Research, practice, and policy considerations (editorial)
• Innovations in group-based psilocybin-assisted therapy of major depression in patients with cancer (editorial)
• Context is a Critical for Psychoactive Drug Effects (commentary)
• Commentary: ARC: a framework for access, reciprocity and conduct in psychedelic therapies (commentary)

Reviews

• Hypothetical biosynthetic pathways of pharmaceutically potential hallucinogenic metabolites in Myristicaceae, mechanistic convergence and co-evolutionary trends in plants and humans (review, “The review also demonstrates that the biosynthesis of serotonin, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, 5-hydroxy dimethyltryptamine, and β-carbolines in plants, as well as endogenous secretion of these compounds in the brain and blood of humans and rodents, reflects co-evolutionary mutualism in plants and humans.“)
• Psilocybin as a lead candidate molecule in preclinical therapeutic studies of psychiatric disorders: A systematic review (review)
• A review of the mechanisms involved in the neuroprotection and neurotoxicity of Iboga alkaloids (review)
• The potential of psilocybin use to enhance well-being in healthy individuals – A scoping review (review)
• Classical psychedelics in psychiatry – renaissance of interest and therapeutic perspectives (review, for Polish audience)
• Psychedelics and schizophrenia: A mystery in history (review, good table with articles covered)
• In Silico Studies for the Analysis of Psychedelic Substances with Potential Activity for the Treatment of Epilepsy (academic book chapter)
• The mechanistic basis for the rapid antidepressant-like effects of ketamine: From neural circuits to molecular pathways (review)
• Overcoming the myths of esketamine administration: different and not difficult (review)
• Psychedelic Drugs or Hallucinogens: Exploring Their Medicinal Potential (review)
• The central role of the Thalamus in psychosis, lessons from neurodegenerative diseases and psychedelics (review)
• Ketamine and the neurobiology of depression: Toward next-generation rapid-acting antidepressant treatments (review)
• Mechanisms of integration in psychedelic-assisted therapy (review, methodology of neuroscience)
• Psychedelic Drugs: Past, Present, and Future (review, Japanese)
• Unique effects of sedatives, dissociatives, psychedelics, stimulants, and cannabinoids on episodic memory: A review and reanalysis of acute drug effects on recollection, familiarity, and metamemory (review)
• The central role of the Thalamus in psychosis, lessons from neurodegenerative diseases and psychedelics (review)
• Psychedelics and cognitive function: A systematic review (review)
• Efficacy and Safety of Psychedelics in Treating Anxiety Disorders (review)
• Ketamine or ECT? What have we learned from the KetECT and ELEKT-D trials? (review of ketamine vs ECT trials)
• Ketamine, an Old–New Drug: Uses and Abuses (review)
• A systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of ketamine and esketamine on suicidal ideation in treatment-resistant depression (s=5, “This meta-analysis suggested that esketamine and ketamine have failed to reduce suicidal ideation in patients with TRD.“)
• Unveiling the Psychedelic Journey: An Appraisal of Psilocybin as a Profound Antidepressant Therapy (review)
• Efficacy and safety of ketamine-assisted electroconvulsive therapy in major depressive episode: a systematic review and network meta-analysis (review & meta-analysis, “Ketamine-assisted ECT is tolerable and may be efficacious in improving depressive symptoms, but a relative adverse impact on cognition may be an important clinical consideration. Anesthetic agents should be considered based on patient profiles and/or preferences to improve effectiveness and safety of ECT use.“)
• Short-term ketamine use in bipolar depression: a review of the evidence for short-term treatment management (review)
• Therapeutic frameworks in integration sessions in substance-assisted psychotherapy: A systematised review (review, integration methods)

Other

• Maintenance IV Ketamine Therapy in the Fibromyalgia Patient: A Case Report (case report, n=1, 9x ketamine IV (from 50mg to 240mg, or 105mg/70kg/hr), “Following the first 9-session therapy, the patient reported >50% pain relief from pre-infusion levels and was placed on a maintenance regimen in perpetuity.“)
• Clinical case report: considerable improvement of severe and difficult-to-treat obsessive-compulsive disorder with comorbid depression under treatment with esketamine and concomitant psychotherapy (case report, n=1, ketamine for OCD)
• Making sense of a transformative, mystical psychedelic experience: Will people frame it as spiritual, supernatural, psychological, physical, or a sign of mental illness? (internet survey, asking people about hypothetical situation, “we asked participants to imagine a trusted person telling them about a psychedelic experience involving powerful feelings of connectedness and divine love. Participants endorsed spiritual explanations most, followed by psychological and physical/biological explanations (which did not differ).“)
• Ketamine-Assisted Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (n=1, case report, adding ketamine (KAP) to long-term therapy treatment, leading to positive effects through KAP)
• Development of the Protective Strategies for Psychedelics Scale: A novel inventory to assess safety strategies in the context of psychedelics (development of scale around preparing for psychedelics, “Nineteen items loaded on PSPS factor 1, which focused on long-term preparation, emphasizing strategies focused on mood/intentions, preparing the substance, environment, and scheduling episode of use; 13 items loaded on factor 2, which focused on short-term preparation, highlighting strategies surrounding social context, health, and other substances.“)
• Charting New Frontiers in Psychedelic Medicine: a Qualitative Exploration of Psychedelic-assisted Psychotherapy for Individuals With Psychotic Symptoms and Conditions, and Their Reports of Psychedelic Experiences (thesis)
• Exploring the subjective experience of rave party participants in Israel who consume psychedelic drugs: a qualitative inquiry (n=27, qualitative, experience of psychonauts at raves)
• The relationship between cryptomarket drug purchase, social networks and adverse drug events: A cross-sectional study (survey, subsection of GDS (n=23,053), “Adverse events from any drug type were low (5.2%) and for each drug; MDMA (3.5%); cocaine (3.3%); and LSD (3.5%). After controlling for covariates, recent cryptomarket use was associated with increased likelihood of having no drug-using network for each drug type. People who recently used cryptomarkets were more likely to report adverse cocaine (AOR = 1.70 (1.22-2.37)) and LSD (AOR = 1.58 (1.12-2.09)) events.“)
• Public interest in psilocybin and psychedelic therapy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A Google Trends analysis (pre-print, data analysis, “These data suggests that overall interest in psilocybin and psychedelic therapy increased at faster rates and to higher levels than before the pandemic.“)
• A role for the serotonin 2A receptor in the expansion and functioning of human transmodal cortex (important paper on the 5-HT2a receptor, relevant for most (classical) psychedelics)
• Individual Prediction of Optimal Treatment Allocation Between Electroconvulsive Therapy or Ketamine using the Personalized Advantage Index (modelling treatment with ketamine vs ECT)
• Evaluating passive physiological data collection during Spravato treatment (patient monitoring, MindMed tech)
• A history and future of psychedelics: The case of the Canadian military (history)
• Ketamine treatment modulates habenular and nucleus accumbens static and dynamic functional connectivity in major depression (n=58, open-label, repeated doses of ketamine, “Subanesthetic ketamine modulates functional pathways linking the Hb and NAc with visual, parietal, and cerebellar regions. Overlapping effects between Hb and NAc functional systems were associated with ketamine’s therapeutic response.“)
• Cross-validation of the ego dissolution scale: implications for studying psychedelics (ego dissolution scale validation)
• Psychedelic concentrations of nitrous oxide reduce functional differentiation in frontoparietal and somatomotor cortical networks (analysis of fMRI data of people on NO2, a potential psychedelic-like compound)
• Trajectories of sentiment in 11,816 psychoactive narratives (machine learning applied to 12k public trip reports, “ML methods can create unified and robust quantifications of subjective experiences with many different psychoactive substances and timescales. The representations learned are evocative and mutually confirmatory, indicating great potential for ML in characterizing psychoactivity.“)
• Psilocybin’s Erasure of EGO (psychoanalyst personal experience)
• Trip-killers: a concerning practice associated with psychedelic drug use (discussion on trip killers, or trip stoppers)
• Clinical outcomes in the biomarkers of ketamine (Bio-K) study of open-label IV ketamine for refractory depression (n=75, ketamine, open-label)
• Neural connectivity moderators and mechanisms of ketamine treatment among treatment-resistant depressed patients: a randomized controlled trial (n=152, ketamine, RCT, “Our findings identify specific neural connectivity patterns impacted by ketamine and were uniquely related to outcomes following ketamine (relative to saline). These findings generally support prominent neuroplasticity models of ketamine’s therapeutic efficacy.“)
• The Rise of Psychedelic Drug Use Associated With Legalization/Decriminalization: An Assessment With the Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs Survey (research letter)
• Longitudinal associations between psychedelic use and unusual visual experiences in the United States and the United Kingdom (n=7667 at follow-up, “… with 100 respondents reporting psychedelic use during the 2-month study period (1.3% of those who responded at follow-up … Psychedelic use may elicit unusual visual experiences that occur after the acute pharmacological effects have subsided, especially among those who have not used psychedelics previously. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to further elucidate these relationships.“)
• Engaging Mood Brain Circuits with Psilocybin (EMBRACE): a study protocol for a randomized, proof-of-principle, placebo-controlled and crossover, neuroimaging trial in depression (study protocol)