Psychedelic Research Links 2024

This link page serves as a centralized overview of psychedelic research studies published in 2024 that are not featured with individual pages in our database. Primarily, this includes research that, while significant, does not involve human subjects or is reviewing the studies for a specific audience.

Among these, we include a variety of animal studies. These investigations are foundational in the field of psychedelic research, providing initial insights into the effects, safety, and potential therapeutic applications of psychedelic substances. However, since they do not involve human subjects, they are summarized here rather than being given individual pages.

Chemical analyses of psychedelic compounds also form a part of this overview. These studies, focusing on the composition and properties of psychedelic substances, are crucial for understanding their pharmacological profiles. While essential, they typically do not involve direct human or clinical implications and thus are included in this collective overview.

Additionally, we catalogue research on ketamine, particularly studies revisiting populations or aspects previously covered in human research. While these studies add depth to our understanding of ketamine’s effects and applications, they do not warrant separate listings if they do not introduce new human subject research.

This page also encompasses reviews of existing psychedelic research. These reviews synthesize and evaluate current knowledge and are crucial for contextual understanding but are grouped here as they do not present new experimental data. Some outstanding reviews and meta-analyses are listed in the database.

As a final category, we list the studies that didn’t fit the other criteria. This could be a study that mentions psychedelics in passing, an academic book chapter (similar to a review), or timely (but not substantive) opinion articles.

Animal Studies With Psychedelics in 2024

• Intranasal Delivery of Ketamine Induces Cortical Disinhibition (January, in mice, “We show that intranasal delivery of a single subanesthetic dose of ketamine in the mouse model has profound effects on the microcircuitry in sensory cortex.“)
• GM-1020: a novel, orally bioavailable NMDA receptor antagonist with rapid and robust antidepressant-like effects at well-tolerated doses in rodents (January, in mice, ketamine-like compound, “hese results demonstrate that GM-1020 is an orally bioavailable NMDAR antagonist with antidepressant-like efficacy at exposures that do not produce unwanted motor effects.“)
• Effect of a single psilocybin treatment on Fos protein expression in male rat brain (January, in mice, “Overall, the present findings suggest that the central amygdala may be an important site through which the initial brain activation induced by psilocybin is translated into neuroplastic changes, locally and in other regions that underlie its extended therapeutic effects.“)
• Ayahuasca and its major component harmine promote antinociceptive effects in mouse models of acute and chronic pain (January, in mice, “YA promotes consistent antinociceptive effects in different mouse models of pain without inducing detectable toxic effects. Harmine is at least partially accountable for the antinociceptive properties of AYA.“)
• Antidepressant-like effects of psychedelics in a chronic despair mouse model: is the 5-HT2A receptor the unique player? (January, in mice, “We show that a single injection of each drug to wild type mice induces anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects in the novelty-suppressed feeding, sucrose preference and forced swim tests, which last up to 15 days. DOI and lisuride administration did not produce antidepressant-like effects in 5-HT_2A^-/- mice, whereas psilocybin was still effective. Moreover, neither 5-HT_1AR blockade nor dopamine D₁ or D₂ receptor blockade affected the antidepressant-like effects of psilocybin in 5-HT_2A^-/- mice.“)
• Esketamine enhances memory reconsolidation in the novel object recognition task (January, in mice, “[E]sketamine treatment markedly improves memory reconsolidation in NOR tasks, and this effect is linked to AMPA receptor activity.“)
• Limbic System Response to Psilocybin and Ketamine Administration in Rats: A Neurochemical and Behavioral Study (January, in rats, “The changes in D2, 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor density in the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus were observed as a long-lasting effect. A marked anxiolytic effect of psilocybin in the acute phase and 24 h post-treatment was shown in the open field test.”)
• High-resolution tracking of unconfined zebrafish behavior reveals stimulatory and anxiolytic effects of psilocybin (January, in zebrafish, “eural activity imaging in the dorsal raphe nucleus suggested that psilocybin inhibits serotonergic neurons by activating local GABAergic neurons, consistent with psychedelic-induced suppression of serotonergic neurons in mammals.“)
• Psilocybe cubensis extract potently prevents fear memory recall and freezing behavior in short- but not long-term in a rat model of posttraumatic stress disorder (January, in rats, “Psilocybe cubensis effects on PTSD-like behavior and locomotor activity seem to be remained in short-term, while Psilocybe cubensis effects on pain subthreshold and anxiety remained long-term.”)
• A transcriptomic analysis in mice following a single dose of ibogaine identifies new potential therapeutic targets (January, in mice, “Sex differences were observed, with female mice displaying more pronounced alterations in gene expression after IBO treatment. High variability was observed across individual animals.“)
• Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of harmine derivatives as topoisomerase I inhibitors for cancer treatment (January, in mice, ayahuasca-inspired compounds (from harmine) for cancer treatment)
• The novel non-hallucinogenic compound DM506 (3-methyl-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydroazepino[4,5-b]indole) induces sedative- and anxiolytic-like activity in mice by a mechanism involving 5-HT2A receptor activation (January, in mice, ibogaine-analogue, “Our study showed for the first time that the non-hallucinogenic compound DM506 induces anxiolytic- and sedative-like activities in naïve and stressed/anxious mice in a dose-, time-, and volinanserin-sensitive manner, likely through mechanisms involving 5-HT_2A receptor activation.“)
• Rapid-acting antidepressant drugs modulate affective bias in rats (January, in rats, “Low, but not high, doses of ketamine and psilocybin reversed the valence of the negative affective bias 24 hours after RAAD treatment.“)
• In vivo validation of psilacetin as a prodrug yielding modestly lower peripheral psilocin exposure than psilocybin (January, in mice, “These findings provide the first direct support for the long-standing assumption in the field that psilacetin functions as a prodrug for psilocin in vivo. In addition, these results indicate that psilacetin fumarate results in lower peripheral psilocin exposure than psilocybin when dosed on an equimolar basis.“)
• 5-HT2A Receptor Knockout Mice Show Sex-Dependent Differences following Acute Noribogaine Administration (January, in mice, “Patch-clamp recordings showed that Noribo 40 reduced the NMDA-mediated postsynaptic current density in mPFC pyramidal neurons only in male WT mice, but no effects were found for either KO males or females. Our results highlight that noribo produces sexually dimorphic effects while the genetic removal of 5HT_2AR blunted noribo-mediated responses to NMDA synaptic transmission.“)
• Effects of ketamine on rat social behavior as analyzed by DeepLabCut and SimBA deep learning algorithms (January, in rats, analysis of behaviour through deep learning algorithm)
• The Nonclassic Psychedelic Ibogaine Disrupts Cognitive Maps (January, in mice, (published in August, just passed by our radar), “Taken together, these data support proposals that compounds with psychedelic properties disrupt representations that are important for constraining neocortical activity, thereby increasing the entropy of neural signaling.”)
• Unique Effects of (R)-Ketamine Compared to (S)-Ketamine on EEG Theta Power in Rats (February, in rats, “Frontoparietal EEG, electromyogram, and motor activity were recorded. (R)-ketamine but not (S)-ketamine dose-dependently increased EEG theta power during wakefulness and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep for 23 h. These results suggest that (R)-ketamine has an effect on a hippocampal function that was not affected by (S)-ketamine and may be associated with neural plasticity and memory encoding.“)
• Ayahuasca-enhanced extinction of fear behaviour: Role of infralimbic cortex 5-HT2A and 5-HT1A receptors (February, in rats, “A single oral treatment with AYA containing 0.3 mg·kg^-1 of DMT increased the within-session extinction of contextual freezing behaviour without affecting its recall. This protocol, when repeated twice on consecutive days, enhanced extinction recall.“)
• Microdosing ketamine in Drosophila does not block serotonin reuptake, but causes complex behavioral changes mediated by glutamate and serotonin receptors (February, in larvae, calls subanaesthetic doses of ketamine ‘microdoses’, “At 100 mM, ketamine inhibited dSERT and increased serotonin concentrations, but decreased locomotion and feeding because of its anesthetic properties.“)
• Comparative Pharmacological Effects of Lisuride and Lysergic Acid Diethylamide Revisited (February, in mice & cells, “findings show that lisuride is an ultrapotent 5-HT_1A agonist in C57BL/6J mice, limiting its use as a 5-HT_2A ligand in mouse studies examining acute drug effects. Results also indicate that the 5-HT_2A partial agonist-antagonist activity of lisuride explains its lack of psychedelic effects.“)
• Psilocybin induces dose-dependent changes in functional network organization in rat cortex (February, in rats, pre-print, “The medium gamma frontoparietal connectivity showed a nonlinear relationship with psilocybin dose. Our results suggest that high-frequency network organization, decoupled from local theta-phase, may be an important signature of psilocybin-induced non-ordinary state of consciousness.“)
• Effect of chemically synthesized psilocybin and psychedelic mushroom extract on molecular and metabolic profiles in mouse brain (February, in mice, finds full mushroom extract (PME) to be more potent than chemically synthesized psilocybin)
• Effects of nitrous oxide and ketamine on electrophysiological and molecular responses in the prefrontal cortex of mice: A comparative study (February, in mice, “The effects were primarily located in the pyramidal cells. Notably, the overall effects of N₂O on mRNA expression were much more prominent and widespread compared to ketamine. Ketamine caused an elevation of the spiking frequency of putative pyramidal neurons and increased gamma activity (30–100 Hz) of cortical local field potentials. However, N₂O produced no such effects.“)
• Repeated microdoses of LSD do not alter anxiety or boldness in zebrafish (February, in zebrafish, “ the acute experiments we observed a significant decrease in high mobility with 1.5 µg/L, 15 µg/L, and 150 µg/L of LSD compared to the control and a decrease in velocity with 1.5 and 15 µg/L. In repeated experiments, there were no significant differences in the levels of anxiety, boldness, or locomotion between all LSD groups and controls immediately after 10-day treatment or after withdrawal.“)
• A role of gut-brain axis on prophylactic actions of arketamine in male mice exposed to chronic restrain stress (February, in mice, “ These findings suggest that gut-brain axis, including its metabolites, might partially contribute to the persistent prophylactic effects of arketamine in the CRS model.“)
• Loss of the sustained antidepressant-like effect of (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine in NMDA receptor GluN2D subunit knockout mice (February, in mice, “Interestingly, sustained antidepressant-like effects of (2R,6R)-HNK were abolished in GluN2D-knockout mice, whereas acute antidepressant-like effects were maintained in GluN2D-knockout mice. When expression levels of GluN2A and GluN2B subunits were evaluated, a decrease in GluN2B protein expression in the nucleus accumbens was found in stressed wildtype mice but not in stressed GluN2D-knockout mice. These results suggest that the GluN2D subunit and possibly the GluN2B subunit are involved in the sustained antidepressant-like effect of (2R,6R)-HNK.“)
• Ketamine’s rapid and sustained antidepressant effects are driven by distinct mechanisms (February, in mice!, “The rapid effects of a single dose of ketamine result from increased activity of immature neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus without an increase in neurogenesis. Treatment with six doses of ketamine over two weeks doubled the duration of behavioral effects after the final ketamine injection. However, unlike ketamine’s rapid effects, this more sustained behavioral effect did not correlate with increased immature neuron activity but instead correlated with increased numbers of calretinin-positive and doublecortin-positive immature neurons.“)
• 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) impairs cognitive function during withdrawal via activation of the arachidonic acid cascade in the hippocampus (February, in mice, “Our findings indicate that activation of the arachidonic acid cascade at least in the hippocampus is likely involved in the development of recognition memory impairment during MDMA withdrawal. Therefore, co-use of cyclooxygenase inhibitors with MDMA may reduce concerns regarding MDMA-induced impairment of recognition memory.“)
• Behavioral sensitization and tolerance induced by repeated treatment with ketamine enantiomers in male Wistar rats (March, in rats, “We conclude that S-ketamine has a stronger behavioral effect than R-ketamine.“)
• The role of mGluR5 on the therapeutic effects of ketamine in Wistar rats (March, in mice, “These findings suggest that suppressed mGluR5 activity is required for the antidepressant effects of ketamine. Consequently, the antagonism of mGluR5 enhances the antidepressant effectiveness of low dose ketamine, but eliminates its anxiolytic effects.“)
• Changes in brain structure and function following exposure to oral LSD during adolescence: A multimodal MRI study (March, in mice, pre-print, “Motor behavior and cognitive performance were unaffected by periadolescent exposure to LSD. Differences across experimental groups in brain volume for any of the 139 brain areas were few in number and not focused on any specific brain region.“)
• Noribogaine acute administration in rats promotes wakefulness and suppresses REM sleep (March, in rats, “Our results show that noribogaine promotes wakefulness while reducing slow-wave sleep and blocking REM sleep, similar to our previous results reported for ibogaine administration.“)
• Toxicokinetics of MDMA and Its Metabolite MDA in Rats (March, in rats, full text in Chinese, “The toxicokinetic data of MDMA and its metabolite MDA in rats, obtained through single and continuous administration, including peak concentration, peak time, detection time limit, and the relationship between concentration ratio and administration time, provide a theoretical and data foundation for relevant forensic identification.“)
• Effects of the designer drug 4-methylamphetamine on core temperature and serotonin levels in the striatum and hippocampus of rats (March, in rats, “The present findings demonstrate that the 4-methyl substitution to amphetamine generates a pharmacological and toxicological profile that differs from other similar phenethylamine analogs.“)
• Characterization Of The Neurochemical And Behavioral Effects Of The Phenethylamine 2-Cl-4,5-Mdma In Adolescent And Adult Male Rats (March, in rats, “2-Cl-4,5-MDMA increased dialysate DA and 5-HT in a dose-, brain area-, and age-dependent manner. Notably, 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA more markedly increased dialysate DA in the NAc shell and mPFC of adult than adolescent rats, while the opposite was observed on dialysate 5-HT in the NAc shell, with adolescent rats being more responsive.”)
• The novel psychoactive substance 25E-NBOMe induces reward-related behaviors via dopamine D1 receptor signaling in male rodents (March, in male mice, “We also examined the hallucinogenic properties of 25E-NBOMe using the head twitch response test in male mice and found that this behavior was mediated by serotonin 2A receptor activity. Our findings demonstrate that D1DR signaling may govern the addictive potential of 25E-NBOMe.“)
• Effects of New Psychoactive Substance Esketamine on Behaviors and Transcription of Genes in Dopamine and GABA Pathways in Zebrafish Larvae (March, in zebrafish, “This study suggested that ESK could affect the heart rate and behaviors accompanying with transcriptional alterations of genes in DA and GABA pathways at early-staged zebrafish, which resulted in neurotoxicity in zebrafish larvae.“)
• Analytical and behavioral characterization of 1-dodecanoyl-LSD (1DD-LSD) (April, in mice, “LSD has 27-fold higher potency than 1DD-LSD in the HTR assay.“)
• Dextromethorphan moderates reward deficiency associated with central serotonin transporter availability in 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine-treated animals (April, in rats, “Our findings suggest MDMA induces functional abnormalities in a network of brain regions important to decision-making processes and the motivation circuit. DM may exert neuroprotective effects to reverse MDMA-induced neurotoxicity.“)
• The effect of low dose intra-articular S(+) ketamine on osteoarthritis in rats: an experimental study (April, in rats, “Low Intra-articular (IA) doses of S(+)-ketamine reduced MIA-induced OA pain but did not reverse synovial histopathological changes.“)
• Synthesis and Structure–Activity Relationships of 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-Substituted Phenethylamines and the Discovery of CYB210010: A Potent, Orally Bioavailable and Long-Acting Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Agonist (April, in cells and rodents, “CYB210010 represents a new tool molecule for investigating the therapeutic potential of 5-HT₂ receptor activation. In addition, several other compounds with high 5-HT_2A receptor potency, yet with little or no HTR activity, were discovered, providing the groundwork for the development of nonpsychedelic 5-HT_2A receptor ligands.“)
• A role of gut-brain axis on prophylactic actions of arketamine in male mice exposed to chronic restrain stress (April, in mice, “Network analysis demonstrated correlations among synaptic proteins in the PFC and certain microbiota, and blood metabolites.“)
• Partial mGlu5 receptor NAM, M-5MPEP, induces rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects in the BDNF-dependent mechanism and enhances (R)-ketamine action in mice (April. in mice, “Partial mGlu₅ receptor NAM, M-5MPEP, induced rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects in the BDNF-dependent mechanism and enhanced (R)-ketamine action in mice, indicating both substances’ convergent mechanisms of action and the possibility of their practical use in treating depression as RAAD.“)
• Single administration of a psychedelic [(R)-DOI] influences coping strategies to an escapable social stress (April, in mice!, “These results show that Stay animals have heightened cytokine gene expression, and both Stay and Escape mice exhibit plasma and neural concentrations of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF_α) compared to unstressed control mice.“)
• Effects of (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine in assays of acute pain-stimulated and pain-depressed behaviors in mice (April, in mice, “These results suggest that (2R,6R)-HNK is unlikely to have efficacy in treating acute pain; however, the efficacy of (2R,6R)-HNK in chronic pain states should continue to be evaluated.“)
• Psilocybin induces acute anxiety and changes in amygdalar phosphopeptides independently from the 5-HT2A receptor (April, in mice, “Importantly, pharmacological blocking of the 5-HT2A receptor attenuates psilocybin-induced head twitch response, a behavioral proxy for the psychedelic response, but does not rescue psilocybin’s effect on anxiety-related behavior.“)
• MDMA enhances empathy-like behaviors in mice via 5-HT release in the nucleus accumbens (April, in mice, “We report that MDMA, given intraperitoneally or infused directly into the nucleus accumbens (NAc), robustly enhances the social transfer of pain and analgesia. Optogenetic stimulation of 5-HT release in the NAc recapitulates the effects of MDMA, implicating 5-HT signaling as a core mechanism. Last, we demonstrate that systemic MDMA or optogenetic stimulation of NAc 5-HT inputs restores deficits in empathy-like behaviors in the Shank3-deficient mouse model of autism.“)
• Enhancing Cognitive Functions and Neuronal Growth through NPY1R Agonist and Ketamine Co-Administration: Evidence for NPY1R-TrkB Heteroreceptor Complexes in Rats (April, in rats, “The results demonstrated that co-administration significantly enhanced memory consolidation and increased neuronal proliferation, specifically neuroblasts, without affecting quiescent neural progenitors and astrocytes. These effects were mediated by the potential formation of NPY1R-TrkB heteroreceptor complexes, as suggested by receptor co-localization studies, although further investigation is required to conclusively prove this interaction.“)
• Psilocybin restrains activity-based anorexia in female rats by enhancing cognitive flexibility: contributions from 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor mechanisms (April, in mice, “Together, these findings support the hypothesis that psilocybin could ameliorate cognitive inflexibility in the context of AN and highlight a need to better understand the therapeutic mechanisms independent of 5-HT2A receptor binding.“)
• Neither Amphetamine nor Sub-Anesthetic Ketamine Treatment during Adolescence Impairs Devaluation in Rats Tested during Adulthood (April, in rats, “Our results provided no evidence for impairment of goal-directed action during adulthood after adolescent amphetamine or ketamine exposure.“)
• Psilocybin promotes neuroplasticity and induces rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects in mice (April, in mice, “We observed that a single dose of psilocybin had rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects in both healthy mice and chronic CORT-exposed mice.”)
• Effects of psilocybin, psychedelic mushroom extract and 5-hydroxytryptophan on brain immediate early gene expression: Interaction with serotonergic receptor modulators (April, in mice, “We have shown that PSIL and PME but not 5-HTP (at a dose sufficient to induce HTR), induced a significant increase in cfos and egr1 expression in mouse SSC. Our findings suggest that egr1 and cfos expression may be associated with psychedelic effects.“)
• Psilocybin reduces alcohol self-administration via selective left nucleus accumbens activation in rats (May, in rats, “As in humans, psilocybin reduced ethanol self-administration in rats through the 5-HT2AR within the left nucleus accumbens possibly through increased D2R expression.“)
• Chronic Behavioral and Neurochemical Effects of Four Novel N-Benzyl-2-phenylethylamine Derivatives Recently Identified as “Psychoactive” in Adult Zebrafish Screens (May, in zebrafish, “Collectively, these findings further our understanding of complex central behavioral and neurochemical effects of chronically administered novel NBPEAs and highlight the potential of zebrafish as a model for preclinical screening of small psychoactive molecules.“)
• Metabolism and cytotoxicity studies of the two hallucinogens 1cP-LSD and 4-AcO-DET in human liver and zebrafish larvae models using LC-HRMS/MS and a high-content screening assay (May, in zebrafish, “Several phase I metabolites of both compounds and two phase II metabolites of 4-AcO-DET were produced in vitro and in vivo. After microinjection of 1cP-LSD into the caudal vein of ZL, three out of seven metabolites formed in pHLS9 were also detected in ZL. Twelve 4-AcO-DET metabolites were identified in ZL after exposure via immersion bath and five of them were found in pHLS9 incubations. Notably, unique metabolites of 4-AcO-DET were only produced by ZL, whereas 1cP-LSD specific metabolites were found both in ZL and in pHLS9.“)
• N, N-Dimethyltryptamine, a natural hallucinogen, ameliorates Alzheimer’s disease by restoring neuronal Sigma-1 receptor-mediated endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria crosstalk (May, in mice, “ The anti-AD effects of DMT are associated with its protection of neuronal ER-mitochondria crosstalk via the activation of Sig-1r. DMT has the potential to serve as a novel preventive and therapeutic agent against AD.“)
• ER stress in mouse serotonin neurons triggers a depressive phenotype alleviated by ketamine targeting eIF2α signaling (May, in mice, “Ketamine administration engages downstream eIF2α signaling to trigger rapid neuroplasticity events that rescue the depressive-like effects. Collectively, these data identify ER stress in 5-HT neurons as a cellular pathway involved in the pathophysiology of depression and show that eIF2α is critical in eliciting ketamine’s fast antidepressant effects.“)
• Neurochemical and Neurophysiological Effects of Intravenous Administration of N,N -dimethyltryptamine in Rats (April, in rats, “All three doses of DMT produced head twitch response with most twitches observed after the low dose. DMT caused dose-dependent increases in serotonin and dopamine levels in both cortical sites along with a reduction in EEG spectral power in theta (4-10 Hz) and low gamma (25-55 Hz), and increase in power in delta (1-4 Hz), medium gamma (65-115), and high gamma (125-155 Hz) bands. Functional connectivity decreased in the delta band and increased across the gamma bands. In addition, we provide the first measurements of endogenous DMT in these cortical sites at levels comparable to serotonin and dopamine, which together with a previous study in occipital cortex, suggests a physiological role for endogenous DMT. This study represents one of the most comprehensive characterizations of psychedelic drug action in rats and the first to be conducted with DMT.“)
• MDPV (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone) administered to mice during development of the central nervous system produces persistent learning and memory impairments (May, in mice, “MDPV administered repeatedly to mice during infancy causes learning and memory deficits that persist into adulthood but are not related to aberrant hippocampal development.“)
• In vitro and in vivo metabolism of psilocybin’s active metabolite psilocin (May, in cells and mice, “MAO-A, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4 are involved in psilocin’s metabolism. The discovery of putative norpsilocin in mice and oxidized psilocin in humans further unravels psilocin’s metabolism.“)
• 5-MeO-DMT induces sleep-like LFP spectral signatures in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of awake rats (May, in rats, “State map analysis of the spectral profile of waking behaviour induced by 5-MeO-DMT revealed similarities to electrophysiological states observed during slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. Our findings suggest that the psychoactive effects of classical psychedelics are associated with the integration of waking behaviours with sleep-like spectral patterns in LFPs.“)
• RE104: Synthesis and Activity of a Novel Serotonergic Psychedelic Prodrug of 4-Hydroxy- N, N-diisopropyltryptamine (May, in rats, “The half-life of 4-OH-DiPT was 40 min after subcutaneous administration of RE104 in rats. In a forced swim test, a single dose of RE104 (1 mg/kg) significantly reduced mean immobility time at 1 week compared with vehicle (P < 0.001), confirming translational antidepressant potential. Taken together, these data with RE104 show that the glutarate ester can act as an efficient prodrug strategy for 4-HO-DiPT, a unique short-duration psychedelic with potential in depressive disorders.“)
• Environmental enrichment enhances the antidepressant effect of ketamine and ameliorates spatial memory deficits in adult rats (May, in rats, “The present study showed how environmental enrichment can enhance the antidepressant properties of ketamine while reducing some of its side effects, highlighting the potential of combining pharmacological and sensory-motor manipulations in the treatment of mood disorders.“)
• Ketamine reverses stress-induced hypersensitivity to sunk costs (May, in mice, pre-print, “These findings suggest that the antidepressant effects of ketamine may be mediated in part through changes in the processing of past-sensitive information during on-going decision-making, reducing its weight as a potential source of cognitive dissonance that could modulate behavior and instead promoting more future-thinking behavior.“)
• Exploring Ketamine’s Reinforcement, Cue-Induced Reinstatement, and Nucleus Accumbens cFos Activation in Male and Female Long Evans Rats (May, in mice, “Following drug cue-induced reinstatement test in rats exposed to KET (0.25 mg/kg/infusion) or saline, there was higher cFos protein expression in KET-treated animals compared to saline controls, and higher cFos expression in the core compared to the shell subregions of the Nac. As for reinstatement, there were no notable sex differences reported for cFos expression in the Nac. These findings reveal some sex and dose dependent effects in KET’s reinforcing properties and that KET at all doses induced similar reinstatement in both sexes.”)
• Molecular signatures of astrocytes and microglia maladaptive responses to acute stress are rescued by a single administration of ketamine in a rodent model of PTSD (May, in mice, “Administration of ketamine 24 h after the acute stress event rescued many of the changes observed in vulnerable rats, possibly contributing to support brain homeostasis. Overall, our results suggest that pivotal events, including reactive astrogliosis, changes in brain trophic factors, and neuronal damage are critical determinants of vulnerability to acute traumatic stress and confirm the therapeutic effect of acute ketamine against the development of stress-related psychiatric disorders.“)
• Esketamine induces tripartite motif-containing protein 24 to improve cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease (May, in mice, “[E]sketamine has the potential to improve the cognitive and memory functions of 3xTg-AD mice by repressing neuroinflammation by activating TRIM24 and the downstream PI3K/AKT pathway.“)
• Ahnak in the prefrontal cortex mediates behavioral correlates of stress resilience and rapid antidepressant action in mice (May, in mice, uses ketamine in study)
• Activity of prefrontal cortex serotonin 2A receptor expressing neurons is necessary for the head-twitch response of mice to psychedelic drug DOI in a sex-dependent manner (May, in mice, “Together, these findings suggest that activation of 5-HT _2A Rs in the PFC is not sufficient to induce HTRs in the absence of a 5-HT _2A R agonist but is necessary for induction of HTRs by a 5-HT _2A R agonist in a sex-dependent manner.“)
• Classification of psychedelic drugs based on brain-wide imaging of cellular c-Fos expression (May, in mice, pre-print, “In one-versus-one classifications, psilocybin was discriminated from 5-MeO-DMT, ketamine, MDMA, or acute fluoxetine with >95% accuracy. We used Shapley additive explanation to pinpoint the brain regions driving the machine learning predictions. Our results support a novel approach for screening psychoactive drugs with psychedelic properties.“)
• The 5-HT1A receptor biased agonists, NLX-204 and NLX-101, like ketamine, elicit rapid-acting antidepressant activity in the rat chronic mild stress model via cortical mechanisms (May, in rats, “These data indicate that 5-HT_1A receptor biased agonists share with ketamine a common neuroanatomical site for RAAD activity, which can be obtained not only by targeting glutamatergic/NMDA neurotransmission (ketamine’s primary mechanism of action) but also by activating 5-HT_1A receptors, as is the case for the NLX compounds.“)
• Pharmacological and behavioural effects of tryptamines present in psilocybin-containing mushrooms (May, in rats, “Collectively, this work suggests that other naturally occurring tryptamines, especially norbaeocystin, may share overlapping therapeutic potential with psilocybin, but without causing hallucinations.“)
• Ketamine and fluoxetine exert similar actions on prelimbic and infralimbic responsivity to lateral septal nucleus stimulation in Wistar rats (May, in rats, “These findings suggest that independent of different actions on neurotransmission, the common final pathway of antidepressants lies in their actions on forebrain structures that are related to emotional regulation.“)
• Psychedelic 25H-NBOMe attenuates post-sepsis depression in rats (May, in rats, “This study demonstrates the effectiveness of 25H-NBOMe, a psychedelic in the phenethylamine class, in treating post-sepsis depression and reducing astrogliosis.“)
• Analysis of the mechanism by which ketamine affects astrocytes in Parkinsonian rats through the PI3K/AKT axis (May, in rats, “After using KET to intervene in PD rats, the behavioral and brain pathological changes were significantly alleviated, and the inflammation and oxidative stress damage of brain tissue were effectively reduced, suggesting the potential therapeutic effects of [ketamine] on [Parkinson’s disease].“)
• Subanesthetic S-ketamine does not acutely alter striatal dopamine transporter binding in healthy Sprague Dawley female rats (May, in rats, “We found no effect of acute S-ketamine administration on striatal DAT binding using [¹⁸F]FE-PE2I PET or [³H]GBR-12935 autoradiography. This negative result does not support the hypothesis that DAT changes are associated with S-ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects, but additional studies are warranted.“)
• Effects of esketamine and fluoxetine on depression-like behaviors in chronic variable stress: a role of plasma inflammatory factors (May, in mice, “Together, our findings provide a novel insight that acute esketamine treatment could rescue CVS-produced depressive-like and anxiety-like behaviors in mice by normalizing the expression of inflammatory cytokines; this effect was similar to the repeated administration of fluoxetine.“)
• Psilocybin decreases neural responsiveness and increases functional connectivity while preserving pure-tone frequency selectivity in mouse auditory cortex (May, in mice, “Our results mirror similar findings regarding the effects of serotonergic psychedelics in visual cortex and suggest that psilocybin modulates the balance of intrinsic versus stimulus-driven influences on neural activity in auditory cortex.“)
• A single dose of psilocybin induces lasting changes in metabolic connectivity within biologically informed rat brain networks related to compulsions and anxiety (May, in mice, pre-print, “Our findings of acute and persistent changes in metabolic activity and connectivity within these networks provide new insights towards understanding the mechanism of the therapeutic effects of psilocybin in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders.“)
• Ketamine modulates disrupted in schizophrenia-1/glycogen synthase kinase-3β interaction (May, in rats, “These findings confirmed that acute administration of ketamine decreases in DISC1 levels and axonal growth. Lithium reversed this effect. This interaction provides a link between DISC1 and ketamine-induced neurodegeneration.“)
• Novel psychoplastogen DM506 reduces cue-induced heroin-seeking and inhibits tonic GABA currents in the Prelimbic Cortex (May, in rats, ibogaine analogue, “Tonic GABA current was decreased in slices incubated with DM506 for 2 hours. qPCR analysis did not reveal any differences in the mRNA levels of GABA_A receptor α and δ subunits at AD14 in heroin and saline self-administered animals that received vehicle or DM506 at AD1. Overall, our data indicate that DM506 attenuates cue-induced heroin seeking and inhibits tonic GABA current in the prelimbic cortex.“)
• Dose-dependent LSD effects on cortical/thalamic and cerebellar activity: brain oxygen level-dependent fMRI study in awake rats (June, in rats, “The enhanced connectivity between thalamus and sensory motor cortices is consistent with the human literature looking at LSD treatments in healthy human volunteers. The unexpected finding that LSD enhances connectivity to the cerebellar nuclei raises an interesting question concerning the role of this brain region in the psychotomimetic effects of hallucinogens.“)
• Effect of oral tryptamines on the gut microbiome of rats-a preliminary study (June, in rats, “These preliminary findings support the idea that psilocybin and other tryptamines may act on the gut microbiome in a dose- and time-dependent manner, potentially identifying a novel peripheral mechanism for their antidepressant activity. The results from this preliminary study also suggest that norbaeocystin may warrant further investigation as a potential antidepressant, given the similarity of its effects to psilocybin.“)
• Psilocybin reduces heroin seeking behavior and modulates inflammatory gene expression in the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex of male rats (June, in rats, pre-print, “Psilocybin regulated 4 genes, including Il17a , and a subset of genes correlated with relapse behavior. Selective inhibition of PFC IL-17a was sufficient to reduce heroin relapse. We conclude that psilocybin reduces heroin relapse and highlight IL-17a signaling as a potential downstream pathway of psilocybin that also reduces heroin seeking.“)
  • Peer-reviewed version published in October
• Ketamine’s Amelioration of Fear Extinction in Adolescent Male Mice Is Associated with the Activation of the Hippocampal Akt-mTOR-GluA1 Pathway (June, in mice, “Providing a comprehensive exploration of ketamine’s mechanisms in adolescent FE, our study suggests that ketamine’s effects on FE in adolescent males are associated with the activation of hippocampal Akt-mTOR-GluA1 signaling, with the vHPC and the left IL vmPFC as the proposed neural correlates.“)
• The ketamine metabolite (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine rescues hippocampal mRNA translation, synaptic plasticity and memory in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease (June, in mice, “Our findings demonstrate that HNK induces signaling and transcriptional responses that correct synaptic and memory deficits in AD mice. These results raise the prospect that HNK could serve as a therapeutic approach in AD.“)
• Ibogaine Induces Cardiotoxic Necrosis in Rats-The Role of Redox Processes (June, in rats, “Our results show that ibogaine induced dose-dependent cardiotoxic necrosis 6 and 24 h after treatment and that this necrosis was not a consequence of inflammation. In addition, no consistent dose- and time-dependent changes in antioxidant defense or indicators of oxidative damage were observed.“)
• Increased reactivity of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and decreased threat responding in male rats following psilocin administration (June, in mice, “ Psilocin increased stimulus-independent PVN activity as measured by c-Fos expression in male and female rats. Psilocin increased PVN reactivity to an aversive air-puff stimulus in males but not females. Reactivity was restored at 2- and 7-days post-injection with no group differences. Additionally, prior psilocin injection did not affect PVN reactivity following acute restraint stress.“)
• Effects of psilocybin on uncertain punishment learning (June, in rats, “Psilocybin increased behavioral suppression in female rats as punishment associations were learned. After learning, psilocybin decreased behavioral suppression in both sexes. Thus, psilocybin produces divergent effects on action suppression during approach-avoidance conflict depending on when the conflict is experienced.“)
• Ketamine induced synaptic plasticity operates independently of long-term potentiation (June, in mice and cells, “These results provide a mechanistic explanation for how ketamine used for the treatment of depression does not impair the integrity of learning and memory processes encoded by mechanisms such as LTP.“)
• Role of oxidative phosphorylation in the antidepressant effects of arketamine via the vagus nerve-dependent spleen-brain axis (June, in mice, “These findings suggest that the OXPHOS pathway and TGF-β1 in the PFC play significant roles in the antidepressant-like effects of arketamine, mediated through the spleen-brain axis via the vagus nerve.“)
• Bile acids and the gut microbiome are involved in the hyperthermia mediated by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (June, in rats, “MDMA-induced a significant hyperthermic response and reduced the serum concentrations of three BAs 60 min post-treatment. Pretreatment with antibiotics (vancomycin, bacitracin and neomycin) in the drinking water for five days resulted in the depletion of BAs and a hypothermic response to MDMA. Gut bacterial communities in the antibiotic-treated group were distinct from the MDMA or saline treatment groups, with decreased microbiome diversity and alteration in taxa.“)
• Adolescent administration of ketamine impairs excitatory synapse formation onto parvalbumin-positive GABAergic interneurons in mouse prefrontal cortex (June, in mice, “Adolescent administration of ketamine impairs excitatory synapse formation onto parvalbumin-positive GABAergic interneurons in mouse prefrontal cortex.”)
• Effects of the Combination of Caffeine, Nicotine, and 3,4 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on the Hippocampus of Experimental Wistar Rats (June, in rats, “The result showed that there was a significant increase in the level of neurotransmitters, Neuroarchitecture using different staining techniques and neurostructural changes were observed on the hippocampus, especially in the dentate gyrus across the co-administered groups. The coadministration of caffeine, nicotine, and MDMA did not cause any extensive hippocampal degeneration or localized neurodegeneration, however, there was an increase in the number of cells in the dentate gyrus which suggested a possible neurogenesis. Neurobehavioural analysis showed impairment in learning and memory.“)
• A scoping review of the effects of mushroom and fungus extracts in rodent models of depression and tests of antidepressant activity (June, in rodents, review, “These included 19 different species of mushrooms, as well as seven different species of other fungi. Nearly all studies reported antidepressant-like effects of treatment with extracts. Treatments were most commonly delivered orally, in both acute and chronically administered studies to predominantly male rodents. Multiple animal models of depression were used, the most common being unpredictable chronic mild stress, while the tail suspension test and forced swim test were most frequently used as standalone antidepressant screens.“)
• Effects of association between resveratrol and ketamine on behavioral and biochemical analysis in mice (June, in mice, “Resveratrol does not appear to cause summative effects with ketamine on behavioral alterations.“)
• Non-hallucinogenic compounds derived from iboga alkaloids alleviate neuropathic and visceral pain in mice through a mechanism involving 5-HT2A receptor activation (June, in mice, “The functional results showed that ibogalogs potently activate the 5-HT_2A and 5-HT₆ receptor subtypes, whereas they behave as inverse agonists (except TBG) at the 5-HT₇ receptor. Considering previous studies showing that 5-HT₆ receptor inhibition, but not activation, and 5-HT₇ receptor activation, but not inhibition, relieved chronic pain, we can discard these two receptor subtypes as participating in the pain-relieving activity of ibogalogs. The potential involvement of 5-HT_2B/2 C receptor subtypes was also ruled out. In conclusion, the anti-hypersensitivity activity of ibogalogs in mice is mediated by a mechanism involving 5-HT_2A receptor activation.“)
• Striking Long Term Beneficial Effects of Single Dose Psilocybin and Psychedelic Mushroom Extract in the SAPAP3 Rodent Model of OCD-Like Excessive Self-Grooming (June, in mice, pre-print, “ice initially treated with vehicle and non-responsive, showed a clear and lasting therapeutic response when treated with a single dose of psilocybin or psychedelic mushroom extract and followed for a further 3 weeks. While equivalent to psilocybin in overall effect on self-grooming, psychedelic mushroom extract showed superior effects in alleviating head-body twitches and anxiety. These findings strongly justify clinical trials of psilocybin in the treatment of OCD and further studies aimed at elucidating mechanisms that underlie the long-term effects to alleviate excessive self-grooming observed in this study.“)
• Effects of psilocybin on body weight, body composition, and metabolites in male and female mice (July, in mice, “In the days immediately following treatment, both male and female mice receiving a single intraperitoneal dose of psilocybin were consistently heavier than saline controls, with no effect of psilocybin on intake or output. Co-administration of the 5-HT2A/2C receptor antagonist ketanserin had no effect on this outcome.“)
• Serotonergic psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT alters plasticity-related gene expression and generates anxiolytic effects in stressed mice (July, in mice, “5-MeO-DMT altered mRNA expression of immediate early genes Arc and ZiF268 in the ACC, BLA, and vCA1, while NR2A expression was decreased after 5 h in the vCA1. 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 h or 5 days after treatment.“)
• Antagonistic interaction between caffeine and ketamine in zebrafish: Implications for aquatic toxicity (July, in zebrafish, safety (of aquatic ecosystem), “Based on these results, it is imperative to further assess the environmental risks associated with CF and KET co-pollution.“)
• Study on the antidepressant activity of (2R,6R; 2S,6S)-Hydroxynorketamine (HNK) and its derivatives (July, in mice, “The results of the forced swimming test, locomotor sensitization test, and conditioned location preference test showed that compounds C and D may have certain anti-depressant activity. However, HNK exerts a rapid and significant antidepressant effect within 1 week, but the duration is short.“)
• Lysergic acid diethylamide induces behavioral changes in Caenorhabditis elegans (July, in roundworms, “Our results demonstrate that LSD is absorbed by C. elegans and that the acute treatment reduces animal speed, similar to the role of endogenous serotonin. This response is mediated in part by the serotonergic receptors SER-1 and SER-4.“)
• Examining the Role of Oxytocinergic Signaling and Neuroinflammatory Markers in the Therapeutic Effects of MDMA in a Rat Model for PTSD (July, in rats, “MDMA’s therapeutic effects in the PTSD model are associated with alterations in OXT-R expression and neuroinflammation, and MDMA’s effects on extinction and anxiety may be mediated by oxytocinergic signaling.“)
• 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine and altanserin induce region-specific shifts in dopamine and serotonin metabolization pathways in the rat brain (July, in rats, DOI, “DOI and ALT differentially altered the quantitative relations between the neurotransmitter/metabolite levels in the individual brain regions, by inducing region-specific shifts in the metabolization pathways. Findings are relevant for understanding the neurochemistry underlying DAergic and/or 5-HTergic dysfunction in neurological and psychiatric conditions.“)
• Psilocybin Facilitates Fear Extinction: Importance of Dose, Context, and Serotonin Receptors (August, in mice, “Psilocybin robustly enhances fear extinction when given acutely prior to testing for all doses tested. Psilocybin also exerts long-term effects to elevate extinction retention and suppress fear renewal in a novel context, although these changes were sensitive to dose. Analysis of sex differences showed that females may respond to a narrower range of doses than males. Administration of psilocybin prior to fear learning or immediately after extinction yielded no change in behavior, indicating that concurrent extinction experience is necessary for the drug’s effects. Cotreatment with a 5-HT_2A receptor antagonist blocked psilocybin’s effects for extinction, extinction retention, and fear renewal, whereas 5-HT_1A receptor antagonism attenuated only the effect on fear renewal.“)
• Brain region-specific action of ketamine as a rapid antidepressant (August, in mice, “We found that ketamine injection in depressive-like mice specifically blocks NMDARs in lateral habenular (LHb) neurons, but not in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. This regional specificity depended on the use-dependent nature of ketamine as a channel blocker, local neural activity, and the extrasynaptic reservoir pool size of NMDARs.“)
• Serotonin (5-HT)2A/2C receptor agonist 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl-2-aminopropane hydrochloride improves detrusor sphincter dyssynergia by inhibiting L-type voltage-gated calcium channels in spinal cord injured rats (August, in rats, “Our study demonstrated that 5-HT_2A/2C agonist 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl-2-aminopropane hydrochloride may improve SCI-induced DSD by inhibiting the L-type voltage-gated calcium channel in lumbosacral cord motoneurons.“)
• Ibogaine administration following repeated morphine administration upregulates myelination markers 2′, 3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNP) and myelin basic protein (MBP) mRNA and protein expression in the internal capsule of Sprague Dawley rats (July, in rats, “ These findings indicate that ibogaine is able to upregulate genes and proteins involved in the process of remyelination following opioid use and highlights an important mechanism of action of ibogaine’s ability to treat substance use disorders.“)
• Prefrontal cortex molecular clock modulates development of depression-like phenotype and rapid antidepressant response in mice (August, in mice, ketamine, “Our data demonstrate a critical role for mPFC molecular clock in regulating depression-like behavior and the therapeutic potential of clock pharmacological manipulations influencing glutamatergic-dependent plasticity.“)
• Unraveling the metabolomic profile and acute toxicity of ethanolic extract from Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir. root bark (August, in mice, “Thus, based on our findings, EEMt presented an LD₅₀ greater than 2000 mg/kg and was therefore classified in category 5 of the Globally Harmonized Classification System (GHS). EEMt showed acute oral toxicity by altering hematological, biochemical and histological parameters.“)
• Sex-specific effects of subchronic NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 treatment on hippocampal gamma oscillations (August, in rats, “The findings indicate that blockade of NMDA receptors enhances gamma oscillations predominantly in female rats and this effect is associated with behavioral changes in females. The results are in accordance with clinical electrophysiological findings and highlight the importance of hippocampal gamma oscillations as a biomarker in schizophrenia and depression.“)
• Ketamine alleviates PTSD-like effect and improves hippocampal synaptic plasticity via regulation of GSK-3β/GR signaling of rats (August, in rats, “Single doses of ketamine effectively ameliorate SPS-induced anxiety-like symptoms, potentially by improving synaptic plastic in the hippocampus by regulating GSK-3β/GR signaling.“)
• A Multimodal Preclinical Assessment of MDMA in Female and Male Rats: Prohedonic, Cognition Disruptive, and Prosocial Effects (June, in rats, “Findings show (1) dose-dependent increases in reward responsivity as quantified by the PRT, (2) dose-dependent deficits in attention and short-term memory, and (3) dose-dependent increases in aspects of prosocial interaction in male but not female subjects. Neither the desirable (prohedonic) nor undesirable (cognition disruptive) effects of MDMA persisted beyond 24 h.“)
• Fast-acting antidepressant-like effects of ketamine in aged male rats (August, in rats, “These results complement prior data supporting a fast-acting antidepressant-like effect of ketamine in rats, to further extend its efficacy to older ages. Future studies are needed to further clarify the lack of response after the repeated treatment as well as its potential adverse effects in aging.“)
• Developmental changes in brain structure and function following exposure to oral LSD during adolescence (August, in mice, “The bulk of our significant findings were seen through changes is DWI values across 74 brain areas in the multi-dose LSD group. The pronounced changes in indices of anisotropy across much of the brain would suggest altered gray matter microarchitecture and neuroplasticity. There was no evidence of LSD having consequential effects on cognitive or motor behavior when animal were evaluated as young adults 90-120 days of age. Neither were there any differences in the volume of specific brain areas between experimental conditions. The reduction in connectivity in forebrain white matter tracts with multidose LSD and consolidation around sensorimotor and hippocampal brain areas requires a battery of tests to understand the consequences of these changes on behavior.“)
• Low frequency ultrasound elicits broad cortical responses inhibited by ketamine in mice (August, in mice, “This suggests that low-frequency ultrasound’s cortical effects rely heavily on NMDA receptors and may involve mechanisms beyond indirect auditory cortex activation.“)
• Ketamine and major ketamine metabolites function as allosteric modulators of opioid receptors (August, in mice, “We found that ketamine and its major biologically-active metabolites function as potent allosteric modulators of mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors, with submicromolar concentrations of these compounds synergizing with endogenous opioid peptides such as enkephalin and dynorphin.“)
• Biological sex modulates the efficacy of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) to mitigate fentanyl demand (August, in rats, “DOI reduces consumption at minimally constrained costs but did not affect the reinforcement value of fentanyl in female rats. Alternatively, DOI significantly reduced the reinforcement value of fentanyl in male rats. Biological sex alters the therapeutic efficacy of DOI and 5-HT_2AR activation sex-dependently alters opioid reinforcement.“)
• Salvinorin A ameliorates pilocarpine-induced seizures by regulating hippocampal microglia polarization (August, in mice, Salvinorin A for epilepsy, “Sal A treatment protects against epileptic seizures and neuronal damages in pilocarpine-induced models by suppressing the inflammation response through regulating microglial M1/M2 polarization.“)
• Psilocybin administered following extinction sessions does not affect subsequent cocaine cue reinstatement in male and female rats and mice (September, in mice, “Immediately following extinction trials, rats were injected with vehicle, 1.0 mg/kg psilocybin, or 2.5 mg/kg psilocybin. Following the conclusion of extinction training, rats were tested for cue-induced reinstatement. Psilocybin administered following extinction trials had no effect, as both female and male mice and rats demonstrated significant cue-induced reinstatement. These data suggest that psilocybin is ineffective at altering cocaine-seeking behavior in the paradigm and doses used in the current study.“)
• Banisteriopsis caapi extract: Implications for Neuroinflammatory Pathways in Locus coeruleus Lesion Rodent Model (September, in mice, ayahuasca, “This study suggests that B. caapi extract (at the concentration and frequency used) promotes noradrenergic neuron depletion and creates a proinflammatory environment in the CNS.“)
• Serotonergic transmission plays differentiated roles in the rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects of ketamine (September, in mice, “This study confirms the requirement of serotonergic neurotransmission for the sustained antidepressant-like effects of ketamine, which appears to involve AMPA receptors, and provides avenues to search for antidepressant pharmacological targets.“)
• Effects of arketamine on depression-like behaviors and demyelination in mice exposed to chronic restrain stress: A role of transforming growth factor-β1 (September, in mice, “These data suggest that CRS-induced demyelination in the corpus callosum may contribute to depression-like behaviors, and that arketamine can mitigate these changes through a TGF-β1-dependent mechanism.“)
• GluN2B on adult-born granule cells modulates (R,S)-ketamine’s rapid-acting effects in mice (September, in mice, “In line with previous studies, these results suggest that 6-week-old adult-born hippocampal neurons expressing GluN2B partially modulate (R,S)-ketamine’s rapid-acting effects. Future work targeting these 6-week-old adult-born neurons may prove beneficial for increasing the efficacy of (R,S)-ketamine.“)
• Electroconvulsive therapy combined with esketamine improved depression through PI3K/AKT/GLT-1 pathway (September, in rats, n=12, RCT, ketamine and ECT or ECT only, “Our present study suggested that esketamine plus ECT could dramatically improve depression symptom. The activation of PI3K/Akt/GLT-1 pathway may be the potential mechanism.“)
• Evaluation of potential punishing effects of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (DOM) in rhesus monkeys responding under a choice procedure (September, in monkeys, n=4, “When fentanyl was available, responding for a pellet plus an infusion increased dose dependently in all subjects, indicating a positive reinforcing effect of fentanyl. When histamine was available, responding for a pellet plus an infusion decreased in three of four subjects, indicating a punishing effect of histamine. Whether available before or after histamine, DOM did not systematically alter choice across the range of doses tested.“)
• Effects Of Acute And Chronic N,n-Dimethyltryptamine On Fear Extinction, Socialization, And Anxiety In Mice (September, in mice, thesis, “The combined results of this study suggest that various doses of DMT under acute and chronic administration paradigms have an impact on learning and behavior which may show promise for therapeutic potential.“)
• Disrupted Human-Dog Interbrain Neural Coupling in Autism-Associated Shank3 Mutant Dogs (September, in dogs, “Furthermore, dogs with Shank3 mutations, which represent a promising complementary animal model of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), show a loss of interbrain coupling and reduced attention during human-dog interactions. Such abnormalities are rescued by the psychedelic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). The results reveal previously unknown interbrain synchronizations within an interacting human-dog dyad which may underlie the interspecies communication, and suggest a potential of LSD for the amelioration of social impairment in patients with ASD.“)
• Single-dose 1cp-LSD administration for canine anxiety: a pilot study (September, in dog (n=1), “The response to anxiety-inducing stimuli was equally anxious during the first two hours. From that point onwards, a significant change in the animal’s behavior was observed, with no signs/mild signs of anxiety. The trial concluded without any adverse effects on the animal. The patient did not show signs of having a psychedelic experience. This is the first time that a study of this nature has been conducted and reported in the canine species. 1cp-LSD proved to be safe and exerted the desired effect on the animal’s behavior, significantly reducing the patient’s anxiety.“)
• Effects of acute and chronic ketamine administration on spontaneous and evoked brain activity (September, in mice, ketamine as schizophrenia-like brain mechanism, “However, the chronic suppression of NMDA receptors did not have the expected cumulative effect on brain activity.“)
• Cannabidiol or ketamine for preventing the impact of adolescent early drug initiation on voluntary ethanol consumption in adulthood (September, in rats, “Our data provided two therapeutical options capable of preventing the impact of an early drug initiation during adolescence by decreasing voluntary ethanol consumption in adult rats.“)
• Claustrum and dorsal endopiriform cortex complex cell-identity is determined by Nurr1 and regulates hallucinogenic-like states in mice (September, in mice, psychedelic-adjecent, “By using conditional gene-targeted mice, we show that Nurr1 is a crucial regulator of CLA neuron identity.“)
• Psychedelics: A review of their effects on recalled aversive memories and fear/anxiety expression in rodents (September, in rodents, review)
• Efficacy of Fluoxetine and (R,S) Ketamine in Attenuating Conditioned Fear Behaviors in Male Mice (September, in (male) mice, “Results support the combined use of acute ketamine and chronic FLX as a treatment for reducing behaviors indicative of fear memory during re-exposure at 2 weeks, but not behaviors indicative of anxiety and fear generalization in the OFT. FLX alone was most effective in reducing behaviors related to fear generalization.“)
• The serotonergic psychedelic DOI impairs deviance detection in the auditory cortex (September, in mice, pre-print, “Our results show that while DOI does not alter the frequency selectivity of auditory cortical neurons in a consistent manner, it increases trial-by-trial variability in responses and consistently diminishes the neural distinction between expected (standard) and unexpected (oddball) stimuli. This reduction in deviance detection was primarily driven by a decrease in the response to oddball sounds, suggesting that DOI dampens the auditory cortex’s sensitivity to unexpected events.“)
• Impact of Altered Gut Microbiota on Ketamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Mice (September, in mice, “Our study supports the hypothesis that ketamine-induced CPP is mediated through the gut microbiota. The present study provides new insights into improvement of efficient strategy for addiction treatment.“)
• (2R, 6R)-hydroxynorketamine ameliorates PTSD-like behaviors during the reconsolidation phase of fear memory in rats by modulating the VGF/BDNF/GluA1 signaling pathway in the hippocampus (September, in rats, “(2R,6R)-HNK modulates the VGF/BDNF/GluA1 signaling pathway in the hippocampus and improves PTSD-like behaviors during the reconsolidation phase of fear memory in rats, which may provide a new target for the clinical treatment and prevention of fear-related disorders such as PTSD.“)
• The psychedelic drug DOI reduces heroin motivation by targeting 5-HT2A receptors in a heroin and alcohol co-use model (September, in rats, addiction, “In this model, motivation for heroin is higher than alcohol, and DOI (0.4 mg/kg) administered prior to testing significantly reduced heroin motivation measured as the animals’ break point, or maximum effort the animal is willing to expend to obtain a single infusion of heroin. The 5-HT2A receptor antagonist MDL 100,907 (0.3 mg/kg), but not the 5-HT2C receptor antagonist SB-242084 (0.5 mg/kg), blocked the therapeutic effect of DOI on heroin motivation.“)
• Psilocybin reduces functional correlation and the encoding of spatial information by neurons in mouse retrosplenial cortex (October, in mice, “The place specificity of neurons to distinct locations along the belt was reduced by psilocybin. Moreover, the stability of place-related activity across trials decreased. Psilocybin also reduced the functional correlation among simultaneously recorded neurons. The 5-HT_2AR (serotonin 2A receptor) antagonist ketanserin blocked these effects.“)
• Psilocybin increases optimistic engagement over time: computational modelling of behaviour in rats (September, in mice, “ The model revealed that after receiving psilocybin, rats achieve more rewards through increased task engagement, mediated by modification of forgetting rates and reduced loss aversion. These findings suggest that psilocybin may afford an optimism bias that arises through altered belief updating, with translational potential for clinical populations characterised by lack of optimism.“)
• Ketamine induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and barrier and hippocampal dysfunction in rats (September, in rats, “Compared with the control group, ketamine induced decreased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) values in the hippocampus, and pyknotic nuclei and concentrated cytoplasm in hippocampal neurons, as well as alterations in gut microbiota composition, shortened ileum villi, and thinner colonic mucosa. We also found that the abundance of gut microbiota exhibited correlations with CPP score, hippocampal ALFF value, length of ileum villi, and thickness of colonic mucosa.“)
• (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine alleviates PTSD-like endophenotypes by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in rats (October, in rats, ketamine-like compound, “SPS&S rats displayed adverse emotional behaviors characterized by depression and anxiety. Treatment with (2R, 6R)-HNK enhanced exploratory behavior and reversed negative emotional behaviors. This intervention mitigated disruptions in the expression levels of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway-associated proteins in the HIP and PFC, without influencing PI3K/AKT signaling in the AMY of SPS&S rats.“)
• Neuroprotective effects of psilocybin in a rat model of stroke (October, in rats, “Psilocybin reduced brain infarction and improved locomotor behavior in stroke rats; the protective mechanisms involve regulating BDNF expression. Our data support a novel therapeutic approach of psilocybin in stroke.“)
• Effects of ketamine on GABAergic and glutamatergic activity in the mPFC: biphasic recruitment of GABA function in antidepressant-like responses (October, in mice, “These results indicate that time-dependent modulation of GABAergic activity is required for the sustained antidepressant-like responses induced by ketamine, suggesting that approaches to enhance GABAergic plasticity and function are promising therapeutic targets for antidepressant development.“)
• Prophylactic (R,S)-ketamine and (2S,6S)-HNK decrease fear expression by differentially modulating fear neural ensembles (October, in mice, “We found that (R,S)-ketamine and (2S,6S)-HNK attenuate learned fear. Fear-related neural activity was altered in: dorsal CA3 following (2S,6S)-HNK; ventral CA3 and CA1, infralimbic (IL) and prelimbic (PL) regions, insular cortex (IC), retrosplenial cortex (RSP), piriform cortex (PIR), nucleus reuniens (RE), and periaqueductal grey (PAG) following both (R,S)-ketamine and (2S,6S)-HNK; and in the paraventricular nucleus of thalamus (PVT) following (R,S)-ketamine. Dorsal CA3 and ventral hippocampus activation correlated with freezing in the (R,S)-ketamine group, and RSP activation correlated with freezing in both (R,S)-ketamine and (2S,6S)-HNK groups. (R,S)-ketamine increased connectivity between cortical and subcortical regions while (2S,6S)-HNK increased connectivity within these regions.“)
• Striking long-term beneficial effects of single dose psilocybin and psychedelic mushroom extract in the SAPAP3 rodent model of OCD-like excessive self-grooming (October, in mice, “Notably, in mice that responded to psilocybin (n = 12) and psychedelic mushroom extract (n = 13), the beneficial effect of a single treatment persisted up to 7 weeks. Mice initially treated with vehicle and non-responsive, showed a clear and lasting therapeutic response when treated with a single dose of psilocybin or psychedelic mushroom extract and followed for a further 3 weeks. While equivalent to psilocybin in overall effect on self-grooming, psychedelic mushroom extract showed superior effects in alleviating head-body twitches and anxiety.“)
• Decreasing brain activity caused by acute administration of ketamine and alcohol – A randomized, controlled, observer-blinded experimental study (October, in rats, “Overall, then, while ketamine enhances the depressant effects of alcohol on the alpha brainwave at all doses, a low dose intensified this effect on the theta and beta 175 waves, whereas a high dose produces neuronal hyperexcitability in the theta and 176 gamma bandpower.“)
• Ayahuasca drinking using a two-bottle choice procedure in male mice (October, in mice, “Regardless of the ayahuasca concentration, animals showed a preference for ayahuasca over water when exposed to ayahuasca every other day during the acquisition and re-exposure phases. Extending the period between ayahuasca exposures changed the expression of ayahuasca preference, with the longest break (every 5 days) being associated with preference for water over ayahuasca (i.e., ayahuasca aversion), an effect that was more predominantly observed at higher ayahuasca concentrations. A significant interaction was observed between frequency of exposure to ayahuasca and ayahuasca concentration for total ayahuasca intake during the later re-exposure phase.“)
• 5-HT2C receptors in the nucleus accumbens constrain the rewarding effects of MDMA (October, in mice, “These data support separate mechanisms for the low abuse potential versus prosocial effect of MDMA. Using this platform of assays, (R)-MDMA is predicted to have prosocial effects and low abuse potential.“)
• Joint administration of sub-threshold doses of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil with those of the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine improved rats’ recognition memory abilities (October, in rats, “The present findings, although preliminary, propose that the combined administration of ketamine and donepezil could represent a new strategy for the therapy of memory disorders, a common feature of AD patients.“)
• Unveil the toxicity induced on early life stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and its enantiomers (October, in zebrafish, “Both enantiomers induced effects on embryonic development, DNA integrity, and behaviour and enantioselective effects were noted. (S)-MDMA exhibits higher toxic effects on embryonic development level with increased mortality and severity of teratogenic effects, and behavioural abnormalities in acoustic startle-habituation response. (R)-MDMA affected general activity and avoidance behaviour, showing greater inhibitory effects on behavioural activity. Additionally, (R,S)-MDMA induced higher genotoxic effects than the two isolated enantiomers.“)
• Defined radio wave frequencies attenuate the head-twitch response in mice elicited by (±)-2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (October, in mice, with DOI (research psychedelic), “The DOI WAV signal significantly attenuated the HTR in mice elicited by 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg subcutaneous DOI (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). A scrambled WAV signal did not affect the DOI-elicited HTR, suggesting specificity of the DOI WAV signal. These results provide evidence that defined ES could modulate the psychoactive effects of serotonergic psychedelics.“)
• Molecular signature underlying (R)-ketamine rapid antidepressant response on anhedonic-like behavior induced by sustained exposure to stress (October, in rats, “The behavioral assessment showed that the ANH animals had a significant decrease in SPT, and that (R)-ketamine responders showed a reversal of anhedonic-like behavior. On a molecular level, anhedonia-like behavior was associated with the downregulation of Neuronal Pentraxin Receptor (Nptxr) and Galectin-1 (Gal-1). These data reinforce a disruption in the inflammatory response, neurotransmitter receptor activity, and glutamatergic synapses in chronic stress-induced anhedonia. (R)-ketamine response-associated DEPs included novel potential targets involved in the modulation of oxidative stress, energetic metabolism, synaptogenesis, dendritic arborization, neuroinflammation, gene expression, and telomere length, converging to biological themes extensively documented in MDD physiopathology.“)
• Involvement of the serotonergic, GABAergic and glutamatergic systems of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex in the trait and state anxiety of adult male Wistar rats (October, in rats, ketamine, “In Exp III, only the modulation of the glutamatergic system, with NMDA, increased both trait and state anxiety levels. However, none of the evaluated neurotransmitter systems altered the state anxiety modeled in the EPM.“)
• Ketamine retards recovery from reward downshift and supports conditioned taste aversion (October, in rats, “These data suggest that ketamine induces an aversive state that may summate with frustration induced by reward downshift in the cSNC task and also support a conditioned taste aversion to 4 % sucrose in the absence of reward downshift.“)
• Ketamine attenuates kidney damage and depression-like behaviors in mice with cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (November, in mice, “These findings suggest that cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in AKI mice contributes to depression-like behaviors, and ketamine can alleviate both kidney damage and depression-like symptoms by modulating the TrkB and ERK-CREB signaling pathways, as well as altering blood metabolites. However, the role of the kidney-brain axis in these depression-like behaviors remains unclear. Furthermore, ketamine may have therapeutic potential for treating kidney diseases such as AKI, along with associated depressive symptoms.“)
• S-ketamine alleviates depression-like behavior and hippocampal neuroplasticity in the offspring of mice that experience prenatal stress (November, in mice, “Our findings showed that S-ketamine treatment counteracted the development of depression-like behaviors in prenatally stressed offspring. At the cellular level, S-ketamine markedly enhanced neuroplasticity in the CA1 hippocampus: Golgi-Cox staining showed that S-ketamine alleviated the reduction of neuronal complexity and dendritic spine density; Transmission electron microscopy indicated that S-ketamine reversed synaptic morphology alterations. At the molecular level, by western blot and RT-PCR we detected that S-ketamine significantly upregulated the expression of BDNF and PSD95 and activated AKT and mTOR in the hippocampus.“)
• Transforming growth factor-β1 mediates the beneficial effects of arketamine on demyelination and remyelination in the brains of cuprizone-treated mice (November, in mice, “Repeated intermittent administration of arketamine (10 mg/kg/day, twice weekly for the last 2-weeks) attenuated demyelination in the corpus callosum (CC) of CPZ (6 weeks)-treated mice. Furthermore, pretreatment with RepSox (10 mg/kg/day), an inhibitor of the TGF-β receptor 1, significantly blocked the beneficial effects of arketamine on the demyelination in the CC of CPZ-treated mice.“)
• Psilocybin reduces grooming in the SAPAP3 knockout mouse model of compulsive behaviour (November, in mice, OCD-like symptoms, “ While psilocybin did not have any effect on anxiety-like behaviours, we revealed that acute psilocybin administration led to enduring reductions in compulsive behaviour in male SAPAP3 KO mice and reduced grooming behaviour in female wild-type (WT) and SAPAP3 KO mice. We also found that psilocybin increased locomotion in WT littermates but not in SAPAP3 KO mice, suggesting in vivo serotonergic dysfunctions in KO animals. On the other hand, the typical head-twitch response following acute psilocybin (confirming its hallucinogenic-like effect at this dose) was observed in both genotypes.“)
• Isolation of psychedelic-responsive neurons underlying anxiolytic behavioral states (November, in mice, “Using a light- and calcium-dependent activity integrator, we genetically tagged psychedelic-responsive neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of mice. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing revealed that the psychedelic drove network-level activation of multiple cell types beyond just those expressing 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptors. We labeled psychedelic-responsive mPFC neurons with an excitatory channelrhodopsin to enable their targeted manipulation. We found that reactivation of these cells recapitulated the anxiolytic effects of the psychedelic without driving its hallucinogenic-like effects.“)
• The Effect of Psilocybe cubensis on Spatial Memory and BDNF Expression in Male Rats Exposed to Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress (November, in rats, “Results showed that [chronic unpredictable mild stress] impaired spatial learning and memory, and decreased BDNF in the hippocampus. Psilocybe cubensis (24 and 48 h before training) restored spatial learning, while (48 h before training) restored spatial memory impairment in CUMS rats. Psilocybe cubensis (24 and 48 h before training) increased BDNF in CUMS rats. Psilocybe cubensis administrations (expect 48 h before training) impaired spatial learning and memory and decreased BDNF levels in controls. In conclusion, we suggested that Psilocybe cubensis may be beneficial for the improvement of memory deficits induced by CUMS, while the time of injection seems to be an important factor in its final effect.“)
• Mescaline-induced behavioral alterations are mediated by 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors in rats (November, in rats, “Our findings suggest that mescaline-induced changes in behavior are primarily mediated by the 5-HT2A receptor subtype, with less pronounced contributions from the 5-HT2C receptor. The other antagonists had limited effects.“)
• Splenic γδ T cells mediate antidepressant and prophylactic actions of arketamine in lipopolysaccharide-induced depression in mice (November, in mice, “ These findings highlight a novel role for splenic γδ T cells in inflammation-associated depression and suggest the potential of arketamine as a treatment option. Consequently, γδ T cells may represent a novel therapeutic target for inflammation-related depression.”)
• Decoupling of motor cortex to movement in Parkinson’s dyskinesia rescued by sub-anaesthetic ketamine (November, in rats, “These findings provide insight into the role that motor cortex neurons and gamma-band activity play during healthy movement and LID. Results suggest that primary motor cortex does not directly trigger specific dyskinetic movements during LID but, instead, dysregulated motor cortex activity may permit aberrant movements to spontaneously emerge in downstream circuits. These data further support the anti-dyskinetic properties of ketamine and suggest that ketamine acts to reduce LID by disrupting pathological interactions between motor cortex neurons during dyskinesia.“)
• Ketamine differentially affects implicit and explicit memory processes in rats (November, in mice, “The antidepressant dose of ketamine partially impaired fear extinction when administered before the acquisition or retrieval. In contrast, it facilitated memory modulation and decreased the escape latency in the first day of reversal training in the MWM when administered before the training or reversal training sessions. Encoding or retrieval performance in either type of memory was not affected.“)
• Enduring modulation of dorsal raphe nuclei regulates (R,S)-ketamine-mediated resilient stress-coping behavior (November, in mice, “Here, we demonstrated that prophylactic administration of ketamine buffers passive stress-induced maladaptive phenotypes induced by chronic stress exposure.“)
• Neurochemical characterization of 5-HT2AR partial agonists with simultaneous PET-MRI (November, in monkeys (NHP), “Receptor occupancy was assessed with [¹¹C]MDL-100907 PET, and cerebral blood volume (CBV) changes were measured with phMRI. Mixed partial agonists psilocybin and lisuride evoked biphasic CBV responses, whereas the selective 25CN-NBOH produced monophasic CBV increases. Cortical occupancy for psilocybin plateaued at 60 µg/kg (32%), whereas a lower dose of lisuride (5 µg/kg) resulted in similar occupancy (31%).“)
• 5-HT_1B receptor activation produces rapid antidepressant-like effects in rodents (November, in mice, novel drug, “When examined 24 h after acute treatment, CP-94253 reduced FST immobility in both naïve rats and in rats receiving chronic interferon alpha treatment. Ex vivo hippocampal long-term potentiation was also enhanced in naïve rats receiving acute CP-94253 treatment, 24 h prior to the recordings. In mice exposed to chronic social defeat stress, antidepressant-like effects in the tail suspension and sucrose preference tests were seen 1 h and 24 h after acute treatment, respectively.”)
• Ayahuasca Pretreatment Prevents Sepsis-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior, Neuroinflammation, and Oxidative Stress, and Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (November, in rats, “AYA pretreatment increased the time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze and prevented the sepsis-induced hyper-grooming and -rearing behavior, suggesting an anxiolytic effect. AYA pretreatment increased the levels of the anti-inflammatory interleukin 4, in the PFC and the cortex, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the cortex. Moreover, AYA pretreatment increased myeloperoxidase activity in the PFC and the HP and decreased nitrite/nitrate concentration in the PFC, HP, and cortex of septic rats, suggesting enhanced neutrophil activation and decreased nitric oxide signaling. Furthermore, AYA pretreatment prevented lipid peroxidation in the PFC, HP, and cortex of septic rats as measured by decreased levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Levels of protein carbonyls and activity of superoxide dismutase, citrate synthase, succinate dehydrogenase, and mitochondrial respiratory chain were not affected.“)
• Psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonism: neuronal signatures and altered neurovascular coupling (December, pre-print, in mice, “While DOI partially altered tasked-based NVC, more pronounced NVC alterations occurred under resting-state conditions and were strongest in association regions. Further, calcium and hemodynamic activity reported different accounts of RSFC changes under DOI. Co-administration of DOI and the 5-HT2AR antagonist, MDL100907, reversed many of these effects.“)
• Assessing the effects of 5-HT2A and 5-HT5A receptor antagonists on DOI-induced head-twitch response in male rats using marker-less deep learning algorithms (November, in mice, “Previous drug discrimination studies demonstrated that the 5-HT_5A receptor antagonists attenuated the interoceptive cue of a potent hallucinogen LSD, suggesting their anti-hallucinatory effects. Nonetheless, the present results were not surprising and support the head-twitch response as selective for 5-HT_2A and not 5-HT_5A receptor activation. We conclude that the DeepLabCut and SimBA toolkits offer a high level of objectivity and can accurately and efficiently identify compounds that induce or inhibit head-twitch responses, making them valuable tools for high-throughput research.“)

Psychedelic Chemistry and Analysis Articles in 2024

• Unlocking the biosynthesis of psychedelic-inspired indolethylamines (January, spotlight)
• Phylogenomics of the psychoactive mushroom genus Psilocybe and evolution of the psilocybin biosynthetic gene cluster (January, genomic evolution of psychedelic mushrooms)
• Determination of psilocybin and psilocin content in multiple Psilocybe cubensis mushroom strains using liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry (January, analysis)
• Psilocybin Promotes Cell-Type-Specific Changes in the Orbitofrontal Cortex Revealed by Single-Nucleus RNA-seq (January, analysis, pre-print)
• Evaluation of the Indazole Analogs of 5-MeO-DMT and Related Tryptamines as Serotonin Receptor 2 Agonists (January, analysis)
• Psychedelika als Medikamente? (January, German, conference presentation by Matthias Liechti)
• The challenge of the psychedelic renaissance is the delineation of therapeutic use (January, French, conference presentation)
• Discovery of novel harmine derivatives as GSK-3β/DYRK1A dual inhibitors for Alzheimer’s disease treatment (February, harmine – part of ayahuasca – as a potential Alzheimer’s disease treatment)
• Psilocybin-enhanced fear extinction linked to bidirectional modulation of cortical ensembles (February, in cells, “These results both align with hypotheses that psilocybin enhances behavioral flexibility by recruiting new populations of neurons and introduce a new mechanism involving the suppression of fear-active populations in the retrosplenial cortex.“)
• Uncovering Structure-Activity Relationships of Phenethylamines: Paving the Way for Innovative Mental Health Treatments (February, “ In this study, we employed the quantitative structure-activity relationship methodology to develop three vigorous models for the reuptake of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine through monoamine transporters.“)
• Anticancer Potential of β-Carboline Alkaloids: An Updated Mechanistic Overview (February, ayahuasca components’ possibility in being cancer drugs, “The current body of research emphasizes the potential of β-carbolines as a unique source of bioactive compounds for cancer treatment.“)
• Recreational MDMA doses do not elicit hepatotoxicity in HepG2 spheroids under normo- and hyperthermia (February, in cells, “The MTT reduction assay did not evidence significantly reduced cell viability. Moreover, MDMA did not increase reactive oxygen species production, deplete the mitochondrial membrane potential, arrest the cell cycle, or induce apoptotic cell death.“)
• Deciphering psilocybin: Cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory effects, and mechanistic insights (February, in cells, “Psilocin, but not psilocybin, induced a significant increase of IL-10 in post-treatment, leading to the conclusion that psilocin, but not psilocybin, exerts anti-inflammatory effects on classically activated macrophages.“)
• Synthetic Approaches to Salvinorin A and its Analogues (February, review of Salvinorin A synthesis)
• Optimization of enantioselective high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantitative determination of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) and its phase-1 metabolites in human biological fluids (February, “While results on the concentration of MDMA and its metabolites in various biological fluids were reported in our recent publication, in the present study an attempt was made to hydrolyze glucuronides in urine samples by using alternatively, hydrochloric acid or glucuronidase and to evaluate the effect of hydrolysis on the concentration and enantiomeric distribution of hydroxy metabolites of MDMA such as HMA and HMMA.“)
• Synthesis and bioactivity of psilocybin analogues containing a stable carbon-phosphorus bond (February, synthesis of psilocybin analogues)
• The use of prodrugs as drugs of abuse (March, analysis of using prodrugs)
• Fabrication of a Controlled-Release Core-Shell Floating Tablet of Ketamine Hydrochloride Using a 3D Printing Technique for Management of Refractory Depressions and Chronic Pain (March, fabrication of controlled-release ketamine tablet)
• Aptasensor Integrated with Two-Dimensional Nanomaterial for Selective and Sensitive Electrochemical Detection of Ketamine Drug (February, detection of ketamine)
• Methyl transfer in psilocybin biosynthesis (March, analysis of biosynthesis of psilocybin)
• Human pluripotent stem cells as a translational toolkit in psychedelic research in vitro (March, in cells, “PSC-based models hold significant promise to illuminate the cellular and molecular substrates of psychedelic-induced phenotypic recovery in neuropsychiatric disorders.“)
• Potential Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor Agonist of Psychoactive Components of Silene undulata Aiton: LC-MS/MS, ADMET, and Molecular Docking Studies (March, molecular analysis, “These findings provide insights into the potential therapeutic benefits of S. undulata, supporting its traditional use as a psychoactive plant. This study investigated the chemical constituents and potential serotonergic agonist activity of S. undulata for the first time.“)
• Derivatization-free determination of chiral plasma pharmacokinetics of MDMA and its enantiomers (April, “An easy-to-use LC–MS method to quantify racemic MDMA and MDA was developed.“)
• Chiral analysis of amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA and MDA enantiomers in human hair samples (April, analysis of MDMA & MDA in hair)
• Characterization of iso-LSD metabolism using human liver microsomes in comparison to LSD and its applicability as urinary biomarker for LSD consumption (March, analysis of LSD through urine)
• Cultivation, chemistry, and genome of Psilocybe zapotecorum (April, identification of compounds in psilocybin mushroom family)
• Bioisosteric analogs of MDMA with improved pharmacological profile (April, pre-print, novel MDMA-like compounds, “Compared with MDMA, all three MDMA bioisosteres (ODMA, TDMA, and SeDMA) showed similar pharmacological activity at human serotonin and dopamine transporters (hSERT and hDAT, respectively) but decreased activity at 5-HT _2A/2B/2C receptors.“)
• Discovery and Structure-Activity Relationships of 2,5-Dimethoxyphenylpiperidines as Selective Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor Agonists (April, novel 5-HT2a receptor agonists, “We report herein the discovery of 2,5-dimethoxyphenylpiperidines as a novel class of selective 5-HT_2AR agonists …”)
• Genetic regulation of L-tryptophan metabolism in Psilocybe mexicana supports psilocybin biosynthesis (April, “A comparative transcriptomic approach of gene expression in P. mexicana psilocybin non-producing vegetative mycelium versus producing carpophores identified the upregulation of L-tryptophan biosynthesis genes.“)
• Comparative study of sample preparation procedures to determine the main compounds in ayahuasca beverages by QuEChERS and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis (May, analysis of ayahuasca, “The analytical methodology proved to be accurate and precise, with good linearity, LODs and LLOQs. This method has been fully validated and successfully applied to ayahuasca beverage samples.“)
• In vitro and in silico evaluation of 5-MeO-DMT, LSD, and mescaline’s interaction with CYP450 enzymes (May, in cells, “Based on the IC₅₀ (mM), LSD (0.35) and 5-MeO-DMT (3.47) present the capacity to be inhibitors of CYP2D6. Based on the MMGBSA (kcal/mol), LSD showed the highest binding affinities for all enzymes, while mescaline showed the lowest.“)
• Divergent Effects of Ketamine and the Serotoninergic Psychedelic 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-Iodoamphetamine on Hippocampal Plasticity and Metaplasticity (May, in brain cells from mice, “DOI, but not ketamine, induced significant neuroplastic and metaplastic effects at hippocampal CA1 synapses 24 h after treatment, likely in part via a presynaptic mechanism.“)
• An innovative approach for selective and robust screening of NBOHs, NBOMes, and LSD in forensic samples using a 3D-Printed electrochemical double cell (May, identification, “New method for identifying LSD and phenethylamines in forensic samples.“)
• The dual-configured hydrogen bonds induced by polymerized deep eutectic solvents-modified magnetic biochar enhanced the selectivity for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (May, monitoring)
• XOB: A novel phenylalkylamine antagonist of 5-HT2A receptors and voltage-gated sodium channels (May, in cells, novel psychedelic compound XOB, “We synthesized a novel small molecule (XOB) that simultaneously antagonizes two key therapeutic targets of bipolar disorder, 5-HT_2A receptors and voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs), in heterologous cells, and inhibits the intrinsic excitability of mouse prefrontal cortex layer V pyramidal neurons in brain slices. XOB represents a valuable new proof-of-principle tool for future preclinical investigations and provides a novel molecular approach to the pharmacological treatment of complex neuropsychiatric disease, which often requires a combination of therapeutics for sufficient patient benefit.“)
• The biosynthetic pathway of the hallucinogen mescaline and its heterologous reconstruction (June, analysis of Peyote/mescaline)
• Psilocin fosters neuroplasticity in iPSC-derived human cortical neurons (June, pre-print, in neuronal cells, psilocybin, “In conclusion, exposure of human neurons to psilocin might induces a state of enhanced neuronal plasticity which could explain why psilocin is beneficial in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders where synaptic dysfunctions are discussed.“)
• Structural characterization and comparative analysis of polymorphic forms of psilocin (4-hy-droxy- N, N-di-methyl-tryptamine) (May, chemistry, different psilocybin (psilocybin) -like compounds)
• Mechanistic Insights into the Neurotoxicity of 2,5-Dimethoxyphenethylamines (2C) and Corresponding N-(2-methoxybenzyl)phenethylamine (NBOMe) Drugs (June, analysis of 2C (and their longer lasting NBOMe cousins) compounds)
• Synthesis and analytical characterization of 1-(2-thienoyl)-6-allyl-nor-d-lysergic acid diethylamide (1T-AL-LAD) (June, analysis of LSD-analogue)
• Modification of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method targeting lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and its primary metabolite (OH-LSD) to include nine LSD analogs (June, analysis of LSD-analogues)
• The Role of Ayahuasca in Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Cell Survival, Proliferation and Oxidative Stress (June, in cells, “It was demonstrated that exposure to the extracts significantly induced apoptosis in Caco-2 cells, while decreasing cell proliferation. MH and MHPH samples significantly reduced oxidative stress and significantly increased glutathione peroxidase activity. No significant differences were found in SOD activity. Overall, it was demonstrated that the decoctions have a potential anticancer activity in Caco-2 cells.“)
• Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Ketamine Derivatives as NMDAR Antagonists (May, synthesis and evaluation, “Here, we report efforts to design and synthesize a novel series of ketamine derivatives of NMDAR antagonists, among which compounds 23 and 24 have improved activity compared with ketamine, introducing a new direction for the development of rapid-acting antidepressant drugs.“)
• Evaluation of TrpM and PsiD substrate promiscuity reveals new biocatalytic capabilities (June, chemistry)
• Analytical and behavioral characterization of 1-hexanoyl-LSD (1H-LSD) (July, analysis)
• The role of ayahuasca in cell viability and oxidative stress in gastric adenocarcinoma cell line (July, in cells)
• Addressing a major interference in the quantification of psilocin in mouse plasma: Development of a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method (July, analysis)
• Harmine and exendin-4 combination therapy safely expands human β cell mass in vivo in a mouse xenograft system (July, in cells)
• The mitogenomic landscape of Banisteriopsis caapi (Malpighiaceae), the sacred liana used for ayahuasca preparation (July, analysis)
• The versatile binding landscape of the TAAR1 pocket for LSD and other antipsychotic drug molecules (July, in cells, LSD an other antipsychotics on TAAR1 pocket)
• Zinc Supplementation Reduces ROS Production and Prevents MDMA-Induced Apoptosis in TM3 Leydig Cells via the Inhibition of Pro-Apoptotic Proteins (July, in cells, safety)
• Structural basis of psychedelic LSD recognition at dopamine D1 receptor (August, in cells, “Structural analysis unveils a distinctive binding mode of LSD in DRD1, particularly with the ergoline moiety oriented toward TM4. Kinetic investigations uncover an exceptionally rapid dissociation rate of LSD in DRD1, attributed to the flexibility of extracellular loop 2 (ECL2). Moreover, G protein can stabilize ECL2 conformation, leading to a significant slowdown in ligand’s dissociation rate. These findings establish a solid foundation for further exploration of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) dynamics and their relevance to signal transduction.“)
• Discovery of Novel, Selective, and Nonbasic Agonists for the Kappa-Opioid Receptor Determined by Salvinorin A-Based Virtual Screening (August, novel Salvinorin A-related compounds)
• Opposite Contractile Effects of Amphetamine-Related Hallucinogenic Drugs in the Isolated Human Atrium (August, in cells, “Therefore, it can be concluded that amphetamine derivatives may exert opposing effects on cardiac contractile force. The precise mechanism by which DOI and DOM exert their negative inotropic effects remains unknown at present. The cardiac effects of mephedrone are probably due to the release of cardiac noradrenaline.“)
• LSD Modulates Proteins Involved in Cell Proteostasis, Energy Metabolism and Neuroplasticity in Human Cerebral Organoids (August, in cells, “Our findings indicate changes in proteostasis, energy metabolism, and neuroplasticity-related pathways. Specifically, LSD exposure led to alterations in protein synthesis, folding, autophagy, and proteasomal degradation, suggesting a complex interplay in the regulation of neural cell function. Additionally, we observed modulation in glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, crucial for cellular energy management and synaptic function. In support of the proteomic data, complementary experiments demonstrated LSD’s potential to enhance neurite outgrowth in vitro, confirming its impact on neuroplasticity.”)
• Allosteric inhibition of NMDA receptors by low dose ketamine (August, in cells and modelling, “We propose that the hydrophobic sites we describe here account for clinical effects of ketamine not shared by other NMDA receptor open-channel blockers such as memantine and represent promising targets for developing safe and effective neuroactive therapeutics.“)
• Post mortem chiral analysis of MDMA and MDA in human blood and hair (September, analysis, MDMA in hair)
• Psychedelic LSD activates neurotrophic signal but fails to stimulate neural stem cells (September, in cells, “In this study, we observed that LSD and BDNF activated the TrkB pathway in human NSCs similarly to neurons. However, unlike BDNF, LSD did not promote NSC proliferation. These results suggest that LSD may activate an alternative mechanism to counteract the effects of BDNF-TrkB signaling on NSCs. Our findings shed light on the previously unrecognized cell type-specificity of LSD.“)
• Ventral hippocampal parvalbumin interneurons gate the acute anxiolytic action of the serotonergic psychedelic DOI (September, in cells, “Restoration of 5-HT_2A receptors in PV-positive interneurons in a loss-of-function background reinstated the anxiolytic responses evoked by DOI in the vHpc CA1/sub region. Collectively, our results localize the acute anxiolytic action of a serotonergic psychedelic to 5-HT_2A receptors in the ventral hippocampus and specifically identify PV-positive fast-spiking cells as a cellular trigger for the psychedelic-induced relief of anxiety-like behavior.“)
• Photoswitchable TCB-2 for Control of the 5-HT2A Receptor and Analysis of Biased Agonism (September, in cells, related to psychedelics, “Here, we design and synthesize a photoswtich and photoswitchable 5-HT2AR ligand based on highly potent agonist TCB-2 and arylazopyrazole, which also boasts photoswitchable G protein vs β-arrestin pathway bias.“)
• Electrochemical Sensors for Psychoactive Substances (September, electrochemical analysis, academic book chapter)
• Voltammetric Detection of MDMA (September, MDMA detection, academic book chapter)
• Dissecting the role of SMN multimerization in its dissociation from the Cajal body using harmine as a tool compound (September, in cells, using harmine (component of ayahuasca))
• A chromosome level reference genome of Diviner’s sage (Salvia divinorum) provides insight into salvinorin A biosynthesis (October, genome sequencing, Salvia divinorum)
• Identification of clerodane diterpene modifying cytochrome P450 (CYP728D26) in Salvia divinorum – en route to psychotropic salvinorin A biosynthesis (October, Salvia divinorum, “Here, we identify CYP728D26 that catalyzes a C18 oxygenation on crotonolide G, which bears a clerodane backbone. Biochemical identity of CYP728D26 was validated by in vivo reconstitution in yeast, ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR analyses of the purified product, and kinetic analysis of CYP728D26 with a K_m value of 13.9 μM. Beyond the single oxygenation on C18, collision-induced dissociation analysis suggested two additional oxygenations are catalyzed by CYP728D26 to form crotonoldie G acid, although this carboxylic acid form is a minor product. Its close homologue CYP728D25 exhibited a C1-hydroxylation on the clerodane backbone in a reconstituted yeast system. However, CYP728D25 showed no activity in in vitro assays.“)
• Continuous flow synthesis of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) analogues with therapeutic potential (October, synthesis of DMT)
• Environmentally friendly screen-printed electrodes for the selective detection of 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) in forensic analysis (October, detection of 2C-B, “Interference studies with seventeen other illicit drugs and adulterants demonstrated that the proposed method is selective for 2C-B detection even in the presence of these substances.“)
• Substrate recognition by the 4-hydroxytryptamine kinase PsiK in psilocybin biosynthesis (October, synthesis of psilocybin)
• The CB2-PKC pathway is involved in esketamine-induced anti-inflammation in BV-2 microglial cells exposed to lipopolysaccharide (October, in cells, “Compared with the control, LPS enhanced proinflammatory factor and nitrite concentration in the medium, upregulated iNOS and NF-κB (p65) expressions, and coadministration of ESK decreased proinflammatory cytokine and nitrite levels, and downregulated iNOS and NF-κB (p65) expression. Moreover, ESK exposure enhanced CB2 receptor expression; coadministration of the CB2 receptor antagonist AM630 or the PKC inhibitor chelerythrine (Che), however, markedly blocked the anti-inflammatory effect of ESK in reducing cytokine and nitrite concentration, and downregulating iNOS and NF-κB (p65) expression.“)
• Optimized psilocybin production in tryptophan catabolism-repressed fungi (November, biosynthesis)
• Rapid Hippocampal Synaptic Potentiation Induced by Ketamine Metabolite ( 2R , 6R )-Hydroxynorketamine Persistently Primes Synaptic Plasticity (October, in cells, “We conclude that HNK rapidly potentiates SC-CA1 synaptic efficacy, which then stimulates priming mechanisms that persistently favor antidepressant-relevant plasticity. Targeting such priming mechanisms may be an effective antidepressant strategy, and using approaches such as our incubation model may aid in revealing novel pharmacological targets.“)
• Characterization and Identification of an Antimicrobial Compound Psilocybin from Psychedelic Mushroom (October, extraction of psilocybin (with focus on antimicrobial function) from mushrooms)
• Psilocybin Production and Medical Relevance (November, description of psilocybin production)
• Ergot alkaloids: comparison of extraction efficiencies for their monitoring in several cereal-solvent combinations by UPLC-MS/MS (November, monitoring, not specifically focussed on psychedelic alkaloids)
• Misrepresentation of MDMA in the United States, 1999-2023 (November, safety, MDMA samples analysis, “While users typically expected alleged MDMA samples to contain only MDMA, more than half of the submitted MDMA samples were misrepresented in some manner. Despite high levels of misrepresentation, MDMA quality has stabilized at relatively high levels in recent years.“)
• Detection of low-level fentanyl concentrations in mixtures of cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine, and caffeine via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (November, detection, safety)

Reviews and Opinion Papers on Psychedelics in 2024

• Is there credible evidence to assert psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression? (January, perspective, questions the level of evidence there is for Psi-AT for depression)
• Through the Looking Glass: Psychedelics As a Window into Mindfulness and Mind–Body Health (January, perspective)
• A Meta-Analysis of the Antidepressant Responses in Pivotal Trials on Esketamine Nasal Spray and Atypical Antipsychotics (s=12, meta-analysis, “The ESK-NS arms showed numerically larger MADRS score reductions at week-1 and endpoint, and a significantly larger response rate compared with AAP arms. Prospective studies involving direct comparisons are warranted to compare the relative efficacy between these treatment regimens.“)
• Improving Clinical Outcomes and Informing New Interventions (January, editor’s note)
• “Psychedelic Assisted Therapy” Must Not Be Retired (January, letter to the editor)
• Psychotherapy in Psychedelic Treatment: Safe, Evidence-Based, and Necessary (January, letter to the editor)
• Pharmacological and Nonpharmacological Components of Psychedelic Treatments: The Whole is Not the Sum of the Parts (January, letter to the editor)
• Psilocybin Without Psychotherapy: A Cart Without a Horse? (January, letter to the editor)
• Is Poorly Assisted Psilocybin Treatment an Increasing Risk? (January, letter to the editor)
• Misinterpretations and Omissions: A Critical Response to Goodwin and Colleagues’ Commentary on Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy (January, letter to the editor)
• Psychological Support for Psilocybin Treatment: Reply to Letters on Our Commentary (January, reply to the replies)
• Unintentional Ketamine Overdose Via Telehealth (January, letter to the editor)
• If psychedelics heal, how do they do it? (January, news feature)
• The Rapidly Shifting Ketamine Landscape in the US (January, viewpoint)
• Esketamine Nasal Spray versus Quetiapine for Resistant Depression. Reply (January, letter to the editor)
• Capturing Synergy Holistically in Psychedelic Clinical Trials: Assessing Processes in Addition to Outcomes (January, letter to the editor)
• The efficacy and safety of ketamine for depression in patients with cancer: A systematic review (January, review)
• Targeting metaplasticity mechanisms to promote sustained antidepressant actions (January, review, ketamine)
• [Therapeutic applications of classical serotonergic psychedelics: neurobiological mechanisms and neural networks] (January, review, Dutch)
• New psychoactive substances in emergency medicine (January, review, German)
• Behavioural Investigations of Psilocybin in Animals 1962-2021: A Scoping Review (January, review, animal studies with psilocybin)
• Do the therapeutic effects of psilocybin involve actions in the gut? (January, review)
• How should psychotherapy proceed when adjoined with psychedelics? (January, perspective)
• Informed Consent to Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: Ethical Considerations (January, perspective)
• Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: hope and dilemma (January, editorial)
• Synthetic surprise as the foundation of the psychedelic experience (January, review)
• Knowledge gaps in psychedelic medicalisation: Clinical studies and regulatory aspects (January, review)
• The Psychedelic Future of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment (January, review)
• Molecular and Medical Aspects of Psychedelics (January, review)
• Information decomposition and the informational architecture of the brain (January, review, covers psychedelics indirectly)
• AlphaFold found thousands of possible psychedelics. Will its predictions help drug discovery? (January, news, initial skepticism to usefulness of AlphaFold)
• The safety of supported psilocybin use in Oregon (January, correspondence)
• A comparison between psilocybin and esketamine in treatment-resistant depression using number needed to treat (NNT): A systematic review (January, review, “The NNH profile for both aforementioned agents is clinically acceptable.“)
• Modern Psychedelic Microdosing Research on Mental Health: A Systematic Review (January, review)
• Psychedelics in Addiction Treatment-Navigating a Sociopolitical Rift (January, viewpoint)
• Commentary (on) On the need for metaphysics in psychedelic therapy and research (January, commentary)
• Psilocybin, an Effective Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder in Adults – A Systematic Review (January, review, “It was found that every study significantly favoured the use of psilocybin in reducing depressive symptoms, with few side effects. This gives psilocybin an advantage over commonly prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which carry more risk and cause more adverse effects.”)
• Psychedelics and inner dimensions of sustainability: A Literature Review (January, review)
• Psychedelics for mental health: a biochemical perspective (January, feature)
• Older adults in psychedelic-assisted therapy trials: A systematic review (January, review, “While existing data in older adults is limited, it suggests that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy can be safe and well tolerated in older adults.“)
• Trauma-Informed Care in Psychedelic Therapy Research: A Qualitative Literature Review of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Interventions in PTSD and Psychedelic Therapy Across Conditions (January, review)
• Therapeutic potential of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in the treatment of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders (January, review)
• Ketamine, an Old-New Drug: Uses and Abuses (January, review)
• Indigenous ayahuasca ceremonies in the European context: structures, purposes, concepts (January, review, ayahuasca use in (ceremony in) Europe)
• The mechanistic divide in psychedelic neuroscience: An unbridgeable gap? (January, review)
• A molecular perspective on mGluR5 regulation in the antidepressant effect of ketamine (January, review)
• The Psychedelic Future of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment (January, review)
• Psychedelics, epilepsy, and seizures: a review (January, review)
• Effects of ketamine and esketamine on preventing postpartum depression after cesarean delivery: A meta-analysis (January, review & meta-analysis, “Ketamine and esketamine appear to be effective in preventing PPD in the one week and four week postoperative periods after cesarean delivery with moderate certainty of evidence. But they can also lead to some short-term complications too.“)
• Trauma-Informed Care in Psychedelic Therapy Research: A Qualitative Literature Review of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Interventions in PTSD and Psychedelic Therapy Across Conditions (January, review)
• Making Sense Of Psychedelics In The CNS (January, review)
• Psychedelics in Psychiatry, the Nursing Influence, and the Future of Psychedelic Therapies (January, review)
• Serotonergic Psychedelics – a Comparative review Comparing the Efficacy, Safety, Pharmacokinetics and Binding Profile of Serotonergic Psychedelics (January, review)
• Women and MDMA: particularities of gender and sex (January, review, “While women may have a higher susceptibility to hyponatremia, intriguingly, they appear to be less vulnerable to MDMA-induced hyperthermia.“)
• Therapeutic potential of psychedelics: History, advancements, and unexplored frontiers (January, review)
• Psychedelics for Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementia: Unveiling Therapeutic Possibilities and Pathways (January, review)
• Therapeutic potential of psychedelics: History, advancements, and unexplored frontiers (February, review)
• Novel rapid treatment options for adolescent depression (February, review, covers ketamine)
• Metabolomic biomarkers for (R, S)-ketamine and (S)-ketamine in treatment-resistant depression and healthy controls: A systematic review (February, review)
• Opioid use disorder: current trends and potential treatments (February, review, covers psychedelics)
• Altered states and social bonds: Effects of MDMA and serotonergic psychedelics on social behavior as a mechanism underlying substance-assisted therapy (February, review)
• Ayahuasca and Dimethyltryptamine Adverse Events and Toxicity Analysis: A Systematic Thematic Review (February, review)
• Psychedelics in the field of chronic pain. A path to explore? (February, review, French)
• Efficacy and safety of ketamine and esketamine for unipolar and bipolar depression: an overview of systematic reviews with meta-analysis (February, meta-meta review/analysis, ketamine)
• Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, psychedelic methodologies, and the impregnable value of the subjective-a new and evolving approach (February, perspective, argues for the subjective effects of KAP/KAT)
• Multimodal Neuroimaging of the Effect of Serotonergic Psychedelics on the Brain (February, review)
• Perioperative considerations for patients exposed to hallucinogens (February, review)
• New evidence for flexible psilocybin dosing in patients with treatment-resistant depression (February, viewpoint)
• Aggressive Behaviours Associated with MDMA and Psychedelics: A narrative review (February, review, “Of these 17 articles, 14 studies focused on MDMA and three on serotonergic psychedelics. Findings were mixed, with some results demonstrating increased aggression following psychedelics and others suggesting protective effects. Limitations in the current literature include varied definitions of psychedelics, lack of standardized objective outcome measures, and failure to control for confounding.“)
• Keeping the promise: a critique of the current state of microdosing research (February, review of microdosing research up to March 2022)
• Psychedelics: Recent Philosophical Discussions (February, overview of philosophical debates in psychedelics)
• Is Intravenous Ketamine Better Than Intranasal Esketamine for Treating Treatment-Resistant Depression? (February, letter to the editor, argues that IV ketamine is superior to Spravato)
• An Occupational Perspective on Psychedelic Therapy: A Scoping Review (February, review through work (occupational) lens)
• The effect of psilocybin on empathy and prosocial behavior: a proposed mechanism for enduring antidepressant effects (February, review, “In this article we review the effect of psilocybin on empathy and prosocial behavior. Moreover, we propose that psilocybin may induce a positive feedback loop involving empathy and prosocial behavior which helps explain the observed, enduring antidepressant effects.“)
• The effect of psychedelics on the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor: A systematic review and meta-analysis (February, s=9, review, “[T]he documented rise in BDNF levels indicates a neurobiological mechanism by which psychedelics could enhance synaptic plasticity and foster the growth of neurons.”)
• Recent Advances in the Treatment of Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Narrative Review of Literature Published from 2018 to 2023 (February, review, covers psychedelics)
• Are “mystical experiences” essential for antidepressant actions of ketamine and the classic psychedelics? (February, review)
• A Neuroanatomic and Pathophysiologic Framework for Novel Pharmacological Approaches to the Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (February, review, covers psychedelics)
• The Clinical Potential of Dimethyltryptamine: Breakthroughs into the Other Side of Mental Illness, Neurodegeneration, and Consciousness (February, review)
• Efficacy and acceptability of psilocybin for primary or secondary depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (February, review & meta-analysis)
• Psychedelic-assisted therapy for people with gambling disorder? (February, review)
• A Plea for Nuance: Should People with a Family History of Bipolar Disorder Be Excluded from Clinical Trials of Psilocybin Therapy? (February, review, “Balancing the need for effective treatments against the potential for serious adverse events in those undergoing psilocybin therapy with a family history of BD, we argue for caution in psychedelic clinical trials but not outright exclusion of these individuals.“)
• Ketamine in Chronic Pain: A Review (February, review)
• TrkB transmembrane domain: bridging structural understanding with therapeutic strategy (March, review, covers psychedelics as they binding target of psychedelics)
• A Systematic Review of the Neurocognitive Effects of Psychedelics in Healthy Populations: Implications for Depressive Disorders and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (March, review)
• Cognitive Decline After S-Ketamine Use (March, letter to the editor)
• Exploring Esketamine’s Therapeutic Outcomes as an FDA-Designated Breakthrough for Treatment-Resistant Depression and Major Depressive Disorder With Suicidal Intent: A Narrative Review (March, review)
• The impact of ketamine on outcomes in critically ill patients: a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials (March, review & meta-analysis, null-effect)
• Scoping Review: The Role of Psychedelics in the Management of Chronic Pain (March, review)
• Sexual effects of commonly used recreational psychostimulants in women and the female rat model (March, review, covers MDMA)
• Scanning the new frontier of mental health: psychedelic brain imaging (March, feature)
• Modern Psychedelic Microdosing Research on Mental Health (March, review)
• The Psychological Effects of the Administration of Psychedelics on the Minds of Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review (March, review)
• A Narrative Review of Current and Emerging Trends in the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (March, review, covers psychedelics)
• Psychedelic Therapy: A Primer for Primary Care Clinicians-Ketamine (March, review / next several articles give an overview for primary care clinicians)
• Psychedelic Therapy: A Primer for Primary Care Clinicians-3,4-Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) (March, review)
• Psychedelic Therapy: A Primer for Primary Care Clinicians—Ibogaine (March, review)
• Psychedelic Therapy: A Primer for Primary Care Clinicians—Psilocybin (March, review)
• Psychedelic Therapy: A Primer for Primary Care Clinicians—N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and Ayahuasca (March, review)
• Psychedelic Therapy: A Primer for Primary Care Clinicians—Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) (March, review)
• Psychedelic Therapy: A Primer for Primary Care Clinicians—Historical Perspective and Overview (March, review)
• A perspective on psychedelics as treatments for addictions: Past, Present, and Future (March, review)
• New pharmacotherapies to tackle the unmet needs in bipolar disorder: a focus on acute suicidality (March, review, covers ketamine)
• Concerns on the Use of Ketamine in the Treatment of Depression (March, letter to the editor)
• The Top 50 Articles and Authors of the New Millennium in Psychiatry: A Bibliometric Analysis (March, review, covers esketamine)
• How the Food and Drug Administration Drug Approval Process Relates to the Potential Approval of Intravenous Racemic Ketamine for Treatment-resistant Major Depression (March, column)
• Formulary Coverage of Esketamine and Ketamine for Depression in Ohio Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicaid Plans (March, column)
• Psychedelics: reconnecting the brain to heal the mind (March, feature)
• Therapeutic Compatibility of Orally Administered Racemic Ketamine with Modafinil, a CYP3A4 Enzyme Inducer, in Treatment-Refractory Major Depressive Disorder (November 2023, letter to the editor)
• Mitochondrial Metabolism in Major Depressive Disorder: From Early Diagnosis to Emerging Treatment Options (March, review)
• Epigenetic drugs and psychedelics as emerging therapies for alcohol use disorder: insights from preclinical studies (March, review)
• Could the medicalization of psychedelics lead to the next generation of antidepressants? (March, feature)
• Efficacy and safety of psychedelics for the treatment of mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis (March, review and meta-analysis, “A small amount of evidence also supports psychedelics improving tobacco addiction, eating disorders, sleep disorders, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and body dysmorphic disorder.”)
• Drug dependence and prescribing ketamine for treatment-resistant depression in Australia and New Zealand (April, review of (medical) ketamine abuse potential in Oceania)
• Effectiveness of Ketamine for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (March, review and meta-analysis, “Ketamine demonstrated significant improvements in PCL-5 scores, both 24 hours after the initial infusion and at the endpoint of the treatment course, which varied between 1 to 4 weeks in each study.“)
• Ecocebo: how the interaction between environment and drug effects may improve pharmacotherapy outcomes (March, review)
• Spectral signatures of psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and ketamine in healthy volunteers and persons with major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression: A systematic review (April, review)
• From Outsider to Insider: A Look at the Subculture of Microdosing (March, sociological ‘review’ of microdosing subculture)
• Safety and risk assessment of psychedelic psychotherapy: A meta-analysis and systematic review (April, meta-analysis & review, “Psychedelics are safe in a controlled setting with appropriate inclusion criteria.“)
• A Comparison of the Efficacy and Adverse Effects of Ketamine and Electroconvulsive Therapy in the Management of Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Systematic Review (March, review)
• The Effects of Ayahuasca on Psychological Disorders: A Systematic Literature Review (March, review)
• Ketamine’s mechanism of action with an emphasis on neuroimmune regulation: can the complement system complement ketamine’s antidepressant effects? (April, review)
• Effect of intraoperative and/or postoperative esketamine administration on preventing postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis (April, review & meta-analysis, “ It was found that intraoperative and/or postoperative administration of esketamine significantly reduced the PPD incidence and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scores in the early postoperative period. Meanwhile, esketamine lowered the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting with no influence on other psychiatric symptoms.“)
• Psilocybin for dementia prevention? The potential role of psilocybin to alter mechanisms associated with major depression and neurodegenerative diseases (April, review)
• A Multi-Level Analysis of Biological, Social, and Psychological Determinants of Substance Use Disorder and Co-Occurring Mental Health Outcomes (April, review)
• Depression, an unmet health need in Africa: Understanding the promise of ketamine (April, review, “Consequently, many ketamine infusion clinics have been established in Africa. However, there is little regulation or guidance for ketamine infusions.“)
• Acute Adverse Effects of Therapeutic Doses of Psilocybin A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (April, review & meta-analysis)
• Treating Bipolar Depression Using Psilocybin-Validity Threats Regarding Efficacy and Safety-Reply (April, reply commentary)
• Essentials of Informed Consent to Psychedelic Medicine (April, ‘special communication’. “Analysis of the challenges of designing and implementing psychedelic informed consent practices revealed 7 essential components, including the possibility of short- and long-term perceptual disturbances, potential personality changes and altered metaphysical beliefs, the limited role of reassuring physical touch, the potential for patient abuse or coercion, the role and risks of data collection, relevant practitioner disclosures, and interactive patient education and comprehension assessment.”)
• Informed Consent to Psychedelic Treatment-A Work in Progress (April, editorial)
• Emerging drugs in phase II and III clinical development for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (April, review, covers psilocybin and ketamine)
• Beneficial and adverse effects of ketamine and its enantiomers, and the underlying mechanisms of ECT and rTMS efficacy (April, editorial)
• Psychedelics, OCD and related disorders: A systematic review (April, review)
• Mechanisms of therapeutic change after psychedelic treatment in OCD (April, review)
• From taboo to treatment: The emergence of psychedelics in the management of pain and opioid use disorder (April, review)
• Current Understanding on Psilocybin for Major Depressive Disorder: A Review Focusing on Clinical Trials (April, review)
• A Critical View on New and Future Antidepressants (April, covers psychedelics)
• Ketamine Use for Palliative Care in the Austere Environment: Is Ketamine the Path Forward for Palliative Care (April, review)
• Ketamine for the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist: Application in Opioid Use Disorder (April, letter to the editor)
• Number needed to treat (NNT) for ketamine and esketamine in adults with treatment-resistant depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis (April, review, “A total of 21 studies with 2042 participants were included. Racemic ketamine treatments had pooled NNTs for response of 7 at 4 h, 3 from one day to one week and 9 for studies at four weeks. Esketamine treatment was found to have a similar efficacy with an NNT of 2 at one day and 11 at four weeks. NNH values indicated low risk for ketamine treatments.“)
• Trips Through the Skin: Reviewing Cutaneous Drug Reactions to Psychedelics and Hallucinogens (April, review)
• Severe enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN) treatment options and their effectiveness: a review of literature (April, review, covers ketamine)
• Exploring the multifaceted potential of (R)-ketamine beyond antidepressant applications (April, review, “[A]n increasing body of research suggests that (R)-ketamine might also have significant applications in the prevention and treatment of medical fields or diseases such as cognitive disorders, perioperative anesthesia, ischemic stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, substance use disorders, inflammatory diseases, COVID-19, and organophosphate poisoning.“)
• Perspectives in treatment-resistant depression: esketamine and electroconvulsive therapy (April, review)
• Ketamine and its enantiomers for depression: a bibliometric analysis from 2000 to 2023 (April, review of literature, noting increase with spike in 2022)
• Introduction to the Special Section on Psychedelics Research and Treatment (April, introduction to series of articles in Perspectives in Biology and Medicine)
  • Valuing the Acute Subjective Experience (April)
  • Bio-Psycho-Spiritual Perspectives on Psychedelics: Clinical and Ethical Implications (April)
  • Are Psychedelic Experiences Transformative? Can We Consent to Them? (April)
  • Does Bioethics Need Ethical Theories? (April)
• Psilocybin therapy and anorexia nervosa: a narrative review of safety considerations for researchers and clinicians (April, review)
• Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Clinical Trials of Psychedelics for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (April, review)
• Mini-review: Evidence from preclinical and clinical metabolomics studies on the antidepressant effects of ketamine and esketamine (April, review)
• Neurobiology of the Antidepressant Effects of Serotonergic Psychedelics: A Narrative Review (April, review)
• Psychedelic skepticism: back to the sixties? (April, perspective, great short read with valid feedback/criticism)
• In the new era of psychedelic assisted therapy: A systematic review of study methodology in randomized controlled trials (April, review, “ Sixteen publications were identified as meeting the criteria for a systematic review. Our findings suggest that traditional placebo administration is insufficient to control for expectancy confounds.“)
• Psychiatric and legal considerations for ketamine treatment within prison settings (April, perspective, “ Implementing novel psychopharmacological interventions may alleviate the distress experienced by individuals struggling with depressive symptoms and suicidality. At the same time, unprecedented treatment alternatives bring along potential issues, including limited understanding of long-term effects and the risk of abuse.“)
• Exploring the Impact of Music on Response to Ketamine/Esketamine: A Scoping Review (April, review, “With ketamine alone, music reduces dissociation and anxiety and boosts tolerability. In combination drug studies, music promotes relaxation and reduces sedative load.“)
• At the Forefront: Social Workers’ Role in Psilocybin Treatment for Depression and Substance Misuse (May, review/perspective)
• The Hopkins-Oxford Psychedelics Ethics (HOPE) Working Group Consensus Statement (May, editorial/consensus statement)
• Efficacy of psilocybin for treating symptoms of depression: systematic review and meta-analysis (May, review, “Treatment effects of psilocybin were significantly larger among patients with secondary depression, when self-report scales were used to measure symptoms of depression, and when participants had previously used psychedelics.”)
  • Please also see this ‘expression of concern‘: “The study analysed data from randomised trials of psilocybin for the treatment of depression in adults. A methodological concern has been raised about an error in the calculation of standardised mean differences. This is likely to have overestimated the benefits of psilocybin. The authors are reviewing and responding to the error and its implications for the findings and conclusions of the paper. The authors’ response will be reviewed by The BMJ who will decide what further action is needed.”
• Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training: An Argument in Support of Firsthand Experience of Nonordinary States of Consciousness in the Development of Competence (April, perspective)
• Psilocybin for depression (May, perspective)
• Psychedelics in Medicine: Can Evidence Keep Up With Enthusiasm? (May, editorial)
• Integrating Psychedelics into Digital Health: A New Horizon in Mental Wellness (May, editorial)
• Chronic pain as an emergent property of a complex system and the potential roles of psychedelic therapies (May, review, chronic pain x psychedelics)
• Ketamine as Treatment for Cluster Headache: A Systematic Review of Literature and a Case Series (May, review, case studies for ketamine for cluster headaches (CCH))
• Psychedelics and Evidence-based Psychotherapy: A Systematic Review with Recommendations for Advancing Psychedelic Therapy Research (May, review)
• 1-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI): From an Obscure to Pivotal Member of the DOX Family of Serotonergic Psychedelic Agents – A Review (May, review of DOI, “Here, we review, for the first time, the historical and current developments that led to DOI becoming a unique, perhaps a landmark, agent in 5-HT₂ receptor research.“)
• Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Virtual Reality: A Review on the Simulation of Psychedelic Effects for Treating Psychological Disorders (May, review, VR as psychedelic-like effects)
• Modulating self-referential processing through meditation and psychedelics: is scientific investigation of self-transcendence clinically relevant? (May, letter to the editor)
• What is needed for the roll-out of psychedelic treatments? (May, perspective)
• The Influence of Psychoactive Substances on Nephrotoxicity of the Kidneys (May, review, covers all psychoactive substances including MDMA & mushrooms)
• Clinical Research Trials of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Adolescents Aged 16 to 17 Years: Rationale Balanced With Caution (May, editorial)
• Review of Psilocybin Use for Depression among Cancer Patients after Approval in Oregon (May, review)
• Depression with comorbid borderline personality disorder – could ketamine be a treatment catalyst? (April, review)
• Common side effects of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (May, research highlight)
• Ketamine and electroconvulsive therapy for severe depression: A network meta-analysis of efficacy and safety (May, meta-analysis, “Analysis suggests ECT superior to ketamine and their combination for improving depressive severity, but individualized treatment selection warranted. Higher adverse reactions with ketamine + ECT need further study for optimized combined use.“)
• Effect of Ketamine Treatment on Social Withdrawal in Autism and Autism-Like Conditions (May, review, “Two original studies were found, showing mixed results on the use of ketamine for ASD. The use of esketamine found no statistically significant results, whereas the use of intravenous ketamine was shown to alleviate symptoms of social withdrawal especially in the short term. Neither study reported a significant amount of serious adverse events. Five case reports were also included, showing decreased depressive symptoms and evidence of increased social condition.“)
• The entactogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) as a treatment aid in psychotherapy and its safety concerns (May, review)
• Disentangling the acute subjective effects of classic psychedelics from their enduring therapeutic properties (May, review)
• Ketamine for mood disorders, anxiety, and suicidality in children and adolescents: a systematic review (May, review)
• Neuroprotective and neuroregenerative drugs after severe traumatic brain injury : A narrative review from a clinical perspective (May, review, TBI, covers ketamine)
• Navigating the Future of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies in Psychiatry: Ethical Considerations, Nursing Roles, and Research Imperatives (May, perspective)
• Is it now time to prepare psychiatry for a psychedelic future? (May, commentary)
• The Relationship Between Perioperative Use of Esketamine and Postpartum Depression Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (May, review and meta-analysis, “Perioperative use of esketamine contributes to a lower risk of PPD at the early stage of puerperium but not at the middle and later stages.“)
• Psychedelic therapy in depression and substance use disorders (May, review)
• Treatment Recommendations for Psychedelic-assisted Therapy (May, perspective)
• Perspectives and preliminary experiences of psychedelics for the treatment of eating disorders: A systematic scoping review (May, review)
• Efficacy and safety of psilocybin on treatment-resistant depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis (May, review and meta-analysis)
• 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy: what the pharmacist needs to know (May, review for pharmacists)
• Ketamine in Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Narrative Review (May, review)
• Resetting the Hippocampal Buffer: A Neurocognitive Account of Psychedelic Therapy for Anxiety-Related Psychopathology (May, review)
• Ketamine in Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Narrative Review (May, review)
• Unravelling consciousness and brain function through the lens of time, space, and information (May, review/hypothesis)
• Efficacy and safety of peri-partum Esketamine for prevention of post-partum depression in women undergoing caesarian section: A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials (May, meta-analysis & review, “The study found that esketamine, with manageable side effects, reduces the prevalence of post-partum depression (PPD) after one week as well as after four to six weeks.“)
• The Long Road Toward Equitable MDMA Treatment in the United States (May, commentary)
• Exploring Psychedelics for Alleviating Existential and Spiritual Suffering in People With Serious Illnesses: Links to the Theory of Self-Transcendence (May, review)
• Alterations in brain network connectivity and subjective experience induced by psychedelics: a scoping review (May, review)
• Efficacy of ketamine versus esketamine in the treatment of perioperative depression: A review (May, review)
• Depression: Managing Resistance and Partial Response to Treatment (May, review, covers ketamine)
• Non-hallucinogenic psychedelic psychotherapy: Decreasing risk and increasing access, or missing the point? (May, perspective)
• Facts and myths about use of esketamine for treatment-resistant depression: a narrative clinical review (May, review)
• Underlying mechanisms of ( R,S )-ketamine’s treatment efficacy for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression: a review (June, review)
• Drug-induced musical hallucination (May, review, covers ketamine)
• Perspectives on new fast-acting antidepressants (May, editorial, covers ketamine)
• A meta-analysis of the effects of ketamine on suicidal ideation in depression patients (June, meta-analysis, ketamine for SI, “Our study suggests that, ketamine has a significant therapeutic effect on suicidal ideation throughout the treatment cycle. We performed network meta-analyses(NMA) and pairwise meta-analyses to compare the efficacy of ketamine in the reduction of suicidal ideation. There was a significant reduction in suicidal ideation within the first day after treatment (NMA ketamine day1 RR = 10.02, 95%CI = 4.24 to 23.68). In repeated treatment, the degree of recovery of suicidal ideation after the last dose was significantly greater than that after the first dose (RR = 0.56, 95%CI = 0.51 to 0.62). Recovery of suicidal ideation was also significantly better in the treatment end point than in the placebo group at the same time point (NMA ketamine day26 RR = 4.29, 95%CI = 1.41 to 13.08). This is the first network meta-analysis to demonstrate the role of ketamine in the alleviation of suicidal ideation.“)
• Ketamine, Dissociation, and Depression: What is ‘Special’ About Ketamine? (Revisited) (June, review)
• The effects of psilocybin on cognition and emotional processing in healthy adults and adults with depression: a systematic literature review (June, review)
• The N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor hypothesis of ketamine’s antidepressant action: evidence and controversies (June, review)
• Substances led to Psychosis: A Systematic Review (June, review, briefly covers psychedelics(-like) compounds as causes of psychosis)
• Ayahuasca: A review of historical, pharmacological, and therapeutic aspects (June, review)
• Ketamine versus electroconvulsive therapy for major depressive episode: An updated systematic review and non-inferiority meta-analysis (June, review and meta-analysis, “The ECT group had a higher reduction in depression scores, but without difference in remission and relapse rates. Regarding safety outcomes, ketamine had better posttreatment cognition scores and reduced muscle pain rate compared with ECT, albeit with an increased rate of dissociative symptoms. In a subanalysis with only inpatients, ketamine was inferior to ECT in response rate (RD -0.15; 95 % CI -0.27 to -0.03; p = 0.014; I² = 25 %), remission, and change in depression scores. These findings support the use of ECT over ketamine for inpatients.“)
• Up-to-Date on clinical and preclinical studies of psilocybin therapy (June, review, Japanese)
• Resolvin E1 as a potential lead for the treatment of depression (June, review, Japanese, ketamine-like compound)
• The Therapeutic Effects of Classic Psychedelics in Alcohol Use Disorder (June, review)
• (R)-(-)-Ketamine: The Promise of a Novel Treatment for Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders (June, review)
• Are ketamine and its enantiomers the answer to treatment-refractory depression? (June, editorial, “In conclusion, ketamine and its enantiomer, esketamine, present promising avenues for the treatment of TRD.“)
• Is there evidence for using ketamine among individuals with dementia? (June, review, “ Although the use of ketamine in the treatment of depression and agitation associated with dementia has potential, the current evidence remains limited. High-quality prospective studies are needed to confirm the observations of these case reports before ketamine can be used to treat behavioral disturbances in individuals with dementia.“)
• Unlocking the healing power of psilocybin: an overview of the role of psilocybin therapy in major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance use disorder (June, review)
• Efficacy and safety of eight enhanced therapies for treatment-resistant depression: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of RCTs (June, review and meta-analysis, “The results advocate for ECT, Ketamine, Esketamine, and Psilocybin as preferred treatments for TRD, guiding clinical practice with evidence-based recommendations for enhancing treatment outcomes. This study underscores the importance of considering both efficacy and safety in selecting augmentation strategies for TRD.“)
• Perioperative esketamine administration for prevention of postpartum depression after the cesarean section: A systematic review and meta-analysis (June, review, “Our review highlights the potential impact of esketamine in PPD prevention, as well as in alleviating depressive symptoms post-C/S, regardless of PPD occurrence, therefore suggesting the benefits of adding esketamine to peri-C/S analgesic regimen.“)
• Cognitive functioning associated with acute and subacute effects of classic psychedelics and MDMA – a systematic review and meta-analysis (June, review, “Our qualitative analyses reveal that executive functioning and creativity may be increased during a window of at least 24 h after the acute effects of psychedelics have subsided, whereas no such results have been observed for MDMA.“)
• Use of ketamine in Super Refractory Status Epilepticus: a systematic review (June, review, “Ketamine demonstrates safety and effectiveness in SRSE, offering advantages over GABAergic drugs by acting on NMDA receptors, providing neuroprotection, and reducing vasopressor requirement.“)
• (R)-(-)-Ketamine: The Promise of a Novel Treatment for Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders (June, review)
• Vitalism and Naturopathy in Psychedelic Medicine (June, review, “In this article, the authors describe why naturopathic doctors, with additional training, are well suited to provide psychedelic therapy.“)
• The Use of Ketamine for the Treatment of Anhedonia in Depression (June, review)
• Down the rabbit hole – the psychological and neural mechanisms of psychedelic compounds and their use in treating mental health and medical conditions (June, editorial)
• 1-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI): From an Obscure to Pivotal Member of the DOX Family of Serotonergic Psychedelic Agents – A Review (June, review)
• The efficacy and safety of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis from randomized controlled trials (June, review and meta-analysis, “The results revealed that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy effectively reduced the change from baseline score in the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale in patients with PTSD compared with either placebo or active controls. However, MDMA causes a series of adverse events, including muscle tightness, nausea, and decreased appetite. To a certain extent, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may improve symptoms in patients with PTSD. However, side effects and abuse issues still seriously hinder clinical application of MDMA.“)
• Ketamine treatment for anhedonia in unipolar and bipolar depression: a systematic review (June, review)
• Ketamine vs Electroconvulsive Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial (June, review, “In this secondary analysis of the ELEKT-D randomized clinical trial of ECT vs ketamine, greater improvement in depression was observed with intravenous ketamine among outpatients with nonpsychotic TRD who had moderately severe or severe depression, suggesting that these patients may consider ketamine over ECT for TRD.“)
• Repurposing Ketamine in the Therapy of Depression and Depression-Related Disorders: Recent Advances and Future Potential (June, review)
• Rapid and prolonged antidepressant and antianxiety effects of psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, ayahuasca, and 3, 4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (June, pre-print, review and meta-analysis)
• The use of psychedelic drugs as a treatment for depressive disorders (June, review)
• Advancements in Psychoactive Alkaloid Delivery, Neuroenhancement, and Psychedelic Therapies: Exploring the Frontiers of Modern Pharmacology (June, editorial)
• Neurological Effects of Stimulants and Hallucinogens (June, review)
• Psychedelics and disorders of consciousness: the current landscape and the path forward (June, review)
• Commentary on Darke et al.: Expanded psychedelic access requires new safety monitoring systems (June, commentary, safety)
• A systematic review and meta-analysis of ketamine in pediatric status epilepticus (June, review and meta-analysis, “Pediatric RSE is difficult to treat, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Without strong recommendations and evidence regarding preferred agents, this review provides evidence that ketamine may be considered in managing SE in the pediatric population.“)
• The cyclical revival of psychedelics in psychiatric treatment (June, review)
• Exploring the Transformative Potential of Out-of-Body Experiences: A Pathway to Enhanced Empathy (June, review, covers psychedelics)
• Therapeutic modulation of the kynurenine pathway in severe mental illness and comorbidities: A potential role for serotonergic psychedelics (June, review)
• Targeting NMDAR/AMPAR: a promising pharmacotherapeutic approach for depressive disorders (June, review, Russian)
• Clarifying the ethical landscape of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (June, perspective)
• Beyond therapeutic potential: a systematic investigation of ketamine misuse in patients with depressive disorders (July, review, safety)
• Research trends and hotspots of ketamine from 2014 to 2023: a bibliometric analysis (June, review)
• Shamanism and Psychedelic, Religious, Spiritual, and Mystical Experiences (July, book chapter)
• Disability rights and experiential use of psychedelics in clinical research and practice (July, perspective)
• A rapid narrative review of the clinical evolution of psychedelic treatment in clinical trials (July, review)
• Psychedelics in developmental stuttering to modulate brain functioning: a new therapeutic perspective? (June, review)
• Protective Behavioral Strategies for Psychedelic Use: A Mini Review of the Evidence (July, review)
• Ethnoracial inclusion in clinical trials of psychedelics: a systematic review (July, review)
• The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelics on Reducing Rumination: A Mini-Review (July, review)
• Bridging Psilocybin-Induced Changes in the Brain’s Dynamic Functional Connectome With an Individual’s Subjective Experience (July, commentary)
• Applying the EU regulatory framework for the clinical use of psychedelics (July, commentary)
• Ketamine in the effective management of chronic pain, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder for Veterans: A meta-analysis and systematic review (June, review and meta-analysis, “This review provides a preliminary synthesis of available evidence which suggests that ketamine may be a potential option for the treatment of depression, PTSD, and chronic pain in military populations.“)
• Shared effects of electroconvulsive shocks and ketamine on neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review of Animal Models of Depression (July, review)
• Potential differences in psychedelic actions based on biological sex (July, review)
• Brain Networks, Neurotransmitters and Psychedelics: Towards a Neurochemistry of Self-Awareness (July, review)
• Contributions of the compassionate care approach to psychedelic-assisted therapies in hospice and palliative care (July, review/perspective)
• Ketamine and Its Two Enantiomers in Anesthesiology and Psychiatry: A Historical Review and Future Directions (July, review)
• Esketamine in depression: putative biomarkers from clinical research (July, review)
• Another ketamine analogue on the horizon (July, letter to the editor)
• Current Perspectives on the Clinical Research and Medicalization of Psychedelic Drugs for Addiction Treatments: Safety, Efficacy, Limitations and Challenges (July, review)
• Is the antidepressant effect of ketamine separate from its psychotomimetic effect? A Review of rodent models (July, review of rodent studies)
• Psychedelic experiences and long-term spiritual growth: a systematic review (July, review, “Spiritual growth was often related to mystical experiences, with higher mystical experience ratings associating positively with perceived spiritual growth.“)
• Novel treatments of depression: bridging the gap in current therapeutic approaches (July, review, covers psychedelics)
• Critical review of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: Unanswered questions and future directions (July, review)
• Psychotropic Drugs Reemerging as Headache Medicines (July, perspective)
• Psilocybin for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (July, review)
• Ethnoracial inclusion in clinical trials of psychedelics: a systematic review (July, review)
• A Systematic Review on Ketamine and Esketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression and Suicidality in Adolescents: A New Hope? (July, review)
• Growing evidence supports low-dose ketamine infusions to facilitate opioid tapering (July, response/perspective)
  • Response from authors of original article
• Investigating the therapeutic efficacy of psilocybin in advanced cancer patients: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis (July, review and meta-analysis, “The findings provided compelling evidence for the potential benefits of psilocybin-assisted therapy in improving quality of life, pain control, and anxiety relief in patients with advanced cancer.“)
• Taking the potential harms of psychedelic-assisted therapy seriously: How do we prevent or mitigate the risks to vulnerable patients? (July, perspective)
• Ketamine in fibromyalgia: a systematic review (July, review, “There were only 6 articles published in this field, with a total of 115 patients. The female sex was predominant (88 to 100%). The age varied from 23 to 53 years old. Disease duration ranged from 1 month to 28 years. The dosage of ketamine changed from 0.1 mg/kg-0.3-0.5 mg/kg in intravenous infusion (4/5) and subcutaneous application (1/5). Regarding outcomes, the Visual analog scale (VAS) before ketamine was from 59 to 100 mm and after treatment from 2 to 95 mm. Most short-term studies had a good response. Only the study with 8 weeks of follow-up did not observe a good response. Side effects were common; all appeared during the infusion and disappeared after a few minutes of the ketamine injection.”)
• Neurobiological Correlates of Psychedelic Experiences and Psychedelic-Associated Adverse Effects (July, academic book chapter)
• Set and Setting for Psychedelic Harm Reduction (July, academic book chapter)
• Pharmacological Properties of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Potential Harms (July, academic book chapter)
• Psychedelic Therapy Scrutinized by FDA Advisory Committee? (July, commentary)
• Ketamine for Critically Ill Patients with Severe Acute Brain Injury: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials (July, review & meta-analysis, “The level of evidence regarding the effects of ketamine on functional outcome and serious adverse events in patients with severe acute brain injury is very low. Ketamine may markedly, modestly, or not at all affect these outcomes. Large randomized clinical trials at low risk of bias are needed.“)
• Can mind-altering prescription medicines be safe? Lessons from ketamine and esketamine (July, commentary)
• Psychedelics in Older Adults: Difficulties of a Clear Therapeutic Evidence (July, letter to the editor)
• The Influence of Stakeholder Interests on Safety Outcome Reporting in Psychedelic Research and Implications for Science Communication (July, perspective)
• Psilocybin in pharmacotherapy of obsessive-compulsive disorder (July, review)
• Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: Navigating High Hopes, Strong Claims, Weak Evidence, and Big Money (August, review)
• From Research to Reality: Crafting an Image of the Current State of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapies for Substance Use Disorders (August, review)
• Psilocybin and chronic neuropathic pain: a systematic review (August, review)
• Neural correlates of treatment response to ketamine for treatment-resistant depression: A systematic review of MRI-based studies (July, review)
• Locking away depression (August, perspective)
• Psychedelic humanities (August, editorial)
• Ketamine for catatonia: A novel treatment for an old clinical challenge? A systematic review of the evidence (August, review, s=20, n=25, “Challenging the conventional contraindication of ketamine in psychotic disorders, current evidence highlights its potential efficacy, particularly in treating catatonia. Pending further research, we advocate reevaluating this contraindication, as it may offer a promising therapeutic option, especially for challenging cases. Preliminary evidence suggests potentially greater benefits for catatonic patients with underlying mood disorders compared to primary psychotic disorders.“)
• Targeting NMDA receptors with an antagonist is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating neurological disorders (August, review)
• Synaptic fidelity for drug development: is it time to move beyond glutamate release and receptors? (August, editorial, covers ketamine)
• New horizons for obsessive-compulsive disorder drug discovery: is targeting glutamate receptors the answer? (August, review, ketamine for OCD)
• Classic psychedelics and the treatment for alcoholism (August, review, psychedelics for alcoholism, AUD)
• Responding to existential distress at the end of life: Psychedelics and psychedelic experiences and/ as medicine (August, essay)
• The role of psilocybin in depressive disorders (August, review)
• Comparative oral monotherapy of psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, ayahuasca, and escitalopram for depressive symptoms: systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis (August, review and meta-analysis, “Of the available psychedelic treatments for depressive symptoms, patients treated with high dose psilocybin showed better responses than those treated with placebo in the antidepressant trials, but the effect size was small.“)
• Psilocybin, moralization and psychotherapy: a coping review and a case report (August, review and case study)
• Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for existential distress: practical considerations for therapeutic application-a review (August, review)
• Autism, youth suicide, and psychedelics: A review of the 21st century evidence (August, review)
• Glutamatergic Modulators for Major Depression from Theory to Clinical Use (August, review)
• Combination of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Systematic Review (August, review)
• Including Sexually and Gender Diverse Populations in 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Trial Research (August, perspective)
• A clinical research perspective on the regulation of medical and non-medical use of psychedelic drugs (August, commentary)
• Psilocybin for clinical indications: A scoping review (August, review)
• A bibliometric analysis of research on psychedelics for depression treatment (August, review)
• Functional Unblinding in Pivotal Studies and the Future of Psychedelic Medicine (August, commentary)
• Psychedelic and dissociative agents in psychiatry: challenges in the treatment (August, review, German)
• The association between diverse psychological protocols and the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted therapy for clinical depressive symptoms: a Bayesian meta-analysis (August, meta-analysis, s=10, n=515, “ompared with manualized nondirective psychological support, the other three psychological approaches did not differ significantly. The improvement of depressive symptoms was not associated with the psychological protocols in adult patients receiving psilocybin-assisted therapy.“)
• A novel framework for ketamine-assisted couple therapy (August, review)
• Traditional Medicine, Culture, and Psychedelic Science: New Pathways for Recovery From Substance Use Disorders (August, review)
• Adverse Events Should Not Be Surprising in Psychedelic Research (August, commentary, “While no medical intervention is risk-free, it will be increasingly important to quantify and effectively communicate the risk/benefit profile of psychedelics.“)
• Psychedelics, Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy and Employees’ Wellbeing (August, commentary)
• Advancing past ketamine: emerging glutamatergic compounds for the treatment of depression (August, review)
• The nursing role in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (August, review, French)
• Pharmacogenomics of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): A Narrative Review of the Literature (August, review)
• The Efficacy of Ketamine for Acute and Chronic Pain in Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials (August, review)
• Ketamine – An Imperfect Wonder Drug? (August, review)
• Effects of ketamine on metabolic parameters in depressive disorders: A systematic review (August, review)
• Exploring Neuroplasticity: The Role of LSD, Methamphetamine, Cannabis, and Ketamine in Psychiatric Disorders (August, review)
• Exploring perinatal ketamine for postpartum depression following cesarean section: A systematic review (August, review)
• Ketamine: Review and Hypothesis for Potential Use in Spinal Cord Injury (August, review, “Based upon a review of the existing literature regarding the aforementioned psychoplastogens, we hypothesize that daily low dose racemic ketamine may assist in recovery from SCI. We recommend clinical trials to determine the efficacy, dosage range, and optimal dosing frequency for the treatment of SCI.”)
• Psychoactive substances for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders (August, review)
• Trips Through the Skin: Reviewing Cutaneous Drug Reactions to Psychedelics and Hallucinogens (August, review)
• Considering distinct positive emotions in psychedelic science (September, review)
• Psychedelic humanities (August, editorial)
• Epigenetic mechanisms of rapid-acting antidepressants (August, review)
• Next-generation precision medicine for suicidality prevention (September, review, covers ketamine)
• Exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelics: Fear extinction mechanisms and amygdala modulation (August, review, mostly based on rodent studies)
• KETAMINE: Neural- and network-level changes (September, review)
• The immunomodulatory effects of classical psychedelics: A systematic review of preclinical studies (September, review)
• Antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of activating 5HT2A receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex and the theoretical mechanisms underlying them – A scoping review of available literature (September, review)
• Psychedelics as a tool for a more connected and sustainable world? Considering the importance of rituals, boundaries, and commitment (September, commentary)
• New Territory: Ethical Challenges Associated With MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD (September, commentary)
• Neurobiological research on N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and its potentiation by monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition: from ayahuasca to synthetic combinations of DMT and MAO inhibitors (September, review)
• Characterization of Oral Ketamine Use: A Retrospective Review (September, review)
• Psychedelic‐assisted therapy for treating anxiety, depression, and existential distress in people with life‐threatening diseases (September, review, Cochrane – rigorous study, but with limited dataset – note that it’s focussed on life-threatening diseases only)
• Pharmacokinetics of Psilocybin, a Tryptamine Alkaloid in Magic Mushroom (Psilocybe cubensis): A Systematic Review (September, review, pharmacokinetics of psilocybin)
• Neurobiological research on N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and its potentiation by monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition: from ayahuasca to synthetic combinations of DMT and MAO inhibitors (September, review)
• Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Psychedelics in Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) (September, review)
• Unmasking bias and MDMA-assisted therapy (September, viewpoint)
• Psychedelics as a potential treatment for tobacco use disorder: a systematic review (September, review)
• New frontiers in the biosynthesis of psychoactive specialized metabolites (September, review)
• Current Trends in Psychedelic Science: Integrating Modified Lysergic Acid Derivatives and Psilocybin in Modern Medicine (August, editorial)
• Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Entheogens in Postoperative Cognitive Decline and Psychological Resilience (August, editorial)
• Evaluating the potential for psilocybin as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (September, review)
• How Do People Who Undergo Ketamine Treatment for a Psychiatric Problem Subjectively Experience This Intervention? A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies (September, meta-synthesis, s=24, “Before treatment, the experiential focus lies on expectations, hopes, and feelings towards the drug. During treatment, the drug’s multifaceted psychotropic effects and how they are emotionally appraised become central to experience. Once treatment is finished, the focus is on the presence or absence of clinically relevant effects.”)
• Less is more? A review of psilocybin microdosing (September, review)
• A bibliometric analysis of research on psychedelics for depression treatment (September, review)
• The Psychedelic Renaissance: A Catholic Perspective (September, perspective)
• Psychedelics and schizophrenia: a double-edged sword (September, review)
• A “Furious” Effort to Develop Novel 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine-Like Therapeutics (September, viewpoint)
• Ketamine and hydroxynorketamine as novel pharmacotherapies for the treatment of Opioid-Use Disorders (September, review)
• ‘Mind-Revealing’ Psychedelic States: Psychological Processes in Subjective Experiences That Drive Positive Change (September, review)
• CCNP Innovations in Neuropsychopharmacology Award: The psychopharmacology of psychedelics: where the brain meets spirituality (September, review)
• Psychedelic research at a crossroads (September, editorial)
• Rethinking the role of TRKB in the action of antidepressants and psychedelics (September, opinion)
• Short-term safety and tolerability profile of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine in human subjects: a systematic review of clinical trials (September, review)
• Psychedelics in medicine – a call for educational action (September, commentary)
• Artificial intelligence and psychedelic medicine (September, perspective)
• The Fascinating Link between Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity (September, editorial)
• Learning how to make use of dissociative therapies (September, review)
• Psychedelics: From Cave Art to 21st-Century Medicine for Addiction (September, review)
• Review of Psychedelic Outlaws: The Movement Revolutionizing Modern Medicine, by Joanna Kemper (September, review)
• Psychedelics as novel therapeutic agents for chronic pain: mechanisms and future perspectives (September, review)
• Psychedelics and Consciousness: Expanding the Horizons of Mind and Therapy (September, perspective)
• Classical psychedelics’ action on brain monoaminergic systems (September, review)
• Drugs with glutamate-based mechanisms of action in psychiatry (September, review)
• Efficacy of single and repeated ketamine administration for suicidal ideation in adults with psychiatric disorders: A meta-analysis (September, meta-analysis)
• MDMA for treatment of PTSD and neurorehabilitation in military populations (September, review)
• Synaptic basis of rapid antidepressant action (September, review, covers ketamine)
• Chemistry/structural biology of psychedelic drugs and their receptor(s) (October, review)
• From efficacy to effectiveness: evaluating psychedelic randomised controlled trials for trustworthy evidence-based policy and practice (October, review, pre-print)
• The Psychotherapy in MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy (October, viewpoint)
• The Use of Prophylactic Ketamine to Mitigate Postoperative Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review (October, review)
• NIH: Adults Still Using Marijuana and Psychedelics at Record Levels (October, brief)
• The glutamatergic system in the development of stress-induced depression (September, review, covers ketamine)
• Mechanisms of psilocybin on the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (October, review)
• Comparing psilocybin to metformin as neuroprotective agents against Parkinson’s dementia: A systematic review of evidence and efficacy (September, review)
• The immunomodulatory effects of classical psychedelics: A systematic review of preclinical studies (September, review)
• Harnessing Pharmacogenomics in Clinical Research on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (October, review, “Although existing evidence is limited, particularly concerning pharmacodynamics, studies investigating pharmacokinetics indicate that genetic variants in drug-metabolizing enzymes, such as cytochrome P450, impact the intensity of acute psychedelic effects for LSD and ibogaine, and that a dose reduction for CYP2D6 poor metabolizers may be appropriate. Furthermore, based on the preclinical evidence, it can be hypothesized that CYP2D6 metabolizer status might contribute to altered acute psychedelic experiences with 5-MeO-DMT and psilocybin when combined with monoamine oxidase inhibitors“)
• What should constitute a control condition in psychedelic drug trials? (September, perspective)
• Impact of psilocybin on cognitive function: A systematic review (October, review, “Global cognitive function, and processing speed remained mostly unchanged in healthy individuals; However, a limited number of studies reported improvements in certain areas such as sustained attention, working memory, and executive function especially in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Emotional processing was positively modified, particularly in TRD patients. Psilocybin was observed to enhance emotional empathy without significantly altering cognitive empathy and social cognition. Cognitive flexibility and creative cognition were noted to initially decline but could potentially improve over time. Additionally, with respect to learning and memory skills, psilocybin showed promise in improving specific memory types such as semantic associations and associative learning, while its effects on episodic and verbal memory have been less pronounced compared to other cognitive enhancers.”)
• Chemical Reactivity Parameters to Analyze Psychedelics: How Do We Explain the Potency of the Drugs? (September, review)
• Beyond the numbers: reimagining healing with psychedelics for eating disorders (September, commentary)
• Therapeutic potential of ketamine in management of epilepsy: Clinical implications and mechanistic insights (September, review)
• Exploring the biocatalysis of psilocybin and other tryptamines: Enzymatic pathways, synthetic strategies, and industrial implications (October, review)
• Psilocybin for major depressive disorder: a systematic review of randomized controlled studies (September, review)
• Do not conflate debates on regulating therapeutic use of psychotropic substances with those on the legalization of their non-therapeutic use (October, commentary)
• Liberal use of ketamine is on the rise! A critical warning!! (October, letter to the editor)
• Psychedelic therapy – refining the claim of a paradigm shift (October, commentary, “We explore historical contexts, noting that psychedelics were extensively researched in the mid-20th century and argue that many of the current claims about their novelty overlook prior knowledge and research from that period. While psychedelics do introduce novel aspects, such as rapid therapeutic effects and unique modes of action, we challenge the idea of a full paradigm shift, suggesting that these developments are better understood as enhancements to existing frameworks rather than a wholesale replacement.”)
• MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (October, review and meta-analysis, “Our meta-analysis showed that MDMA-AT led to a significant reduction in the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) severity scores as compared to the control group (SMD -1.10, 95% CI: -1.62 to -0.59). More patients in the MDMA-AT group exhibited significant response (RR 1.59, 95% CI: 1.22, 2.08) and remission (RR 2.32, 95% CI: 1.47 to 3.66) as compared to patients in the control group.“)
• Psychedelic research, assisted therapy and the role of the anaesthetist: A review and insights for experimental and clinical practices (October, review)
• Research Progress on NMDA Receptor Enhancement Drugs for the Treatment of Depressive Disorder (October, review, covers ketamine)
• Neuroimaging and the Investigation of Drug-Drug Interactions Involving Psychedelics (October, commentary)
• Efficacy of racemic ketamine or esketamine monotherapy for reducing suicidal ideation in uni- or bipolar depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis (October, review and meta-analysis, “The evidence for the treatment of SI with esketamine was inconsistent. The pooled effect sizes for long-term anti-SI effects did not reveal significant differences between therapies. Our study indicated the efficacy of racemic ketamine monotherapy for rapidly and transiently reducing SI in individuals with uni- or bipolar depression, but the efficacy of racemic ketamine monotherapy against long-term suicidal ideation remains unclear. There is not -sufficient evidence to support the anti-suicidal effects of esketamine monotherapy.“)
• The Use of Psychedelics as an Adjunct to Psychotherapy (October, review)
• Targeting Neuroplasticity in Substance Use Disorders: Implications for Therapeutics (October, review)
• The association between study design and antidepressant effects in psychedelic-assisted therapy: A meta-analysis (October, meta-analysis, “The antidepressant effects of psychedelics may be overestimated in studies with pre-post single-arm, non-active-drugs-as placebo, and waitlist-control designs. Restricted sample size, difficulty with establishing blinding for participants, and over expectancy limit the estimation of the antidepressant effect of psychedelic-assisted therapy.“)
• The Action on Psilocybin in Neural Plasticity, Brain Reorganization and Cognitive Enhancement (October, review)
• Ketamine, Esketamine, and Arketamine: Their Mechanisms of Action and Applications in the Treatment of Depression and Alleviation of Depressive Symptoms (October, review)
• A perspective on Alzheimer’s disease: exploring the potential of terminal/paradoxical lucidity and psychedelics (October, editorial)
• Challenges for esketamine nasal spray in China: use and management (October, opinion, “However, it can be expected that the administrative management of esketamine nasal spray in China will be extremely strict, particularly for clinical applications.“)
• Ketamine and α-Amino-3-Hydroxy-5-Methyl-4-Isoxazolepropionic Acid (AMPA) Receptor Potentiation in the Somatosensory Cortex: A Comprehensive Review (October, review)
• Traditional Medicine, Culture, and Psychedelic Science: New Pathways for Recovery From Substance Use Disorders (September, review)
• Efficacy of esketamine for perinatal depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis (October, review and meta-analysis, s=7)
• Ketamine, Esketamine, and Arketamine: Their Mechanisms of Action and Applications in the Treatment of Depression and Alleviation of Depressive Symptoms (October, review)
• Ketamine-induced altered states of consciousness: a systematic review of implications for therapeutic outcomes in psychiatric practices (October, review, “Although we have found a larger association than previous studies between ketamine’s psychoactive properties and its efficacy in treating a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders, its topic remains indeterminate, mainly due to the high heterogeneity.“)
• How Psychedelics Modulate Multiple Memory Mechanisms in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (October, review, “Although PTSD and psychedelics acutely impair the formation of hippocampal-dependent episodic memories, psychedelics may acutely enhance cortical-dependent learning of semantic memories that could facilitate the integration of trauma memories and disrupt maladaptive beliefs.“)
• Preclinical models for evaluating psychedelics in the treatment of major depressive disorder (October, review)
• Psychedelics and the treatment of eating disorders: considerations for future research and practice (October, commentary)
• Psychedelic therapies: healing for the wrong reasons? (October, commentary)
• Psilocybin for major depressive disorder: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (October, review and meta-analysis)
• Into the wild frontier: Mapping the terrain of adverse events in psychedelic-assisted therapies (October, commentary)
• Autism, youth suicide, and psychedelics: A review of the 21st century evidence (October, review, “Furthermore, this review proposed a possible neurobiological connection between autism, suicide, and psychedelics. Finally, this review discussed the potential therapeutic applications of psychedelics in autism and youth suicide.“)
• From antidepressants and psychotherapy to oxytocin, vagus nerve stimulation, ketamine and psychedelics: how established and novel treatments can improve social functioning in major depression (October, review, covers psychedelics)
• Understanding the variability in ketamine’s efficacy in managing treatment-resistant depression (October, review)
• Functional Connectivity Between Glutamate Receptor Antagonism and Insulin Pathways: Implications for Modeling Mechanism of Action of Ketamine/Esketamine and Dextromethorphan in Depression Treatment (October, commentary)
• Expert recommendations for Germany’s integration of psychedelic-assisted therapy (October, expert recommendations for integration of PAT in Germany)
• Moving psychedelic-assisted therapies from promising research into routine clinical practice: Lessons from the field of implementation science (October, commentary)
• Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Antagonists in Neuropathic Pain Management (October, review, covers ketamine)
• Psilocybin and the glutamatergic pathway: implications for the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases (October, review)
• Advancing ketamine in the treatment hierarchy for refractory depression (October, editorial)
• Anxiety and Affective Symptoms Related to the Use of Classic Psychedelics: A Systematic Review (October, review)
• Ketamine and Esketamine in Clinical Trials: FDA-Approved and Emerging Indications, Trial Trends With Putative Mechanistic Explanations (October, review)
• Epistemic Risk Reduction in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (November, academic book chapter)
• Esketamine Nasal Spray: Rapid Relief for TRD and Suicide Prevention—Mechanisms and Pharmacodynamics (November, review)
• Psychedelic and MDMA-Related Adverse Effects—A Call for Action (November, viewpoint)
• Masking Influences: A Systematic Review of Placebo Control and Masking in Psychedelic Studies (November, review, s=9, “The results show that almost 78% of the studies had, at best, “poor” masking success. At the same time, 60% of active placebo and 75% of inactive placebo studies showed large effect sizes. In other words, masking influences, including benign unmasking, cannot be excluded.”)
• Pharmacotherapy of Psychological Disorders Using Psychedelic Drugs: A Treatise for Psychiatrists (November, review)
• Esketamine Nasal Spray: Rapid Relief for TRD and Suicide Prevention-Mechanisms and Pharmacodynamics (November, review)
• Pharmacotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of anorexia nervosa – novel targets to break a vicious cycle (November, review, covers ketamine)
• Effect of ketamine on task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging findings in major depressive disorder: A mini-review (November, review)
• Current and Novel Therapies for Cluster Headache: A Narrative Review (November, review)
• Emerging pharmacological agents for post-traumatic stress disorder show promise, but more evidence is needed (November, review)
• Current State Of Psilocybin-assisted Therapy In Mood Disorders (November, review)
• Beyond psychedelics: set and setting in general psychiatric practice (November, commentary)
• Intravenous ketamine versus electroconvulsive therapy for major depressive disorder or bipolar depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (November, meta-analysis, “ IV ketamine demonstrates a faster onset of antidepressant effects compared to ECT, despite both treatments yielding comparable outcomes at the end-of-treatment visit for patients with MDD or BD.“)
• Why N,N-dimethyltryptamine matters: unique features and therapeutic potential beyond classical psychedelics (November, opinion)
• Depression and effectiveness of psychedelics: high-dose psilocybin has shown benefits in improving symptoms (November, meta-analysis, Italian)
• Structural neural plasticity evoked by rapid-acting antidepressant interventions (November, review, covers ketamine)
• Perioperative administration of sub-anesthetic ketamine/esketamine for preventing postpartum depression symptoms: A trial sequential meta-analysis (November, meta-analysis)
• Innovative Psychedelic Therapies: Harnessing 5-MeO-DMT and DMT for Mental Health Treatment (November, editorial)
• Expanding the Therapeutic Horizons of Psilocybin in Mental Health (November, editorial)
• Ketamine for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (November, review & meta-analysis, s=44, “Extant literature supports the potential use of ketamine for the treatment of PTSD, OCD, and alcohol use disorders with significant improvement of patient symptoms. However, the limited number of randomized controlled trials underscores the need to further investigate the short- and long-term benefits and risks of ketamine for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.“)
• Ayahuasca: pharmacology, safety, and therapeutic effects (November, review, “Although human experimental and naturalist studies published until now suggest a good safety and tolerability profile, often associated with improvements in depressive and anxious symptoms, there are few controlled studies, with small sample sizes, using only single doses, and with short follow-ups.“)
• Adverse psychiatric effects of psychedelic drugs: a systematic review of case reports (November, review, “Reliable descriptions of schizophrenia spectrum disorder and major affective disorder after psychedelic drug use disorder exist but are relatively uncommon. Flashbacks are sometimes but not always associated with psychiatric symptomatology, mainly anxiety or depression.“)
• The historical opposition to psychedelic research and implications for credibility in psychiatry (November, review)
• Fragile promise of psychedelics in psychiatry (November, perspective)
• Legal and Ethics Concerns of Psilocybin as Medicine (November, review, legal perspective)
• Recent Interventions for Acute Suicidality Delivered in the Emergency Department: A Scoping Review (November, review)
• Deepening Psychedelic Integration: Exploring Complex Settings, Understanding User’s Struggles, and Implementing Safe Interventions (November, academic book chapter)
• The immunomodulatory effects of psychedelics in Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia (November, review)
• Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Compounds for Substance Use Disorders (November, review)
• Emerging Psychotropic Drug for the Treatment of Trigeminal Pain: Salvinorin A (November, review)
• Ethics in Psychedelic Science: Promises and Responsibilities (November, editorial)
• The phenomenology of psychedelic temporality: current knowledge, open questions, and clinical applications (November, perspective)
• Psychedelic Research for Alcohol Use Disorder with Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder: An Unmet Need (November, review)
• Psilocybin as a novel treatment for chronic pain (November, review)
• Personalized use of ketamine and esketamine for treatment-resistant depression (November, review)
• Effects of ayahuasca on fear and anxiety: cross-talk between 5HT1A and 5HT2A receptors (December, review)
• Could Psychedelics Treat Neuropathic Chronic Pain? (December, review and theory building)

Human Studies With Psychedelics (not in database) in 2024

• Cerebrospinal fluid exploratory proteomics and ketamine metabolite pharmacokinetics in human volunteers after ketamine infusion (January, n=9, 35/70kg iv ketamine, “Proteins in the classes of tyrosine kinases, cellular adhesion molecules, and growth factors, including insulin, were most affected, suggesting an interplay of altered neurotransmission, neuroplasticity, neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and neural network functions following ketamine administration.“)
• Case series of intravenous ketamine infusion in patients with suicidal thought (January, n=5, repeated doses 35/70kg, “The finding indicates that ketamine infusion had a rapid, antisuicidal effect and is safe when used for a short period.“)
• Exploring Predictors of Ketamine Response in Adolescent Treatment-Resistant Depression (January, n=19, re-analysis, ketamine for adolescents, “Subjects who had fewer medication trials of both antidepressant medications and augmentation treatments were more likely to experience depression symptom improvement with ketamine.“)
• Ketamine cystitis following ketamine therapy for treatment-resistant depression – case report (January, n=1, case study, “To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of KIC in a patient receiving treatment-dose ketamine as part of their antidepressant therapy.“)
• Ketamine for postoperative avoidance of depressive symptoms: the K-PASS feasibility randomised trial (January, n=32, “This single-centre, triple-blind, placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial included adult patients with depression scheduled for inpatient surgery … Between baseline and post-infusion day 4 (pre-specified time point of interest), median depressive symptoms decreased in both groups, with difference-in-differences of -1.00 point.”)
• Esketamine Augmentation in Treatment-Resistant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Retrospective Chart Review (January, n=8, (es)ketamine for OCD)
• Long-term quality of life after repeated ketamine infusions in anxious and nonanxious patients with depression (January, n=107, open-label, ketamine for depression, “The improvement in depression symptoms and QoL following ketamine treatment was not impacted by the presence or absence of anxiety in patients who were depressed prior to treatment.“)
• Clinical Outcomes of Intravenous Ketamine Treatment for Depression in the VA Health System (January, n=215, retrospective, ketamine for depression, “While only a minority of patients treated with IV ketamine for depression experienced response or remission, symptom improvements achieved within the first 6 weeks were sustained over at least 6 months with decreasing infusion frequency.“)
• Esketamine pretreatment during cesarean section reduced the incidence of postpartum depression: a randomized controlled trial (January, n=319, esketamine for PPD, “Intraoperative injection of esketamine (0.2 mg/kg) prevented the occurrence of depression (EPDS score > 9) at 4 days after delivery but not 42 days.“)
• Treating Treatment-resistant Depression with Esketamine Nasal Spray When All Therapeutic Options Have Been Exhausted: Clinical Experience from a Spanish Cohort of Expanded Use (January, n=16, observational, “Esketamine showed a rapid, robust effect in improving depressive symptoms, with no specific correlation between outcome and any demographic or clinical traits evaluated.“)
• EEG-vigilance regulation is associated with and predicts ketamine response in major depressive disorder (January, n=24, “treatment responders showed a distinct EEG pattern characterized by a decrease in high-vigilance stage A1 and an increase in low-vigilance B2/3, regardless of whether placebo or ketamine had been given“)
• Ketamine in multiple treatment-resistant depressed inpatients: A naturalistic cohort study (January, n=77, observational, “Depression severity and suicidality decreased in the acute treatment phase and these changes persisted during the maintenance therapy phase. A total of 28.9 % of the patients met the criteria for response, and 15 % met the criteria for remission.“)
• Esketamine-induced post-traumatic stress disorder flashbacks during treatment-resistant depression indication: is it just a side effect? (January, n=22, pre-print, retrospective analysis, “Our results suggest that the occurrence of esketamine-induced traumatic flashbacks does not hinder clinical response. On the contrary, when managed appropriately and combined with targeted psychotherapy, it could even contribute to positive outcomes.“)
• Ketamine for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder: Double-blind active-controlled crossover study (January, n=25, “Overall, 14/25 patients (56%) were responders (⩾50% reduction at 24 h compared with baseline) for either ketamine dose for the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and 18/25 (72%) were responders for the HADS-anxiety scale. After fentanyl, only 1/25 (HADS-depression) and 3/25 (HADS-anxiety) were responders.“)
• Treatment resistant patients with baseline suicidal ideation required more treatments to achieve therapeutic response with ketamine/esketamine (January, n=52, “This study suggests that patients with baseline suicidal ideation require more treatments to achieve a response with ketamine or esketamine. The antisuicidal response seemed similar between IV ketamine and IN esketamine.“)
• Ketamine in the treatment of refractory and super-refractory status epilepticus: Experience from two centres (January, n=58, ketamine for seizures, “Ketamine is an effective drug with few adverse effects. Prompt administration should be considered in patients with RSE requiring anaesthesia, in patients with SRSE, and in patients with RSE who do not respond to standard antiseizure drugs and in whom mechanical ventilation is not advised.“)
• Music as an Intervention to Improve the Hemodynamic Response of Ketamine in Depression (February, n=32, brief report on music during ketamine for depression, “The MUSIK trial found that music significantly decreased ketamine-induced systolic BP changes. Music may thus represent a feasible, benign, nonpharmacological approach to improving the hemodynamic response of subanesthetic ketamine infusions for TRD.“)
• Listening to music during intranasal (es)ketamine therapy in patients with treatment-resistant depression correlates with better tolerability and reduced anxiety (February, n=37, similar (but different participants) study on music during (es)ketamine, “istening to music during intranasal (es)ketamine therapy appears to be linked to reduced anxiety and lower blood pressure, stable or increased dissociation levels, and improved tolerance for higher doses.“)
• Cortical thickness of the posterior cingulate cortex is associated with the ketamine-induced altered sense of self: An ultra-high field MRI study (February, n=35, ketamine healthy volunteers fMRI study, “We observed a negative correlation between the PCC cortical thickness and the disembodiment scores (R = -0.54, p < 0.001). In contrast, no significant association was found between the pgACC cortical thickness and the ketamine-induced altered sense of self.“)
• Cognitive outcomes from the randomised, active-controlled Ketamine for Adult Depression Study (KADS) (February, n=86 (across two cohorts), “Results showed that in Cohort 1, there were no differences between ketamine and midazolam in cognitive outcomes. For Cohort 2, there was similarly no difference between conditions for cognitive outcomes.“)
• Hippocampal volume changes after (R,S)-ketamine administration in patients with major depressive disorder and healthy volunteers (February, n=44 + 47, ketamine, reanalysis, “At 10 days post-infusion, a slight increase was observed between ketamine and placebo scans in whole left amygdalar volume in individuals with TRD.“)
• Neurophysiological evidence that frontoparietal connectivity and GABA-A receptor changes underpin the antidepressant response to ketamine (February, n=30, ketamine for MDD, “We found a significant increase in parietal-to-frontal AMPA-mediated connectivity and a significant decrease in the frontal GABA time constant. Both parameter changes were correlated across participants with the antidepressant response to ketamine. Changes to the NMDA receptor time constant and inhibitory intraneuronal input into superficial pyramidal cells did not survive correction for multiple comparisons and were not correlated with the antidepressant response.”)
• Repeated dosing with oral racemic ketamine as a successful rescue intervention for coping with life events in recurrent major depressive disorder (February, case report, n=1, ketamine for MDD)
• Case report: Adult with bipolar disorder and autism treated with ketamine assisted psychotherapy (February, case report, n=1, ketamine for bipolar and autism)
• Anhedonia and depression severity measures during ketamine administration in treatment-resistant depression (February, n=28, post-hoc analysis of ketamine study, open-label, “Results show that responders significantly improve in anhedonia over time (p=0.0084) and at the 7th infusion and follow-up (both p<0.05). Non-responders reported significant reduction in anhedonia over time (p=0.0011) and at the 5th, 7th infusion and at the follow-up (all p’s<0.05).“)
• Ketamine for depressive symptoms: A retrospective chart review of a private ketamine clinic (February, n=154, retrospective, real-world, ketamine for depression)
• Psilocybin and the Development of Serotonin Toxicity (February, n=1, serotonin syndrome after psilocybin in combination with SSRIs)
• Patient-reported outcomes on sleep quality and circadian rhythm during treatment with intravenous ketamine for treatment-resistant depression (March, n=40/29 (follow-up), ketamine for TRD, open-label “IV ketamine may improve sleep quality and advance circadian rhythm in individuals with TRD. Effects may differ in individuals with mixed features of depression as compared to those without.“)
• Perioperative Adjunctive Esketamine for Postpartum Depression Among Women Undergoing Elective Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Clinical Trial (March, n=298, RCT, esketamine for PPD, “The prevalence of depression symptoms was significantly lower among patients given esketamine compared with controls (23.0% [34 of 148] vs 35.3% [53 of 150]; odds ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.33-0.91; P = .02) on postpartum day 7.“)
• Efficacy and safety of ketamine for pediatric and adolescent super-refractory status epilepticus and the effect of cerebral inflammatory conditions (March, ketamine for epilepsy, “Ketamine administration was associated with fewer serious adverse events and a reduced seizure frequency. Additionally, inflammatory conditions may weaken the efficacy of ketamine in patients with SRSE.‘)
• Brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met and CYP2B6 polymorphisms as predictors for ketamine effectiveness in patients with treatment-resistant depression (March, n=85, genetic differences x ketamine efficacy, “ Val66Met and CYP2B6 did not significantly predict changes in symptoms of depression, suicide, anxiety, or average dissociation.“)
• Synergistic use of deep TMS therapy with IV ketamine infusions for major depressive disorder: a pilot study (March, n=235, TMS or TMS + ketamine, “In both treatment groups, depressive symptoms were significantly reduced from pre-to-post and there were no significant differences in response between the TMS + ketamine condition and the TMS-only condition.“)
• Depressed and Nowhere to go for help: Using Telepsychiatry and Intramuscular Ketamine to Treat a Suicidal Patient with Huntington’s Disease in the General Hospital (March, n=1, case study, “Here we present a case of a patient with Huntington’s disease, depression, and active suicidal thinking where intramuscular ketamine was used and psychiatric care was delivered virtually to a medical unit.“)
• Predicting non-response to ketamine for depression: An exploratory symptom-level analysis of real-world data among military veterans (March, n=120, ketamine for depression, “[W]e could identify 22 % of patients who would not respond based purely on their baseline symptoms. This approach could inform rational treatment recommendations to avoid additional treatment failures.“)
• Single arketamine in treatment resistant depression: Presentation of 3 cases with regard to sick-leave duration (March, n=3, case series, “Case analyses revealed significant symptom reduction and improved social and vocational functioning, with reduced sick leaves and hospitalizations post-treatment. However, one case developed a substance use disorder, underscoring the need for vigilant monitoring.“)
• Effectiveness of psilocybin on depression: a qualitative study (March, n=10, qualitative interview study)
• High-order brain interactions in ketamine during rest and task: A double-blinded cross-over design using portable EEG (March, n=30, pre-print, ketamine neuroimaging study, “Ketamine appears to increase redundancy and genuine HOI across metrics, suggesting these effects correlate with consciousness alterations towards dissociation.“)
• Exploring the Efficacy of Ketamine as an Anesthetic and Antidepressant in Postpartum Depression: A Case Study Analysis (February, n=1, case study, “We present a case of a woman with a history of depression who delivered four children by cesarean section with debilitating postpartum depression in two births and no symptoms of depression in the births where she received ketamine during delivery.“)
• Effects of esketamine nasal spray on depressive symptom severity in adults with treatment-resistant depression and associations between the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (April, tbd)
• Acute Dissociation and Ketamine’s Antidepressant and Anti-Suicidal Ideation Effects in a Midazolam-controlled Trial (April, n=40, “We did not find evidence that ketamine’s acute, transient dissociative or psychotomimetic effects are associated with its antidepressant or anti-suicidal ideation actions.“)
• Ketamine Infusion in a Resistant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Patient in Bangladesh with Severe Suicidal Ideation: A Case Report (April, n=1, case study, “ The improvement was sustained until discharge (one week after the last infusion) and subsequent follow-up in the sixth and 12^th weeks.”)
• From Psychedelic Exploration to Psychosis: A Unique Case Report Demonstrating the Susceptibility to Schizophrenia Unveiled by a Single LSD Experience (April, n=1, case study, poster presentation)
• A First Trimester Exposure to Ketamine and Esketamine for Depression: A Case Report (April, n=1, case report)
• Ketamine can produce oscillatory dynamics by engaging mechanisms dependent on the kinetics of NMDA receptors (April, n=1, case study (EEG), high (anaesthetic dose of ketamine), “We have discovered how impaired NMDA-receptor kinetics can cause disinhibition in neuronal circuits and how a disinhibited interaction between NMDA-receptor-mediated excitation and GABA-receptor-mediated inhibition can produce gamma oscillations at high and low doses, and slow-delta oscillations at high doses.“)
• Psychotic Symptoms Following Ayahuasca Use in a Ceremonial Setting (n=1, case study, “We present a case of persistent psychotic symptoms following ayahuasca use in a patient with no history of psychiatric disorders.“)
• Efficacy of Esketamine among patients with treatment resistant depression in a ‘real world’ health-care setting in Israel (April, n=94, real-world study of esketamine for depression (MDD), “Linear improvement of depressive symptoms was revealed in both phases. A sub-analysis of patients with comorbid personality disorder revealed a similar improvement pattern in the acute phase with milder improvement during the maintenance phase, compared to the other patients.“)
• Cerebrospinal fluid metabolomes of treatment-resistant depression subtypes and ketamine response: a pilot study (April, n=29, retrospective analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), “This small pilot study suggests that complex treatment-resistant depression can be mapped onto a 2-dimensional pathophysiological domain.”)
• Long-term follow-up of participants in ketamine clinical trials for mood disorders (April, n=203, follow-up study, “Participants who received ketamine in an NIMH clinical trial were more likely to receive ketamine/esketamine post-discharge, but none reported symptoms indicating abuse.“)
• Long-term benefits to psychological health and well-being after ceremonial use of Ayahuasca in Middle Eastern and North African immigrants and refugees (April, n=15, longitudinal survey study, “Our findings revealed ceremonial use of ayahuasca is associated with significant improvements in mental health, well-being, and psychological functioning, including reductions in depression, anxiety, and shame, and increases in cognitive reappraisal and self-compassion. Most participants reported no lasting adverse effects and experienced notable positive behavioral changes persisting months after ingestion.“)
• Feasibility and effectiveness study of applying a hallucinogen harm reduction and integration model to a mindfulness thinking intervention using virtual reality: A randomized controlled trial (April, n=76, RCT of VR with harm reduction education, “ The VR positive thinking program developed based on PHRI can significantly increase the positive thinking state and emotional arousal and activation of the general population participants but does not directly lead to the growth of positive emotions.“)
• A retrospective analysis of iv ketamine outcome on hospitalizations in an unselected psychiatric sample (April, n=46, shows the effectiveness of ketamine (short-term) but no impact on hospitalizations (long-term))
• Palliative care patients’ attitudes and openness towards psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for existential distress (May, n=32, “This pilot study provides insights into the attitudes and concerns toward PAT among patients with incurable illnesses. Over half of participants expressed interest. However, concerns regarding its use were identified, with patients’ concern for the risk of exploitation associated with PAT as an especially novel concern documented in this patient population.”)
• Is Use of Psychedelic Drugs a Risk or Protective Factor for Late-Life Cognitive Decline? (May, analysis of survey data, n=2500, “After controlling for covariates, the finding revealed that psychedelic usage was independently associated with more favorable changes in executive function (β=.102, SE=0.047, p=.031) and less depressive symptoms (β=−.090, SE=0.021, p<.001). The same effect was not found for episodic memory (β=.039, SE=0.066, p=.553).“)
• Subcutaneous ketamine reduces suicide risk and improves functioning in depression: A proof-of-concept study (May, n=26, “A clear dose-response relationship was established, indicating that higher doses of ketamine were associated with more significant improvements in depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and overall functionality. Follow-up assessments suggested that these improvements were sustained over time.“)
• Rapid and sustained antidepressant effects of intravenous ketamine in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation: a randomized clinical trial (May, n=64, ketamine (35mg/70kg), finds immediate effect)
• The Complexities of Kratom: Insights on an Increasingly Frequent Clinical Encounter (May, n=1, case report, “Notably, our case highlights kratom’s contributions to a medically complex presentation and potential kratom-drug interactions due to its posited inhibitory effect on cytochrome P450 enzymes and Pglycoprotein.”)
• Very Low-Dose Sublingual Ketamine for Borderline Personality Disorder and Treatment-Resistant Depression (May, n=1, case report, “We present a case report of a woman with BPD and TRD who responded to treatment with very low-dose sublingual ketamine.“)
• Treatment of catatonia using ketamine in a patient with physical comorbidities (May, n=1, case report, “This case report describes the successful use of intravenous ketamine in a bipolar catatonic patient with narrowed treatment options due to several medical comorbidities.“)
• Treatment Patterns, Acute Healthcare Resource Use, and Costs of Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression Completing Induction Phase of Esketamine in the United States (May, n=322, real-world esketamine (Spravato) use, “Patients generally required more time than label recommendation to complete esketamine induction treatment, and most went on to have 12 or more esketamine sessions. Completion of induction treatment correlated with reductions in mean all-cause and MH-related acute healthcare costs. Larger reductions were seen in the subgroup of prior acute healthcare users.“)
• Psychedelics Use and the Risk of Reduced Formal Mental Health Care (May, pre-print, using data from NSDUH, “Overall, the results suggest psychedelic users are less likely to use formal mental health care, even when they are particularly distress, indicating a heightened societal risk of self-medication as these drugs become more widely available.“)
• Stutterers’ Experiences on Classic Psychedelics: A Preliminary Self-Report Study (May, analysis of Reddit posts, n=114, effects of psychedelics on stuttering, “Descriptive statistics revealed that the majority of users (74.0%) reported positive overall short-term effects particularly related to behavioral and emotional change (e.g., reduced stuttering and anxiety), but negative (9.6%), mixed (positive and negative; 4.8%), and neutral overall experiences (11.6%) were also reported. The results support the possibility that psychedelics my impact stuttering, but caution must be applied in their interpretation given the entirely uncontrolled research setting and potential adverse health effects of psychedelics as reported elsewhere.“)
• Comparison of Effects of Propofol Combined with Different Doses of Esketamine for ECT in the Treatment of Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol (May, RCT, n=111, “This study aimed to compare the effects of propofol combined with different doses of esketamine for ECT. The results may provide a better choice for ECT anesthesia.“)
• Oral ketamine effects on dynamics of functional network connectivity in patients treated for chronic suicidality (May, n=39, “These findings suggested that ketamine enhanced brain changes among different synchronisation patterns and enabled high synchronisation patterns in the long term, providing a possible biological pathway for its suicide-prevention effects. Moreover, differences in cognitive control states at baseline may be used for precise ketamine treatment planning.“)
• A retrospective study of the characteristics and toxicology of cases of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)- and psilocybin-related death in Australia (May, safety, n=43, “Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)- and psilocybin-related death in Australia from 2000 to 2023 was primarily due to traumatic injury, whether through accident or self-harm. Cases of acute toxic reactions that were attributed solely to LSD were rare.“)
• A thematic analysis of MDMA-related harm and harm reduction experiences and knowledge in Aotearoa New Zealand (May, n=60, interview study, “We discuss the implications for MDMA consumers and aim to inform national drug policy and the harm reduction practices of consumers and organisations, for the ultimate purpose of reducing MDMA-related harm in Aotearoa New Zealand.“)
• Efficacy of addition of the anti-inflammatory, IV glutathione to standard ketamine IV therapy in major depressive disorder (May, RCT, n=30, “here were significant drops in BDI-II scores from day 1 to day 14, PHQ- scores from day 1 to day 14 and PHQ-9 scores day 14 to day 28, suggesting the overall treatment was effective. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups over time. However, a sustained improvement in depressive symptoms was observed for 14 days post-infusion in both groups.“)
• Recurrent Serotonin Syndrome After Ketamine-assisted Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature (May, case report, n=1, “We describe the case of a 72-year-old woman who developed recurrent [serotonin syndrome] on 2 occasions in similar circumstances involving the administration of ketamine for ECT.”)
• Increasing the bioavailability of oral esketamine by a single dose of cobicistat: A case study (May, case report, n=1, “Our findings demonstrate that cobicistat effectively increases the bioavailability of oral esketamine.“)
• From Wheelchair Bound to Working: A Case Study of Intravenous Ketamine Infusions in Treating Stiff Person Syndrome (May, case report, n=1, “This case illustrates the potential benefits of IV ketamine treatment for patients with treatment-resistant SPS and similar neurologic and autoimmune disorders.“)
• Results of esketamine administration in a Greek population; a case series (May, case series, n=5, “Patients followed an individualized treatment plan for seven to twelve months depending on the achievement of an adequate response. Statistical analysis of the results revealed a significant improvement (p<0.05) on all scales used. All participants maintained their level of improvement at follow-up after twelve months.”)
• Efficacy of a single low dose of esketamine after childbirth for mothers with symptoms of prenatal depression: randomised clinical trial (May, RCT, n=364, “For mothers with prenatal depression, a single low dose of esketamine after childbirth decreases major depressive episodes at 42 days post partum by about three quarters.“)
• Long-COVID symptoms improved after MDMA and psilocybin therapy: A case report (May, case study, n=1, “We present a case of a 41-year-old fully vaccinated female with Long-COVID syndrome who obtained significant symptomatic relief by self-prescribing psilocybin and MDMA.“)
• At-home, telehealth-supported ketamine treatment for depression: Findings from longitudinal, machine learning and symptom network analysis of real-world data (May, n=11.411 data from patients analysed, “At-home, telehealth-supported ketamine administration was largely safe, well-tolerated, and associated with improvement in patients with depression. Strategies for combining psychedelic-oriented therapies with rigorous telehealth models, as explored here, may uniquely address barriers to mental health treatment.“)
• Navigating Treatment Challenges: A Case Study on Refractory Psychosis in a Chronic MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) User (May, n=1, case study, “We describe a case of a 23-year-old woman with chronic MDMA use disorder and childhood trauma, who presented with severe psychosis and catatonic features. While initial diagnostic possibilities included drug-induced psychosis and mood disorders, the patient’s history and presentation supported a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder with psychotic features, which was exacerbated by MDMA use.“)
• Subanaesthetic ketamine suppresses locus coeruleus mediated alertness effects – a 7T fMRI study (June, n=35, “The results shed new light on the neural correlates of ketamine beyond the glutamatergic system and underpin a new concept of how it may unfold its antidepressant effects.“)
• A Case of Stress-Induced Cardiomyopathy After Ketamine Infusion (May, case report, n=1, “She received a ketamine infusion as a mental health treatment shortly before the development of symptoms, suggesting that this medication may have precipitated her cardiomyopathy.“)
• Effects of ketamine on the severity of depression and anxiety following postoperative mechanical ventilation: a single-blind randomized clinical trial in Iran (May, RCT, n=50, ketamine after operation, “The mean scores of depression at 2 months (P=0.01) and 6 months (P=0.03) after discharge were significantly lower in the ketamine group than in the midazolam and morphine group. The mean anxiety scores were significantly lower in the ketamine group 2 weeks (P=0.006) and 6 months (P=0.002) after discharge.“)
• Ketamine Induced Acute Systolic Heart Failure (April, case study, n=1, “Ketamine use disorder can lead to severe cardiovascular complications, including acute systolic heart failure, likely due to its direct negative inotropic effects and dose-dependent impact on cardiac function.Clinicians should consider screening for ketamine use disorder in young adults presenting with acute systolic heart failure, especially when other common aetiologies have been ruled out.“)
• Improvement in depressive symptoms in a patient with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa and comorbid major depressive disorder using psychotherapy-assisted IV ketamine : a case report (June, n=1, case report, “Our case is unique in that it demonstrates the successful usage of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in a hospital setting with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa and comorbid major depressive disorder.“)
• Ketamine Therapy in Complex Cases: A Cautionary Tale of Exacerbated Personality Traits and the Crucial Role of Comprehensive Follow-Up and Psychosocial Interventions (June, n=1, case report, “This case underscores the importance of cautious administration of ketamine, especially in patients with personality disorders, and calls for deeper understanding and individualized treatment plans in mental health care.“)
• Hypertensive Emergency Secondary to Combining Psilocybin Mushrooms, Extended Release Dextroamphetamine-Amphetamine, and Tranylcypromine (June, n=1, case report, “ We suspect phenylethylamine, found in Psilocybe cubensis and other species of psilocybin mushrooms, interacted with tranylcypromine and dextroamphetamine-amphetamine to produce this hypertensive emergency.”)
• Ketamine reduces the neural distinction between self- and other-produced affective touch: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study (June, n=30, RCT, ketamine, “These results demonstrate that disrupting the self-experience through ketamine administration affects neural activity associated with self-other-differentiation in a region involved in touch perception and social cognition, especially with regard to social touch by someone else. This process may be driven by ketamine-induced effects on top-down signaling, rendering the processing of predictable self-generated and unpredictable other-generated touch more similar.“)
• Psilocybin: Medicine for My Soul. Relief from Emotional and Spiritual Pain as a Hospice Nurse Diagnosed with Cancer (June, n=1, case study)
• Rapid and long-lasting effects of subcutaneous esketamine on suicidality: An open-label study in patients with treatment-resistant depression (June, n=18, esketamine for SI, open-label, “Moreover, notably, 61% of patients achieved remission on suicidality (MADRS). These results suggest that weekly subcutaneous esketamine injections offer a cost-effective approach that induces a rapid and sustained response to anti-suicide treatment.“)
• Modulation of habenular and nucleus accumbens functional connectivity by ketamine in major depression (June, n=58, open-label, “Subanesthetic ketamine modulates functional pathways linking the Hb and NAc with visual, parietal, and cerebellar regions in MDD. Overlapping effects between Hb and NAc functional systems were associated with ketamine’s therapeutic response.“)
• Can Past Psychedelic Use Mitigate the Severity of Opioid Use Disorder?: Case Report of a Musician (June, n=1, case report, “We present a case of an award winning musician with an extensive history of hallucinogen use during his early life and how this impacted his overall wellbeing and opioid experience.“)
• Blood pressure changes during ketamine infusion for the treatment of depression (July, n=138, retrospective chart study, “Ketamine infusions can cause significant blood pressure increases, particularly in older and hypertensive patients, highlighting the need for careful cardiovascular monitoring to mitigate risks during treatment.“)
• Intravenous Ketamine for Cancer Pain: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis Comparing Fixed-Rate Versus Weight-Based Dosing (July, n=105, retrospective review, “Responders had lower fixed-rate ketamine doses compared to non-responders (median[IQR] 15 mg/hr[10-15] vs. 15 mg/hr[15-20], p = 0.043), but no difference in retrospectively calculated weight-based doses (0.201 ± 0.09 mg/kg/hr vs. 0.209 ± 0.08 mg/kg/hr, p = 0.59). Responders had higher daily opioid requirements at baseline compared to non-responders (p = 0.04). Though underpowered, our findings suggest that weight-based ketamine dosing may not convey additional benefit over fixed-rate dosing.“)
• Understanding profiles of patients with treatment-resistant depression by stringency of health plan prior authorization criteria for approval of esketamine nasal spray (July, n=168, retrospective real-world data analysis, “Regardless of health plan stringency, on average, patients exceeded US label-mandated number of antidepressant trials before esketamine initiation, which questions the need for health insurance plans PA criteria above label.“)
• Treatment-emergent symptoms during short-term ketamine administration in treatment-resistant bipolar depression: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study (July, n=22, retrospective, “Treatment-emergent symptoms TES were defined as symptoms absent at baseline but present at the conclusion of the study. The most common TES included decreased appetite, increased weight, hypersomnia, and diurnal mood variation. Conversely, feelings of sadness, altered perceptions of the future, decreased interest in sex, and physical discomfort were absent in all patients. Notably, 13.6 % of patients reported thoughts of death or suicide.“)
• A randomized controlled pilot study of daily intravenous ketamine over three days for treatment-resistant depression (July, =20, RCT, “Intravenous ketamine given for three consecutive days did not show a notable antidepressant advantage when compared to the active placebo midazolam, highlighting the need for further research into effective treatments schedules for treatment-resistant depression.“)
• Tratamiento con microdosis de hongos con psilocibina en trastorno depresivo mayor: reporte de un caso (July, Spanish, n=1, case report, “The intervention resulted in complete symptomatic remission, suspension of conventional pharmacological treatment, with no discontinuation symptoms, and improvements in communication, social interaction, and general well-being.“)
• The psychedelic mind: Current user perceptions of psychedelic drugs and their use (July, n=19, interview study, “Four themes were produced: (1) a negative historical influence on current perceptions of psychedelics; (2) knowledge is key but not everyone has it; (3) prohibition is not working, policy needs to change; (4) psychedelics have therapeutic potential. These themes emphasise key features of people with experience of psychedelic drugs’ current views and highlight potential areas for future investigation and intervention.“)
• Effects of Low-Dose Ketamine Infusion on the Positive and Negative Domains of Hopelessness and Suicidal Thoughts (July, n=84, RCT, “A single infusion of low-dose ketamine resulted in a brief (∼4 hours) yet significant reduction in hopelessness. Subjective antisuicidal effects of ketamine were noted on Day 2 postinfusion. Further studies are needed to elucidate the neuromechanisms underlying the antihopelessness and antisuicidal effects of ketamine.“)
• Baseline monocyte count predicts symptom improvement during intravenous ketamine therapy in treatment-resistant depression: a single-arm open-label observational study (July, n=27, ketamine for TRD, open-label, “Our prospective single-arm open-label observational study demonstrated that baseline AMC reliably predicted symptom improvement during intravenous ketamine treatment in TRD patients. AMC could therefore serve as a simple and easily accessible marker for symptom improvement during ketamine therapy in daily clinical practice.“)
• A randomised, open-label, pragmatic pilot comparison of oral and intravenous ketamine in treatment-resistant depression (July, comparison of oral vs iv-ketamine, n=61, “Overall dropout was lower with oral than with iv ketamine (26.7 % vs 54.8 %; P=0.03). The 2 groups did not differ in depression ratings and in response and remission rates on all instruments on both days 14 and 30. Adverse events such as headache (56.7 % vs 74.2 %) and drowsiness (0.0 % vs 22.6 %) were less common with oral ketamine.“)
• High-order brain interactions in ketamine during rest and task: a double-blinded cross-over design using portable EEG on male participants (July, n=30, RCT, “ Ketamine induced an increase in redundancy in brain dynamics (copies of the same information that can be retrieved from 3 or more electrodes), most significantly in the alpha frequency band. Redundancy was more evident during resting state, associated with a shift in conscious states towards more dissociative tendencies. Furthermore, in the task-driven context (auditory oddball), the impact of ketamine on redundancy was more significant for predictable (standard stimuli) compared to deviant ones.“)
• Multiple Episodes of Cardiac Arrest Induced by Treatment With Ibogaine: A Case Report (June, case report, n=1, “e report a case of long QT leading to multiple episodes of cardiac arrest after a single dose of ibogaine (200mg, 2.6mg/Kg) in a patient without structural heart disease. This case highlights the fact that even low doses of ibogaine can be lethal and warns us about the consequences of its use.“)
• Serotoninergic antidepressants combination in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy: a case report (July, case report, n=1, “Since he displayed a partial response after the first PAP session, he agreed to discontinue duloxetine (but refused to stop vortioxetine) before the second PAP session to see if it could improve the therapeutic efficacy of psilocybin. However, his anxiety and depressive symptoms worsened. Psilocybin was well-tolerated in both PAP sessions; mild headaches were the main adverse effects experienced by the patient, and there were no cardiovascular safety concerns. This case report suggests that serotoninergic antidepressants combination with psilocybin appears to be safe and that antidepressant discontinuation prior to PAP may not be necessary. Since the continuation of antidepressants during PAP has the potential to improve treatment acceptability and accessibility, future research should assess whether psilocybin can be administered concurrently with antidepressants.“)
• Ayahuasca-induced serotonin syndrome: About a case (August, case report, n=1, “Multiple reports in the literature discuss psychotic disorders especially from DMT use in ayahuasca preparation; however, the occurrence of prolonged psychotic symptoms beyond 48 hours is considered exceptional and has been described in patients with personal and family histories of psychosis, mania, hypomania, or abuse of psychoactive substances.“)
• Successful treatment for serious depression with suicidal risk in a heart transplant patient (August, case report, n=1, “Ketamine infusion was shown to be an effective and safe option to treat major depression with suicidal risk in a heart transplant patient.“)
• Ecstasy-Induced Rhabdomyolysis Leading to Severe Acute Kidney Injury Requiring Temporary Hemodialysis: A High Risk for Recurrence With Repeated Exposure (July, case report, n=1, “Our patient used MDMA two times in his life, and on each occasion, he had severe rhabdomyolysis with severe acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring temporary hemodialysis.“)
• Non-improvement predicts subsequent non-response to repeated-dose intravenous ketamine for depression: a re-analysis of a 2-week open-label study in patients with unipolar and bipolar depression (August, n=135, “No significant reduction in depressive symptoms was seen in non-improvers following the remaining infusions after the above-identified point. Our study suggests that non-improvement after four infusions, or more conservatively three consecutive non-improvements after three infusions, could serve as a signal of overall non-response to repeated-dose intravenous ketamine for depression and that subsequent treatments would not be warranted.“)
• Compassionate use of esketamine intranasal in patients with severe major depressive disorder resistant to the treatment (August, n=71, retrospective, “ESK-IN has proven to be effective and safe in a clinical sample of patients with severe TRD. To optimize clinical outcomes, the pharmacological treatment for TRD should always be integrated into a comprehensive therapeutic plan that encompasses strategies such as psychotherapy, social support, and family interventions.“)
• Effect of esketamine on serum neurotransmitters in patients with postpartum depression: a randomized controlled trial (August, n=315, RCT, “Small doses of esketamine can increase the serum concentration of 5-HT,DA,BDNF, and in the short term, decrease EPDS scores, and improve postpartum depressive symptoms.“)
• IN Esketamine and IV Ketamine: Results of a multi-site observational study assessing the effectiveness and tolerability of two novel therapies for treatment-resistant depression (August, n=53, observational, “Both IV ketamine and IN esketamine significantly reduced depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation by treatment endpoint. Patients receiving IN esketamine, and patients receiving IV ketamine had a similar risk of developing side effects. All side effects reported were mild and transient. These results suggested that both IV ketamine and IN esketamine are effective in the management of depressive symptoms and were well tolerated.“)
• Case report: two cases of rhabdomyolysis following esketamine treatment (August, case reports, n=2, “We found no literature on esketamine-induced rhabdomyolysis following the administration of nasal esketamine. However, these two cases emphasize the need of monitoring for laboratory changes like elevated CK-levels in patients receiving esketamine, especially considering its growing use in treatment-resistant depression.”)
• Drug-induced psychosis following use of Ayahuasca: a presentation to forensic psychiatric services (August, case report, n=1, “Previous case reports have described psychosis following Ayahuasca ingestion, but typically of short duration in patients with a personal or family history of psychiatric illness, or in those taking other substances. With the growing use of Ayahuasca, it is important to highlight that adverse effects may include more prolonged psychotic symptoms and the risk of psychotically mediated violence.“)
• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Discontinuation for Psilocybin Treatment and Contributions to Alcohol Addiction Relapse: A Cautionary Tale (August, case report, n=1, relapse after psychedelic treatment – and stopping SSRIs)
• Intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with esketamine improves early depressive symptoms in patients with postherpetic neuralgia: a single-center retrospective cohort study (August, n=83, ketamine for anxiety and depression in those with PHN)
• Breathwork-induced psychedelic experiences modulate neural dynamics (August, n=14, breathwork study)
• Neurocognitive changes in a patient receiving esketamine for treatment-resistant depression (August, case report, n=1, “This case report focuses on a patient whose neurocognitive symptoms worsened with esketamine treatment, necessitating treatment discontinuation.“)
• Guiding Through Challenging Psychedelic Experiences and “Bad Trips” (August, n=3, case series, in academic book chapter, “[T]his article outlines a stepwise approach, encompassing helpful interventions, supportive care, and rescue medication, to ensure the well-being of individuals undergoing challenging psychedelic experiences and prevent further complications and long-term harm.“)
• Retrospective case study: ketogenic metabolic therapy in the effective management of treatment-resistant depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder (August, case study, n=1, “This study enriches the metabolic psychiatry literature, emphasizing KMT’s potential benefits by integrating quantitative data from recognized psychiatric assessment tools and qualitative insights.“)
• The effect of intranasal (R,S)-ketamine on symptoms of fatigue in severe major depressive disorder or bipolar depression with and without comorbid alcohol use disorder: Results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (August, RCT, n=28, ketamine for fatigue (in patients with depression), “IN ketamine appears to induce rapid anti-fatigue effects in individuals with severe MDD and BDep both with and without comorbid AUD. This suggests that IN ketamine holds potential as an alternative, rapid-acting, anti-fatigue option for different medical conditions.“)
• Efficacy and safety of intravenous ketamine treatment in Japanese patients with treatment-resistant depression: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (August, RCT, n=34, ketamine for TRD in Japanese population, “Intravenous ketamine outperformed placebo in Japanese patients with TRD who completed the study, suggesting that ketamine could alleviate depressive symptoms of TRD across diverse ethnic populations.“)
• Heart Rate Variability as a Potential Predictor of Response to Intranasal Esketamine in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Preliminary Report (August, n=18, “These preliminary observations suggest a mutual interaction between esketamine and HRV, especially in relation to treatment response. Further studies are required to investigate electrophysiological profiles among predictors of response to ESK-NS and allow for personalized intervention strategies in TRD that still represent a public health concern.“)
• Combined Effects of Nasal Ketamine and Trauma-Focused Psychotherapy in Treatment-Resistant Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Case Series (August, n=3, case series, “Despite potential variations in clinical profiles among the patients, the therapy program demonstrated positive outcomes for all participants. Nasally administered ketamine was well tolerated and resulted in immediate symptom reduction in tension, anxiety, and common PTSD symptoms.“)
• Psychedelic-assisted therapy for palliative care within a home treatment setting: A case report (August, n=1, case report, “The present case study describes the safety of PAT as a home-based intervention for a patient with throat cancer experiencing significant existential distress. The patient tolerated the intervention well and was asked to report on measures of anxiety, depression, and distress related to his somatic condition.“)
• Treatment of New Daily Persistent Headache With Esketamine: Report of One Case (August, case study, n=1, Chinese article, “Here we report a case of refractory NDPH treated by intravenous injection of esketamine at a sub-anesthetic dose.“)
• The quest for optimal ketamine dosing formula in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (August, n=28, retrospective analysis of open-label study, “Regardless of treatment response, defined as a reduction of 50% in the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, the use of alternative ketamine dosing formulas resulted in underdosing compared to the standardized dose of 0.5 mg/kg. Only two participants received higher doses (102.7% and 113.0%) when the Devine formula was applied.“)
• Ketamine Therapy in Patients of Alcohol Use Disorder: A Prospective Pilot Study to Evaluate Abstinence Rate with This Add-on Treatment Modality (August, n=18, ketamine for alcoholism (AUD), “The study revealed a significant increase in mean confidence scores after three ketamine sessions, with a final assessment showing a 51.98% increase in confidence from baseline.“)
• Exploring vortioxetine combination with intranasal esketamine: A feasible alternative to SSRI/SNRI? – Insights from the REAL-ESK study (September, n=20, retrospective analysis of REAL-ESK study, “The combination of Vortioxetine [antidepressant that works differently than SSRI or SNRI] and ESK-NS was as effective as the standard-of-care in reducing depressive symptoms, with a higher effect size in reducing emotional blunting at T2. The safety and tolerability profile of the Vortioxetine+ESK-NS combination appeared to be better, with a lower rate of treatment-emergent adverse events.“)
• Fire Kasina advanced meditation produces experiences comparable to psychedelic and near-death experiences: A pilot study (September, n=6, psychedelic-like experiences in advanced meditators)
• MDMA(“Ecstasy”) abuse leading to delayed onset rhabdomyolysis: A case report and literature review (September, n=1, “This case present nontraumatic cause of rhabdomyolysis. These adverse effects resulting in rhabdomyolysis are usually acute in onset. Thus, very few instances of delayed rhabdomyolysis have been reported in cases of MDMA abuse.“)
• Efficacy and safety of esketamine versus propofol in electroconvulsive therapy for treatment-resistant depression: A randomized, double-blind, controlled, non-inferiority trial (September, n=40, RCT, “Esketamine was non-inferior to propofol when both are used as anesthetics for TRD patients undergoing ECT. Replication studies with larger samples are needed to examine the inconclusive results.“)
• Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Brain Cancer Related Existential Distress: A Case-Report (September, n=1, case report, “PAT was effective in partially alleviating the patient’s existential distress. Access to PAT needs to be expanded urgently.“)
• Residual Depressive Symptoms in Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Depression Following Short-Term Ketamine Administration (September, retrospective analysis, n=22, “The most commonly persistent depressive symptoms included sad mood (85.7%), view of my future (78.6%), difficulty falling asleep, and leaden paralysis/physical energy (both 71.4%), with the most severe being difficulty falling asleep (64.3%) and sad mood (42.9%).“)
• Refractory CRPS pain treated with psilocybin: A case report (September, n=1, case report, “This case report highlights the potential of psilocybin as a treatment for CRPS. The promising results observed in this case and the 2023 case series suggest that psilocybin could represent a valuable addition to the existing treatment options for CRPS, particularly for patients who have not responded to conventional therapies.”)
• Ketamine Terminating Persistent Ventricular Tachycardia (August, n=1, case report, “This case highlights a patient with ischemic cardiomyopathy in refractory VT storm terminated by administration of ketamine.“)
• Functional connectivity subtypes during a positive mood induction: Predicting clinical response in a randomized controlled trial of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression (September, RCT, n=152, ketamine, “Two connectivity-based subgroups were identified: Subgroup A (n = 110) and Subgroup B (n = 42). We observed that treatment response was moderated by an infusion type by subgroup interaction (p = .040). For patients receiving ketamine, subgroup did not predict treatment response (β = -.326, p = .499). However, subgroup predicted response for saline patients. Subgroup B individuals, relative to A, were more likely to be saline responders at 24-hr postinfusion (β = -2.146, p = .007).“)
• Repeated subcutaneous esketamine on treatment-resistant depression: An open-label dose titration study (September, n=30, open-label, “At the end of the treatment, a partial response rate of 26.09 %, a response rate of 52.17 % and remission rate of 34.78 % were observed. The self-reported depressive symptoms, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory II, significantly decreased from the baseline to the final session, and the improvements were sustained throughout the week. Follow-up evaluations up to the sixth month consistently showed scores lower than the baseline.“)
• A Multi-Center, Open-Label, Single-Arm Study to Investigate the Early Effectiveness of Esketamine Nasal Spray in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression Using a Mobile Self-Monitoring Application (September, open-label, “Using [esketamine], complemented by mobile self-monitoring, effectively reduces the symptoms of TRD early in the treatment course. Integrating mobile health technology into the therapeutic regimen highlights a significant advancement in managing TRD, offering patients and clinicians immediate feedback on treatment efficacy.“)
• Intravenous ketamine successfully treats treatment-resistant catatonia in schizophrenia: A case report (October, n=1, case report, “Intravenous ketamine single infusion may be a safe and feasible option in schizophrenia patients with drug-resistant catatonia, particularly in patients for whom standard therapies are ineffective.“)
• Efficacy and Safety of Ketamine/Esketamine in Bipolar Depression in a Clinical Setting (October, n=45, bipolar depression x ketamine, “In a small sample of patients with bipolar depression treated with ketamine/esketamine, no evidence of mania/hypomania was seen during the acute phase of treatment.“)
• Ayahuasca in the treatment of bipolar disorder with psychotic features (October, n=1, case study, “The first interview was conducted 1.5 years after her first ceremony, and a follow-up interview 2.5 years later. She had experienced sixteen additional ceremonies, recognized the validity of her bipolar disorder diagnosis, and believed her early trauma to be its sole cause. Her core trauma remained partially unresolved, but her dissociative symptoms continued to decrease. She had observed several other instances of psychosis and bipolar disorder in which ayahuasca had resulted in positive effects.“)
• Memory, trauma, and self: Remembering and recovering from sexual abuse in psychedelic-assisted therapy (October, n=2, case report, “This study underscores the importance of memory and self-narrative in the therapeutic landscape of psychedelic-assisted therapy for trauma. The article concludes by advocating for continued exploration in future research regarding the complex dynamics of memory and self-narrative in the healing journey within psychedelic science and trauma studies.“)
• Long-Term Effects of Single and Repeated Ketamine Infusions on Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Retrospective Chart Review Study (October, n=14, retrospective, “Results indicated that ketamine has the potential to be an effective and enduring intervention for TRD, adding treatment and management options that are currently limited.“)
• Morphological correlates of anxiety-related experiences during a ketamine infusion (October, single-blind, n=17, “Results showed a statistically significant negative relation between hippocampal head volume and the anxiety score (β = -0.733, p = 0.006), with trending negative association for each subfield’s head and the score.“)
• Opioids Diminish the Placebo Antidepressant Response: A Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Ketamine Trial (September, pre-print, post-hoc analysis of RCT, “Opioid use at baseline attenuated the placebo antidepressant response independently of pain in depressed patients who received the study treatment under general anesthesia for routine surgery. The antidepressant response was preserved in opioid users who received intravenous ketamine.“)
• Rave gone wrong: MDMA- induced medical emergency at electrical daisy carnival. A case report (September, n=1, case report, “This case report highlights the importance of prompt medical management which can be crucial for patient survival following a life-threatening overdose with MDMA.”)
• Rapid and sustained reduction of treatment-resistant PTSD symptoms after intravenous ketamine in a real-world, psychedelic paradigm (October, n=117, retrospective, “Intravenous ketamine in supportive environments, with hallmarks of psychedelic therapy, preceded large reductions in PTSD symptoms. These results highlight ketamine’s potential when delivered in this manner, suggesting environmental factors might account for some variation seen in previous work. Given the molecule’s cost, minimal interaction with other psychiatric medications, and legal status, intravenous ketamine in a psychedelic paradigm may be a promising option for PTSD unresponsive to other treatments.“)
• An evaluation of the efficacy and side effects of a single dose of ketamine in major depressive disorder (October, n=120, retrospective, “There was a statistically significant difference between MADRS and MADRS-Suicide scores of all participants before the ketamine infusion (0th hour) and at the 4th and 24th hours after the ketamine infusion. Also, male and female, RAT(+) and RAT(-), and SA(+) and SA(-) participants have statistically significant differences on all three times for both MADRS and MADRS-S scores.“)
• Functional activity and connectivity signatures of ketamine and lamotrigine during negative emotional processing: a double-blind randomized controlled fMRI study (October, n=75, ketamine effect on negative emotional processing)
• “The mushroom was more alive and vibrant”: Patient reports of synthetic versus organic forms of psilocybin (October, n=4, qualitative)
• Ketamine and chronic treatment-resistant depression: real-world practice and after relapse (October, n=18, ketamine, “Twelve (66.67%) patients responded to the treatment at some point, and 11 (61.11%) patients maintained response after the end of the treatment protocol. One infusion was not sufficient to achieve a response (P > 0.9999, z = 1.81), and more than half of the responders met the response criteria after the third infusion. Only one patient (5.56%) achieved remission at the end of the infusion phase.“)
• Analysis of clinical application effects of Esketamine combining Sufentanil in labor analgesia and their impacts on postpartum depression (October, n=150, retrospective, “Applying Esketamine combining Sufentanil in epidural painless delivery produces rather favorable analgesic effects, shortens the time of the birth process, and improves postpartum anxiety and depression without leading to more adverse reactions.“)
• Emerging Illicit Drug “2C”: A Case Report on Its Hallucinogenic and Stimulant Properties (October, case report, n=1, on 2C(-B) effects in patient)
• Ketamine Impact on Kidney Health (October, case report, n=1, “By the age of 27 years, she developed dysuria, flank pain, and burning micturition and was later diagnosed with ketamine-associated cystitis and renal failure secondary to hydronephrosis. Initially, bilateral ureteral stents were placed to manage her condition, but she continued to experience worsening symptoms. Although studies suggest that early cessation of ketamine can resolve ulcerative cystitis and ureteral obstruction, this was not observed in our patient. This case highlights the importance of high suspicion for ketamine abuse in young patients presenting with ureteral complications such as hydronephrosis and cystitis-like symptoms.“)
• Estimating the benefit of esketamine nasal spray versus real-world treatment on patient-reported functional remission: results from the ICEBERG study (October, analysis of long-term data from two studies (n=696), “For patients with TRD, esketamine NS had a significant functional benefit versus RWT after 6 months of treatment. Irrespective of treatment, achievement of clinical response or remission was insufficient to attain functional remission. Nevertheless, clinical remission increased the likelihood of achieving functional remission, further supporting an important role for clinical remission in for the path towards functional recovery.“)
• Plasma leptin levels are lower in females, but not males, with ketamine use disorder (October, n=130, ketamine use disorder (KUD), “Sex-specific differences were observed in leptin levels and the leptin/BMI ratio in individuals with KUD compared to controls. Lower leptin levels in females with KUD persisted after 2 weeks of abstinence.“)
• Effect of small dose esketamine on perioperative neurocognitive disorder and postoperative depressive symptoms in elderly patients undergoing major elective noncardiac surgery for malignant tumors: A randomized clinical trial (October, n=209, “Compared to Group C, patients in Group E exhibited lower rates of depressive symptoms at 3, 7, and 90 days post-surgery (53.9% vs 67.7%, 26.3% vs 47.9%, and 13.3% vs 28.4%). Group E also showed decreased time for Trail Making Test on days 7 and 90.“)
• A Case Report of Psilocybin-induced Psychosis in a Predisposed Patient (November, n=1, case report, “We report a case of a patient with multiple predisposing risk factors, including a history of depression, personality disorder traits, and cannabis use, who experienced a psychotic episode with catatonic features and suicidality after several months of heavy psilocybin use.“)
• Esketamine-Induced Dissociation: A Case Report (November, n=1, case report, “This case report explores a rare adverse event in a 41-year-old female with TRD, who, despite experiencing significant depressive improvement with esketamine, encountered a severe dissociative episode accompanied by hallucinogenic-like phenomena.“)
• Dramatic and persistent relief from chronic suicidality, emotional disturbances, and trauma symptomatology with oral ketamine and memantine in refractory depression with complex PTSD (September, n=1, case report, “We describe a patient with chronic depression and cPTSD who failed >30 previous interventions but had dramatic and persistent relief from chronic suicidality and PTSD symptoms with 3 once-daily oral ketamine sessions.“)
• Local activity alterations in autism spectrum disorder correlate with neurotransmitter properties and ketamine induced brain changes (October, n~1600, comparison of autism (ASD) and ketamine-induced brain states)
• How Should Clinicians Share Decision Making With Patients Interested in Using Psychedelics to Feel Psychologically Safe? (November, case study, n=1, commentary on patient using psychedelics to feel psychological safety and clinician information sharing)
• The effect of a subclinical dose of esketamine on depression and pain after cesarean section: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded controlled trial (November, RCT, PPD, n=150, “Subclinical doses of esketamine did not reduce the incidence of PPD at 14 days postpartum but did significantly lower VAS scores at 24 hours post-surgery. The experimental group experienced temporary increases in adverse reactions and Ramsay sedation scores shortly after administration.“)
• Ayahuasca rituals for the treatment of substance use disorders: Three narratives of former patients of a neo-shamanic center from Uruguay (November, case report, n=3, “In this chapter, three cases of former patients who recovered in a neo-shamanic center that uses ayahuasca for the treatment of SUDs are described and analyzed.“)
• Maintenance Intramuscular Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, a Retrospective Chart Review of Efficacy, Adverse Events, and Dropouts from a Community Practice (November, retrospective, n-70, “Comorbidities include an anxiety disorder (79%) or substance use disorder (49%). The induction yielded 82% response, maintained above 80% after six months (sessions q21 days, 1.13 mg/kg mean dose). Many (38%) remained in treatment for at least one year. Nausea management accounted for nearly all as-needed medication use. Antihypertensives were seldom utilized. Chronic side effects were notable for one case of ketamine use disorder, resulting in residential treatment. Dropouts cited logistical reasons half the time and side effects only 9.7% of the time. KAP yielded robust improvements in mood, anxiety, and substance use. Maintenance sessions effectively extended benefit and were largely well tolerated.“)
• Effect of intravenous ketamine on suicidality in adults with treatment-resistant depression: A real world effectiveness study (November, n=96, real-world data, “Mean C-SSRS score significantly decreased following a single ketamine infusion and was indicative of a reduction in suicidality from active to passive suicidal ideation on a group level. Results of the mediation analysis indicated that the antisuicidal effects of ketamine are partially independent of its antidepressant effects.“)
• Association of intravenous ketamine with change in depressive symptoms in a large integrated health care system (November, n=570, real-world evidence, “The [ketamine iv treatment] group was more likely to achieve depression response (PHQ-9 reduction >50 %) compared to MM (adjusted risk ratio [aRR]= 1.72, 95 % CI = 1.17 – 2.53; P = 0.006). The KIT group (8 % vs 5 %) was more likely to achieve depression remission (i.e. PHQ-9 < 5); however, the adjusted risk with KIT vs MM was not statistically significant.“)
• Resting-State Electroencephalogram Complexity Is Associated With Oral Ketamine Treatment Response: A Bayesian Analysis of Lempel-Ziv Complexity and Multiscale Entropy (November, n=31, brain measures, “EEG-complexity metrics may be sensitive biomarkers for evaluating and predicting oral ketamine treatment response, with the left prefrontal cortex bein a possible treatment response region.“)
• Clinical indicators of the suicide crisis and response to ketamine (November, n=118, “As hypothesized, SI, depression, and hopelessness were elevated just after a suicide crisis and responded to ketamine, although findings were mixed depending on the assessment used. Psychological pain and traumatic stress symptoms were also associated with the suicide crisis and responded to ketamine. Participants reported high levels of SI, depression, and anxiety just before their suicide attempt.“)
• Psychedelic Art and Implications for Mental Health: Randomized Pilot Study (November, n=102, psychedelic art (not psychedelics themselves) and its impacts, “Qualitative analysis unveiled a greater intensity and diversity of emotional, mental, and physical impacts induced by PA compared to natural scenery, including the sense of relaxation and peace, anxiety and stress alleviation, joy, thrill and sense of euphoria, sensations of awe and wonder, hypnotizing effect, holistic meditative effect, provocation of creative thoughts, induced hyperawareness of bodily states, and transitions from induced overstimulation or anxious thoughts to feelings of calmness.“)
• Effect of Low-Dose Esketamine on Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing Total Hip or Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial (November, n=260, “The repeated infusion of low-dose esketamine did not reduce the incidence of POD during the initial three postoperative days in elderly patients following total hip or knee arthroplasty.“)

Other Studies on Psychedelics in 2024

• ‘Everybody’s creating it along the way’: ethical tensions among globalized ayahuasca shamanisms and therapeutic integration practices (January, ethnographic study, “Practitioners and ayahuasca centers are left with navigating globalized concepts of mental health and ethics while attempting to remain authentic to local ontologies of healing, care, and safety.“)
• [Feeling unwell after eating a piece of chocolate] (January, Dutch, n=1, case report, psilocybin/psilocin chocolate ingestion)
• Criticality supports cross-frequency cortical-thalamic information transfer during conscious states (January, neuroscience of consciousness, covers psychedelics)
• A fatal case of aspiration due to consumption of the hallucinogenic tryptamine derivative dipropyltryptamine (DPT) (January, n=1, case report, “Autopsy revealed a state after deep aspiration of gastric contents with consecutive brain edema due to oxygen deprivation. Dipropyltryptamine [DPT] concentrations were approximately 210 ng/ml, 110 ng/ml and 180 ng/ml in antemortem serum, postmortem cardiac blood and urine, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reported concentrations of dipropyltryptamine in a fatal case.“
• Differed spontaneous dissociative symptoms following the use of esketamine intranasal spray in a patient suffering from treatment-resistant depression: a case report (January, n=1, case report, “Our main hypothesis suggests that esketamine may act as a ‘pattern’ for dissociative experiences, heightening the patient’s ability to discern these phenomena during other instances of dissociation, such as acute anxiety attacks.“)
• New-Onset Seizures in an Adolescent Following Use of LSD while on Low-Dose Lithium Therapy: A Case Study (January, n=1, adolescent LSD use, “Although the definitive causal link cannot be established, this case report suggests an increased seizure risk with combination of LSD and lithium…”)
• Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Severe Alcohol Use Disorder: Protocol for a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, 7-month ParallelGroup Phase II Superiority Trial (January, study protocol)
• Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics, Safety and Tolerability, and Therapeutic Potential of an Innovative Psychedelic AyahuascaAnalogue containing N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and Harmine (January, thesis)
• Attitudes and knowledge on psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (January, thesis)
• Clinician Education: Optimizing Music Choices for Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (January, thesis)
• On the advances in machine learning and complex network measures to an EEGdataset from DMT experiments (January, machine learning x EEG data from DMT experiments)
• Trends in hallucinogen-associated emergency department visits and hospitalizations in California, USA, from 2016 to 2022 (January, “Observed hallucinogen-associated ED visits increased by 54% between 2016 and 2022, from 2260 visits to 3476 visits, compared with a 20% decrease in alcohol-associated ED visits and a 15% increase in cannabis-associated ED visits.“)
• Longitudinal associations between psychedelic use and psychotic symptoms in the United States and United Kingdom (January, n=9732, longitudinal survey, “psychedelic use during the study period was not associated with a change in number of psychotic symptoms unless it interacted with a personal or family history of bipolar disorder, in which case the number of symptoms increased, or with a personal (but not family) history of psychotic disorders, in which case the number of symptoms decreased.”)
• Perceived Risk of Trying Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in the United States from 2015 to 2019: Are Americans Assessing Lysergic Acid Diethylamide’s Risk Profile More Favorably? (January, survey data, “Overall, Americans appear to be assessing LSD’s risk profile more favorably in recent years, though most Americans still perceive great risk in trying LSD.“)
• Minorities’ diminished psychedelic returns: Cardio-metabolic health (January, survey data, “Results demonstrate that Lifetime Psychedelic Use is associated with better cardio-metabolic health. However, regression models by race find that there is no association between LCPU and cardio metabolic health for Black people, while the positive associations remain significant for white people. Overall, results lend support for the MPDR theory.“)
• Social acceptability of psilocybin-assisted therapy for existential distress at the end of life: A population-based survey (January, survey data, “Overall, 79.3% considered psilocybin-assisted therapy a reasonable medical choice for a patient suffering from existential distress at the end of life, 84.8% agreed that the public health system should cover the costs of the intervention and 63.3% would welcome the legalisation of psilocybin for medical purposes.”)
• Validation of the Danish Translation of the Revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) and Possible Impact of Setting, Dose and Intention (January, translation of MEQ)
• Assessment of psychedelic–induced states: Norwegian translation and adaptation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30) (July, translation of MEQ)
• Psychedelic Drugs & The Prior Art Problem (January, psychedelics and patents)
• Factors associated with the use of psychedelics, ketamine and MDMA among sexual and gender minority youths in Canada: a machine learning analysis (January, n=1414, survey, “The use of psychedelics, MDMA and ketamine among 2SLGBTQ+ individuals appeared to be largely driven by those who used them together with other drugs. Depression scores also appeared in the top 10 factors associated with these illicit drugs, suggesting that there were individuals who may benefit from the potential therapeutic value of these drugs.“)
• Safety, feasibility, tolerability, and clinical effects of repeated psilocybin dosing combined with non-directive support in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: protocol for a randomized, waitlist-controlled trial with blinded ratings (January, study protocol for Efficacy of Psilocybin in OCD: a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.)
• Psilocybin-assisted therapy for severe alcohol use disorder: protocol for a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, 7-month parallel-group phase II superiority trial (January, study protocol for Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Severe Alcohol Use Disorder)
• Neural Geometrodynamics, Complexity, and Plasticity: A Psychedelics Perspective (January, “We explore the intersection of neural dynamics and the effects of psychedelics in light of distinct timescales in a framework integrating concepts from dynamics, complexity, and plasticity.”)
• Psychedelic Drug Microdosing Practices: A Qualitative Online Exploration (January, exploration on how people microdose)
• Analyzing the Effects of Psychedelic Experience on Social Connectedness With a New Measure: The Aliveness Task (February, thesis, new psychedelic experience scale)
• Strong Bipartisan Support for Controlled Psilocybin Use as Treatment or Enhancement in a Representative Sample of US Americans: Need for Caution in Public Policy Persists (February, public perception/policy)
• National and regional trends in seizures of shrooms (psilocybin) in the United States, 2017–2022 (February, more shroom-related law enforcement)
• Development of the Japanese version of the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI) (February, scale development, EDI in Japan)
• Psychedelic Microdosing among Young Adults from Southern California (February, survey, n=2400, 12% of young adults (18-22) had heard of microdosing, 3% had ever microdosed)
• MDMA-assisted dialectical behavioral therapy for borderline personality disorder: A qualitative study of mental health clinicians (February, n=3, interview study, “An exploratory, qualitative, interview-based study assessed clinicians’ perspectives of MDMA-assisted therapy and BPD and increased our understanding of underlying therapeutic mechanisms and processes and the role of pharmacological factors in these treatment modalities, optimizing treatment context, and leading to improved clinical responses and patient recovery.”)
• PAM trial protocol: a randomised feasibility study of psychedelic microdosing–assisted meaning-centred psychotherapy in advanced stage cancer patients (February, study protocol for A feasibility study of Psychedelic Microdosing-Assisted Meaning Centred Psychotherapy in advanced stage cancer patients (PAM Trial))
• Clarifying and measuring the characteristics of experiences that involve a loss of self or a dissolution of its boundaries (February, n=386, survey on ego dissolution, covers psychedelics)
• Treatment of Hallucinogen-Persisting Perception Disorder: A case report on repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation targeting the right temporoparietal junction (February, n=1, case study, “Hereby, we present a case of a 29-year-old male diagnosed with type-2 HPPD successfully treated with TMS.“)
• Exploring inner depths: a qualitative investigation of patients’ lived experiences with psychedelic treatments of depression (February, thesis)
• Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for smoking cessation (February, related for psychedelics, rTMS for smoking cessation)
• Exploring the discourses around microdosing psychedelics within the r/microdosing online community (February, review of microdosing community on Reddit, finds ‘how to’ topics popular)
• Flicker light stimulation enhances the emotional response to music: a comparison study to the effects of psychedelics (February, flicker light stimulation (FLS) as comparison with psychedelics with regards to music enjoyment)
• The origin of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (DOM, STP) (February, history)
• Psilocybin Exposures Reported to US Poison Centers: National Trends Over a Decade (February, psilocybin use in the US)
• The Mystical Experience Questionnaire 4-Item and Challenging Experience Questionnaire 7-Item (February, development of shorter versions of the MEQ and CEQ to respectively 4 and 7 questions)
• Psychedelics in PERIL: The Commercial Determinants of Health, Financial Entanglements and Population Health Ethics (March, analysis of hypothetical scenario in structured framework, “Our analysis suggests financial relationships with the corporate psychedelic sector may create varying degrees of risk to a research program’s purpose, autonomy and integrity. We argue that the commercial determinants of health provide a useful framework for understanding the ethics of industry-healthcare entanglements and can provide an important population health ethics lens to examine nascent industries such as psychedelics, and work toward potential solutions.“)
• Study Protocol for “Psilocybin in patients with fibromyalgia: Brain biomarkers of action” (March, study protocol)
• Diminished psychedelic returns on distress: Marital status and household size (March, analysis of the NSDUH dataset, “Results indicate that LCPU is independently associated with better health, but the association between LCPU and health varies across levels of household size. Larger households are associated with higher levels of distress, which are then exacerbated among psychedelics users. Furthermore, three-way interactions reveal that the negative association between household size and distress gets larger among psychedelic users who are married, divorced, and widowed.“)
• Psychedelic substitution: altered substance use patterns following psychedelic use in a global survey (March, n=5,268 survey, “Nearly three-quarters (70.9%; n = 3,737/5,268) reported ceasing or decreasing use of one or more non-psychedelic substances after naturalistic psychedelic use. Among those with previous use, 60.6% (n = 2,634/4,344) decreased alcohol use, 55.7% (n = 1,223/2,197) decreased antidepressant use, and 54.2% (n = 767/1,415) decreased use of cocaine/crack. Over a quarter of the sample indicated that their decrease in substance use persisted for 26 weeks or more following use of a psychedelic.“)
• Perception of hallucinogen use risks and associated hallucinogen use in the United States: results from a large national sample (March, survey data from NSDUH, “Respondents who thought trying LSD once or twice may bring moderate to great risks to human health were less likely to use LSD and other types of hallucinogens. Respondents who thought using LSD once or twice per week may bring moderate to great risks to human health also were less likely to use LSD and other types of hallucinogens.”)
• UK medical students’ self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and their application in clinical research: a cross-sectional study (March, survey, n=132, “Most students (83%) reported that they were aware of psychedelic research and only four participants (3%) said that they were not interested in learning more about this type of research. Although medical students’ harm assessment of psychedelics closely aligned with that of experts, only 17% of students felt well-educated on psychedelic research.“)
• Implementation of a ketamine programme for treatment-resistant depression in the public health system: Lessons from the first Australian public hospital clinic (March, public health outcomes for Australian ketamine in public health system)
• 5-MeO-DMT in the complete resolution of the consequences of chronic, severe sexual abuse in early childhood—a retrospective case study (March, n=1, case study)
• Harm reduction behaviours and harm experiences of people who use 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in Aotearoa New Zealand (March, harm reduction strategies)
• Exploring the discourses around microdosing psychedelics within the r/microdosing online community (March, analysis of online discourse around microdosing)
• Wastewater surveillance to assess cocaine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine use trends during a major music festival in Brazil (March, analysis of drugs (including MDMA) in wastewater)
• Cultural Divergence in Psychedelic Use among Medical Students: An ESPAD-Adapted Survey among Poles and Iraqis (March, survey of students’ psychedelic use)
• Social Determinants Associated with Substance Use and Treatment Seeking in Females of Reproductive Age in the United States (March, analysis of NSDUH data, “Pregnancy status was not associated with substance use or treatment seeking. Past-month substance use was associated with high educational attainment, an annual income <$20,000, a history of criminality, low religiosity, and having health insurance. Past-month treatment-seeking behavior was associated with older age, an annual income >$20,000, a history of criminality, and greater religiosity. Behavioral health support seeking in the past month was associated with some college education. Higher depression severity was associated with all the three models.“)
• Making “Medical”: How Psychedelics Are Becoming Legal in Canada (April, legal history of psychedelic medicalisation in Canada)
• Use of Prescribed and Non-Prescribed Treatments for Cluster Headache in a Swedish Cohort (March, survey, n=479, only 0-8% had tried psychedelics for cluster headaches)
• Ketamine for Bipolar Depression (April, review, thesis)
• The Promise of Therapeutic Psilocybin: An Evaluation of the 134 Clinical Trials, 54 Potential Indications, and 0 Marketing Approvals on ClinicalTrials.gov (April, analysis of trials – noting the lack of Phase 3 trials)
• A taxonomy of regulatory and policy matters relevant to psychedelic-assisted therapy in Australia (April, policy in Australia, “The taxonomy provides a roadmap for health services establishing and implementing a psychedelic-assisted therapy program, or for government and other policymakers when determining areas that may require further regulation.“)
• Trainees Unprepared for Advances in Psychedelic Medicine: A Survey Study (April, survey, n=221, “ There is limited structured education available, and although overall knowledge is low, participation in programming at home institutions did predict greater psychedelic literacy.“)
• Psychotherapy for Ketamine’s Enhanced Durability in Chronic Neuropathic Pain: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (April, study protocol)
• Nurses’ Perceptions of Psychedelics to Address Mental Health Problems in the United States (April, n=1133, survey of nurses, “Nurses and their health care professional counterparts require additional education and new competency development to appropriately and knowledgeably support evidence-based psychedelic use to treat various mental health conditions.”)
• Patients’ Experiences Discussing Psychedelics for Therapeutic Purposes with Physicians and Other Health Care Providers (April, n=791, psychedelic users, “A majority (80%) of the 791 adult psychedelic users (M_age = 37, SD = 1.28; 46% female) endorsed using PTPs. Nearly a third of therapeutic users (30%; n = 190) reported discussing psychedelic use with their physician.”)
• Religion, Psychedelics, Risky Behavior, and Violence (April, analysis of NSDUH data, “Binary logistic regression models conducted in Stata 17 reveal that LCPU and religion (salience and influence) are independently associated with reduced violence. Additionally, two-way interactions indicate that the association between risky behavior and violence is smaller among individuals with high levels of religious salience. Furthermore, a three-way interaction suggests that the association between risky behavior and violence is smaller for those who have used psychedelics, with the largest effect observed among individuals with high religious salience.”)
• The ‘PSILAUT’ protocol: an experimental medicine study of autistic differences in the function of brain serotonin targets of psilocybin (April, study protocol)
• Tripping into the unknown: Exploring the experiences of first-time LSD users through Global Drug Survey insights (April, using GDS 2018 data, “Among 3,340 respondents who used LSD in the past year, their first-time experiences generally exceeded expectations, with 97.7% expressing excitement. Adverse and unwanted side effects were rarely reported and only 17 individuals needed EMT. Feelings of fear were reported by most (64.1%), but only very mildly and not enough to put them off from wanting to use LSD again.“)
• From chaos to kaleidoscope: Exploring factors in psychedelic self-treatment for mental health conditions (July, using GDS 2020 data, “Perceived symptom improvement following psychedelic self-treatment may reduce the need for medically supervised pharmacological interventions. These findings highlight the potential of psychedelics to positively influence mental health and self-awareness, paving the way for further research into their therapeutic application.“)
• Deconstructing Psychedelic Phenomenology: A thematic analysis of discrete phases of the psychedelic experience (May, analysis of psychedelic experience themes)
• Content analysis of Reddit posts about coadministration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and psilocybin mushrooms (May, analysis of Reddit posts, “8% of posts reported negative physical or psychological effects resulting from coadministration. These included 13 reports that may reflect serotonin toxicity, and 1 concerning for a psychotic/manic episode. 54% of posts described reduced intensity of the acute psilocybin experience, but 39% reported unchanged intensity with SSRI coadministration.“)
• Protocol for a randomised controlled trial of ketamine versus ketamine and behavioural activation therapy for adults with treatment-resistant depression in the community (May, study protocol)
• Use Cases for Ar Use Cases for Art Therapy Intervention in Clinical Psychedelic Praxis (May, thesis)
• Trip Away the Gay? LSD’s Journey from Antihomosexual Psychiatry to Gay Liberationist Toy, 1955–1980 (May, history)
• Expanding mindscapes: A global history of psychedelics (May, history)
• Evolving Guidelines for the Use of Touch During a Clinical Trial of Group Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy (May, guidelines for psychedelic facilitation/clinical trial)
• Measuring psychotherapeutic processes in the context of psychedelic experiences: Validation of the General Change Mechanisms Questionnaire (GCMQ) (May, validation of new questionnaire)
• The psychedelic call: analysis of Australian Poisons Information Centre calls associated with classic psychedelics (May, analysis of poison centre calls in Australia related to psychedelics, sees upwards trend)
• Minorities’ Diminished Psychedelic Returns: Income and Educations Impact on Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians (May, survey, NSDU data, “The results indicate that, after controlling for socioeconomic status, there is no association between Black and Hispanic psychedelic use and distress. However, white psychedelic use remains associated with lower levels of distress. Additionally, despite having higher levels of education and income, psychedelic use among minority groups does not appear to be linked to reduced stress. In fact, for Asians with higher education and income, certain psychedelic use is associated with increased distress.“)
• Ketamine can produce oscillatory dynamics by engaging mechanisms dependent on the kinetics of NMDA receptors (May, computational model, “By developing a biophysical model of cortical circuits, we demonstrate how NMDA-receptor antagonism by ketamine can produce the oscillatory dynamics observed in human EEG recordings and nonhuman primate local field potential recordings. We have identified how impaired NMDA-receptor kinetics can cause disinhibition in neuronal circuits and how a disinhibited interaction between NMDA-receptor-mediated excitation and GABA-receptor-mediated inhibition can produce gamma oscillations at high and low doses, and slow-delta oscillations at high doses.“)
• Effect of MDMA-assisted therapy on mood and anxiety symptoms in advanced-stage cancer (EMMAC): study protocol for a double-blind, randomised controlled trial (May, study protocol)
• Hype or hope? Ketamine for the treatment of depression: results from the application of deep learning to Twitter posts from 2010 to 2023 (May, analysis of Reddit posts, “In summary, the public’s multifaceted perception leans towards a hopeful stance on ketamine’s therapeutic potential for depression.“)
• The association between ketamine and esketamine with alcohol and substance misuse: Reports to the Food and Drug Administration adverse event reporting system (FAERS) (May, safety, “Mixed RORs were observed across aspects of SUD and AUD for both ketamine and esketamine. Due to limitations in the FAERS, establishing causal links between new onset alcohol and substance misuse with either agent remains inconclusive. Possible beneficial effects on measures of SUD and AUD were observed. It is currently unclear, but possible, whether both agents have differential ameliorative effects across dimensions of SUD and AUD, which is a focus of ongoing research.”)
• Comparing the adverse effects of ketamine and esketamine between genders using FAERS data (July, safety, “A total of 2907 female reports and 1634 male reports on esketamine were included in the analysis. ROR mining showed that completed suicide, decreased therapeutic product effects, urinary retention, and hypertension were common in men. Additionally, 552 female and 653 male ketamine reports were recorded. ROR mining revealed that toxicity to various agents, bradycardia, cystitis and agitation, were more likely to occur in men, whereas women were more likely to develop suicidal ideation, increased transaminase levels, sclerosing cholangitis, and sterile pyuria.“)
• Widespread reductions in cortical thickness following ketamine abuse (May, safety, case report, “This study provided evidence that, compared with healthy controls, chronic ketamine users have widespread reductions in cortical thickness.“)
• Psilocybin, peyote, mescaline, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) use in a nationally representative population by cancer history (May, NSDUH survey data, “Results suggest differential psychedelic use by cancer history and age.”)
• Tripping into the unknown: Exploring the experiences of first-time LSD users through global drug survey insights (May, GDS survey data, “Among 3340 respondents who used LSD in the past year, their first-time experiences generally exceeded expectations, with 97.7% expressing excitement. Adverse and unwanted side effects were rarely reported, and only 17 individuals needed EMT. Feelings of fear were reported by most (64.1%), but only very mildly and not enough to put them off from wanting to use LSD again.“)
• Community-based psychedelic integration and social efficacy: An ethnographic study in the Southeastern United States (May, ethnographic study, “Overall, the participants in the integration group see the group as critical to their ability to effectively process their psychedelic experiences. The group is important as a supportive community of like-minded people that facilitates enduring cognitive and affective transformation.“)
• Real-world evidence of the collective effects of psychedelic therapy: Evaluating from the grassroots (May, study protocol)
• Psychedelics: A New Form of Treatment for Adolescent Depression (May, legal perspective, review)
• Unveiling Perspectives: A Qualitative Exploration of Mental Health Therapist Views on Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (May, thesis)
• Psychoanalyst attitudes towards psychedelic-assisted therapy (June, attitudes of n=130 psychoanalysts, “The study found that psychoanalysts were cautiously supportive of PAT, open to their clients engaging in PAT, and optimistic about PAT’s potential in treating mental disorders. Additionally, they reported that PAT would be ineffective in treating substance use disorders (SUDs). Lastly, participants who reported a history of psychedelic use were significantly more likely to have greater positive attitudes toward PAT than those who had not.“)
• Endorsement of metaphysical idealism mediates a link between past use of psychedelics and wellbeing (June, survey, n=701, “The results indicate that Idealism specifically, not non-physicalist beliefs generally, mediate a link between the use of psychedelics and wellbeing. Future research is required to establish whether the link is causal, and to understand what the Idealism factor means.“)
• Crafting effective regulatory policies for psychedelics: What can be learned from the case of cannabis? (June, policy, “The lessons of cannabis policy also suggest a need to challenge hyping of psychedelic research findings; to promote rigorous clinical research on dosing and potency; to minimize the influence of for-profit industry in shaping policies to their economic advantage; and to coordinate federal, state, and local governments to regulate the manufacture, sale and distribution of psychedelic drugs (regardless of whether they are legalized for medical and/or recreational use).”)
• Attitudes of European psychiatrists on psychedelics: a qualitative study (June, n=12, qualitative survey, “Our respondents-psychiatrists acknowledged the potential of PAP but remained cautious and did not yet perceive its evidence base as robust enough. Education on psychedelics is lacking in medical and psychiatric training and should be improved to facilitate the involvement of mental health experts in decision-making on PAP.“)
• Validation of the Swiss Psychedelic Side Effects Inventory: Standardized assessment of adverse effects in studies of psychedelics and MDMA (June, pre-print, validation of side effect measure)
  • Article in print
• State Cannabis and Psychedelic Legislation and Microdosing Interest in the US (June, regulations, “In this cross-sectional study, an analysis of Google Trends data from January 2010 to December 2023 revealed a notable increase in searches for microdosing across the US.“)
• Pharmacovigilance of esketamine nasal spray: an analysis of the FDA adverse event reporting system database (June, safety of Spravato (esketamine), “A total of 14,606 reports on AEs with ESK-NS as the primary suspected drug were analyzed. A total of 518 preferred terms signals and 25 system organ classes mainly concentrated in psychiatric disorders (33.20%), nervous system disorders (16.67%), general disorders and administration site conditions (14.21%), and others were obtained. Notably, dissociation (n = 1,093, ROR 2,257.80, PRR 899.64, EBGM 876.86) exhibited highest occurrence rates and signal intensity.“)
• Psychedelics and schizoanalysis: Towards a critical philosophy on the production of subjectivity (June, philosophy)
• The way of O: phenomenology of psychedelic use and the path to ultimate reality (June, philosophy, “This paper outlines the neurophenomenology of psychedelic use, the concept of O, and their clinical significance vis-à-vis contemporary psychodynamic thinking.“)
• Considering Alternatives to Psychedelic Drug Prohibition (June, policy analysis from the RAND Corporation)
• Attitudes on Psychedelics in a Sample of Croatian Mental Health Professionals: A Cross-Sectional National Survey Study (June, n=218, survey of mental health professionals in Croatia, “ In conclusion, we can say that mental health professionals are open but also wary of psychedelics. Openness motivates them to learn. For this reason, additional education could have an impact on the attitudes of psychiatrists and psychologists and prepare them for the practical use of psychedelics.“)
• The Global Psychedelic Survey: Consumer characteristics, patterns of use, and access in primarily anglophone regions around the world (June, n=6379, survey, GPS, “In this large sample of adult psychedelic consumers from regions around the world, infrequent psychedelic use centered around life enhancement was common. Respondents indicated preference for legal access via quality-controlled sources. Jurisdictional differences in access and usage patterns likely reflect region-specific regulations and traditional practices.“)
• Attitudes toward psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapy among potential mental health service users and the general population in Australia (June, n=502, survey in Australia, “While a large proportion of Australians are in favor of legalizing psychedelics for medical purposes, concerns about safety remain. People with self-identified mental illness, those with previous recreational psychedelic experience and those with greater knowledge of psychedelics were more likely to have positive attitudes toward psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapy.“)
• Does LSD confer lasting psychological resilience? an investigation of naturalistic users experiencing job loss (June, NSDUH data, “LSD use prior to job loss was associated with a higher likelihood of severe psychological distress following job loss, regardless of whether sociodemographic variables were controlled for or not.“)
• Development of the Japanese version of the Challenging Experience Questionnaire (June, translation of CEQ)
• Developing the Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus consensus measures for assessment of supervised psilocybin services: An e-Delphi study (June, n=36, expert evaluation development)
• The association between ketamine and esketamine and suicidality: reports to the Food And Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) (June, (es)ketamine adverse events reporting analysis, “Mixed RORs across aspects of suicidality were observed with ketamine and esketamine. Limitations of the FAERS database prevent any determination of causal effects new onset suicidality to either agent. The lower RORs for suicide attempt with ketamine and esketamine is noted but cannot be interpreted as a direct therapeutic effect.“)
• Therapeutic Implications of Psilocybin in the Wake of Decriminalization (June, perspective on economic impact of decriminalization)
• Who believes psychedelic-assisted therapies work? Risky cannabis use and other factors are associated with positive treatment-outcome expectancies (June, pre-print, survey, n=732, “Consistent with our hypothesis, riskier cannabis use was significantly associated with more positive expectancies. However, neither riskier drinking nor other drug use were significant predictors. Prior engagement with psychedelic-related media and exposure to other peoples’ psychedelic experiences also predicted treatment-outcome expectancies.“)
• Stigma, psychedelics use, and the risk of reduced formal mental health care (June, NSDUH data, “Interaction terms revealed that as perceptions of stigma increases, psychedelics users are even less inclined to seek formal mental health care compared to nonpsychedelic users. Overall, the results suggest that using psychedelics is associated with less treatment seeking among those who perceive stigma, indicating a heightened societal risk of reduced formal mental health care as psychedelics become more widely available.“)
• Hepatic injury and hepatic failure adverse events in 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine users reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (June, safety data, “In this study, we surveyed a larger, over 1,500, and a more diverse set of reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System and found 23 cases of hepatic injury and hepatic failure, in which MDMA was reported to be taken in addition to one or more substances. Interestingly, 22 out of 23 cases had one or more listed drugs with a known DILI concern based on the FDA’s DILIrank dataset. Furthermore, only one report had MDMA listed as the primary suspect.“)
• Engaging Mood Brain Circuits with Psilocybin (EMBRACE): a study protocol for a randomized, placebo-controlled and delayed-start, neuroimaging trial in depression (July, study protocol)
• Meaningfulness and attachment: what dreams, psychosis and psychedelic states tell us about our need for connection (June, hypothesis and theory)
• The nature of nonduality: The epistemic implications of meditative and psychedelic experiences (July, response to epistemic article on edge of psychedelics and meditation)
• Race and ethnicity moderate the associations between lifetime psilocybin use and past year hypertension (June, NSDUH data, “Hispanic identity moderated the associations between psilocybin use and past year hypertension. Furthermore, individuals who used psilocybin and identified as Non-Hispanic White had reduced odds of hypertension (aOR: 0.83); however, these associations were not observed for any other racial or ethnic groups in our study for individuals who used psilocybin.“)
• To Dose or Not to Dose? Exploring digital biomarkers for objective assessment of mood and sleep for wellbeing (July, thesis)
• Study protocol for “Psilocybin in patients with fibromyalgia: brain biomarkers of action” (July, study protocol)
• Magic of the Mushrooms: Effects of Psilocybin Decriminalization (July, policy)
• MDMA-assisted brief cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD: Study protocol for a pilot study (July, study protocol for this trial)
• Probing the functional magnetic resonance imaging response to psilocybin in functional neurological disorder (PsiFUND): study protocol (July, study protocol)
• Simultaneous cannabis and psychedelic use among festival and concert attendees in Colorado: characterizing enhancement and adverse reactions using mixed methods (July, survey, n=128, safety, “Themes included tension reduction and balancing of drug effects (N = 27, 50%), enhancement to psychological processes (N = 11, 20.4%), intensified psychedelic drug effects (N = 12, 22.2%), enhanced psychedelic come-down experience (N = 8, 14.8%), and overall ambiguous enhancement (N = 7, 13%). Among participants reporting an adverse reaction, individual responses included increased anxiety and intensity of the experience, decreased sociability, increased negative affect, sleepiness, disassociation, and confusion.“)
• “He’s used drugs – he’s biased! He’s not a drug user – what would he know!”: A Cross-sectional, Online Study of Drug Researchers’ Experiential Knowledge of Drug Use and Disclosure (July, n=669, survey, “Most (86%) reported lifetime drug use and 47% past 3-month use. Among 557 researchers who used drugs, 59% disclosed their use to institutional colleagues, 59% to colleagues outside their institution, 25% to research participants, and 11% in their research/scholarship.“)
• A replication study using the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase®) to evaluate whether an association between ketamine and esketamine and alcohol and substance misuse exists (July, analysis of FAERS database, “Esketamine was not associated with an increased [reporting odds ratio] for any parameter of alcohol and/or substance use disorder.“)
• Structural Evaluation of Mechanisms Underlying Serotonin Receptor Function (July, thesis, next to serotonin receptor focusses on 5-MeO-DMT)
• Psychedelic public health: State of the field and implications for equity (July, policy)
• Chemical composition of Ecstasy tablets seized in Poland between 2005 and 2020 (July, safety)
• A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of repeated microdoses of lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy volunteers (July, thesis)
• Examining U.S. National Trends in Adult Mental Illness and Naturalistic Psychedelic Drug Use (July, thesis)
• Therapist Experiences Providing Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Study (July, thesis)
• Balancing Evidence and Need: Variation in US Commercial Payer Coverage of Esketamine (July, policy, “ Plans more often imposed step therapy requirements for access to esketamine for TRD than for MDD, with line of treatment of ≤9 steps for MDD compared with 1 to 5 steps for TRD. Plans also varied with respect to the therapies they required patients to first try and experience treatment failure before granting access to esketamine for both indications.“)
• Investigating the impact of psychedelic drugs on social cognition defects: A scoping review protocol (July, review protocol)
• A framework for assessment of adverse events occurring in psychedelic-assisted therapies (July, framework development related to adverse events (AEs))
• Clinical Effects of Psychedelic Substances Reported to United States Poison Centers: 2012 to 2022 (August, safety, “Over half of psychedelic exposures reported to US poison centers had symptoms that required treatment, severe residual or prolonged symptoms, or death. Increases in psychedelic use may lead to increased frequency of adverse events and health care utilization.“)
• Predicting the Hallucinogenic Potential of Molecules Using Artificial Intelligence (August, AI x psychedelics, “In the process of developing tools to help design new psychoplastogens, we have used artificial intelligence in the form of machine learning classification models for predicting psychedelic effects using a published in vitro data set from PsychLight (support vector classification (SVC), area under the curve (AUC) 0.74) and in vivo human data derived from books from Shulgin and Shulgin (SVC, AUC, 0.72) with nested five-fold cross validation. We have also explored conformal predictors with ECFP6 and electrostatic descriptors in an effort to optimize them.“)
• Experiential Training in Psychedelic-AssistedTherapyA Risk-Benefit Analysis (August, therapist training)
• Unveiling the Pathways: The Effects of Mindfulness and Recreational Psychedelic Experiences on Well-Being; The Mediating Roles of Non-Dual Awareness, Pro-Sociality, and Meaning in Life (August, thesis, survey, n=303)
• Combining bioinformatics, network pharmacology and artificial intelligence to predict the target genes of S-ketamine for treating major depressive disorder (esketamine x AI (AlphaFold2), “S-ketamine may alleviate depression by targeting specific genes, including TGM2, HSP90AB1 and ADORA3, as well as signalling pathways, including the gonadotropin-releasing hormone and relaxin signalling pathways.“)
• Predicting treatment response to ketamine in treatment-resistant depression using auditory mismatch negativity: Study protocol (August, study protocol)
• Ketanserin exhibits dose- and concentration-proportional serotonin 2A receptor occupancy in healthy individuals: Relevance for psychedelic research (August, ketanserin article showing pharmacodynamics, which will be useful for stopping trips – per earlier research from Holze et al.)
• Novel Thermosensitive and Mucoadhesive Nasal Hydrogel Containing 5-MeO-DMT Optimized Using Box-Behnken Experimental Design (August, development of 5-MeO-DMT nasal spray)
• Suicidal ideation following ketamine prescription in patients with recurrent major depressive disorder: a nation-wide cohort study (August, survey, “The prescription of ketamine was associated with significantly decreased risk of suicidal ideation compared to the prescription of other common antidepressants …”)
• Latin American adults who regularly use macrodoses of psychedelics: a cross-sectional study (August, survey, n=4270, “Results indicated a diverse user base with varied motivations, predominantly psychological and spiritual well-being. The most frequently used substance was psilocybin mushrooms, with significant associations found between demographic variables and specific psychedelics used.“)
• Understanding Psychedelics as Novel Therapeutics in the Treatment of Stress-Induced Psychopathology: A Mechanistic and Behavioral Exploration (August, thesis)
• Exploring the utility of ketamine in child and adolescent mental health: Perspectives of psychiatrists (August, brief survey of psychiatrists in Oceania)
• Rapid, biochemical tagging of cellular activity history in vivo (August, in cells, possibly useful “to tag prefrontal cortex neurons activated by psilocybin, and to correlate the CaST signal with psilocybin-induced head-twitch responses in untethered mice.“)
• Off-Label Use of Lamotrigine and Naltrexone in the Treatment of Ketamine Use Disorder: A Case Report (August, case report on addiction to ketamine and treatment)
• Documenting and defining emergent phenomenology: theoretical foundations for an extensive research strategy (July, related to psychedelics)
• Jung, the Rebirth Motif and Psychedelics I: Documenting Jung’s Contact with the British Pioneers (August, “In two companion papers, I consider Jung’s treatment of the rebirth motif in his commentary on The Tibetan Book of the Dead, which later became a central text in the psychedelic movement, and I chart the evolution in psychedelics research from an association with schizophrenia during the 1950s to the mystical paradigms of the 1960s and beyond.“)
• Completing the Circle: A History of Psychedelics and Harm Reduction (August, history, “Ultimately, we argue that psychedelic risk management has deep historical roots in psychedelic communities representing biomedical, cultural, and Indigenous perspectives – we might heed these historical lessons as we consider how to promote sustainable risk management strategies with psychedelics going forward.“)
• Hitting the Reset Button: Ceremonial Use of Peyote and Experiences of Personal Change (August, ethnographic study of peyote use)
• Identifying Three Psilocybin Use Patterns by Frequency and Quantity (August, survey, n=664, “Psilocybin use in non-clinical settings is heterogeneous. We identified three profiles that differed on frequency and quantity of use and their associated demographic characteristics. Next steps are to identify factors that affect one’s likelihood of experiencing particular use outcomes and to explore use variability.“)
• 5-MeO-Dmt as a Mental Health Tool: Exploring Possible Mechanisms of Action, the Reactivation Phenomenon, and Historical-Cultural Perspectives on Its Use (August, thesis)
• Pharmacodynamic and Pharmacokinetic Profiling of Psilocybin and Other Serotonergic Psychedelics (August, thesis)
• Within-subject comparison of near-death and psychedelic experiences: acute and enduring effects (August, survey, n=45/31 NDE & psychedelics)
• Psychedelics and psychoanalysis: The journey from talking cure to transformation (August, psychedelics x psychotherapy – uses 2 cases of ketamine-assisted therapy)
• Mapping consumptions and market size of cocaine, amphetamine and MDMA through wastewater analysis: A Dutch case study (August, safety, population data, “Illicit drug consumption in the Netherlands appears to correlate positively with urban (in contrast to rural) areas. Wastewater analysis can be used to estimate the volume and monetary value of illicit drug markets as a proof of concept.“)
• Understanding Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Providers’ Perspective and Insights: A Qualitative Analysis (August, qualitative, interview study)
• Coaching and psychedelics: a beneficial partnership? (August, psychedelics and coaching)
• 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) consumption in Aotearoa New Zealand: A quantitative survey exploration (August, survey, n=1180, use of MDMA in New Zealand)
• A Cross-Sectional Survey Investigating Māori and Non-Māori Cancer Patients’ Views on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Aotearoa New Zealand (September, survey, n=85, “Regression analyses revealed that predictors of more favorable attitudes toward PAT included greater awareness of psychedelics, advanced cancer stage, younger age, poorer holistic well-being, greater demoralization, and prioritizing treatment effectiveness over possible risks and uncertainty.“)
• Computational Design of an Improved Photoswitchable Psychedelic Based on Light Absorption, Membrane Permeation and Protein Binding (August, cool tech – photoswitchable compounds – with psychedelics)
• Prevalence and Correlates of Psychedelic Use in Poland: A Study on a Representative Sample of Polish Adults (August, survey, n=1051, “Our study revealed that approximately 4% to 8% of Polish individuals, equivalent to around 2 million people, have experimented with psychedelic substances at least once in their lives. Men exhibited a higher likelihood of psychedelic use compared to women, with the largest cohort of users falling within the 25-34 age bracket and residing in urban areas.“)
• Altered states of consciousness in Danish healthy volunteers and recreational users of psilocybin and the possible impact of setting and intention: Danish validation of the five-dimensional altered states of consciousness questionnaire (August, scale validation)
• Attitudes of European psychiatrists on psychedelics: a cross-sectional survey study (August, survey, n=419, “European psychiatrists, therefore, show a general openness to psychedelics and PAP, but are concerned by the potential risks associated with them. Our findings overall suggest that psychedelics are a subject where it is difficult to remain impartial.“)
• Exploring psychedelic use in athletes and their attitudes toward psilocybin-assisted therapy in concussion recovery (August, survey, n=175, athletes, “Psychedelics were the third most used substance in the past year among athletes (35.8%) while regular psychedelic use was quite low in athletes (7.5%). A path analysis conducted in RStudio found that attitudes toward psilocybin and knowledge of psilocybin were significant predictors for both athletes and staff members of their willingness to use or support PAT for concussion recovery. Athletes reported likely engaging in PAT (61.2%) and staff (71.1%) reported that they would support their athletes using PAT.“)
• Innovative Ketamine Formulations: Enhancing Therapeutic Efficacy and Safety (August, patent highlight, novel ketamine formulations)
• How psychedelics legalization debates could differ from cannabis (August, policy, commentary)
• Psilocybin and Music: Proposal to Study the Effects of Music on Efficacy of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression (August, study proposal, thesis)
• Relationships Between Personality and the Psychedelic Experience (August, thesis)
• LSDDEP2: study protocol for a randomised, double-dummy, triple-blind, active placebo-controlled, parallel groups trial of LSD microdosing in patients with major depressive disorder (August, study protocol)
• Conceptual Metaphors in Psychedelic Discourse (August, thesis)
• Safe Ketamine Use and Pregnancy: A Nationwide Survey and Retrospective Review of Informed Consent, Counseling, and Testing Practices (August, n=126, survey, “Results of the present study reveal that risks of fetal ketamine exposure are often overlooked, indicating a need for increased awareness about reproductive concerns when prescribing ketamine for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.“)
• Synthesis of Psilocybin Analogues and Other 5-HT Receptor Agonists for Stimulation of Neurotransmission (August, thesis)
• Relaxed Beliefs After Psychedelics: From Sensory Processing to Mystical States (August, thesis)
• Classifying Unconscious, Psychedelic, and Neuropsychiatric Brain States with Functional Connectivity, Graph Theory, and Cortical Gradient Analysis (August, computational modelling study)
• Setting the Stage for the Inner Journey: Unraveling the Interplay of Contextual Factors and the Intensity of Ego-Dissolution in Naturalistic Psychedelic Experiences (August, pre-print, survey, n=862, “… participants consuming psychedelics for spiritual or self-healing purposes reported more intense ego-dissolution experiences, while those reporting curiosity as a motivation reported less intense ego-dissolution effects. However, the social context and physical environment did not exhibit robust associations with the reported ego-dissolution, suggesting that setting might not account for ego-dissolution in naturalistic users, or that its impact is more complex or nuanced.“)
• Examining the influence of team-based learning on medical students’ comprehension and attitudes regarding psychedelic therapies (September, psychedelic education (team-based learning, TBL))
• Polish standard of treatment with racemic ketamine for patients with depressive disorders developed by a Working Group appointed by the National Consultant in the field of psychiatry (June, treatment guidelines)
• Real-world demographic and clinical profiles of patients with treatment-resistant depression initiated on esketamine nasal spray (September, demographic analysis of esketamine patients in France)
• Novel multi-modal methodology to investigate placebo response in major depressive disorder (September, study design for measuring placebo in depression studies – which, of course, is a significant factor within psychedelic research)
• Psychedelic-assisted therapy: Magical thinking or a meaningful treatment for mental illness (September, student paper)
• A real-world pharmacovigilance study of esketamine nasal spray (September, safety, “A total of 5132 ADEs reports of esketamine nasal spray as the primary suspected drug were obtained from the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System. The most frequently observed ADEs are dissociation, sedation, and hypertension, while some new rare signals have been detected, such as interstitial cystitis, substance abuse, and drug diversion. The present study identified significant new ADEs signals for esketamine nasal spray, which may provide a source for healthcare professionals to assess patients’ symptoms and risk identification.“)
• Exploring the Role of Psychedelic Experiences on Wellbeing and Symptoms of Disordered Eating (September, n=8, survey, “ This research presents an account representative of the ED population for the therapeutic potential for psychedelic experiences to reduce symptoms and improve wellbeing. Findings provide evidence of therapeutic feasibility to support larger scale research, emphasising the therapeutic use of psychedelics as a potentially promising avenue for chronic and treatment resistant EDs.“)
• The Epidemiology of Psychedelic Use Among United States Military Veterans (September, n=426, survey, “Those who used psychedelics reported they would be more likely to use VA services (p < .001, d = 0.64) and to return to the VA for care (p < .001, d = 0.79) if psychedelic therapy was offered. Almost two-thirds (59%) reported adverse outcomes associated with use. Equivalent proportions rated their psychedelic experiences as beneficial among those who did (89%) and did not (81%) report adverse outcomes. Fewer adverse outcomes were associated with being older, using psilocybin, feeling prepared and confident in the reasons for use, being in a comfortable setting, and being able to “trust, let go, and be open” (R_c = 0.77; p < .001).“)
• Design and methodology of the first open-label trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder: Considerations for a randomized controlled trial (September, study design for MDMA for AUD/​PTSD Comorbidity (MDMA))
• The Potential of LSD in Treating Binge Eating: Findings from Two Different Experimental Designs in Mice (August, thesis, mice study, null-finding)
• Personal Psychedelic Experience as a Training Qualification for Facilitators: A Thematic Analysis of Qualitative Interviews with Psilocybin Experts (September, n=36, interview study, “Experts suggested that personal experience may indirectly support high-quality care because it enhances facilitators’ personal wellbeing, and may help facilitators understand the complexity and nature of their clients’ psychedelic experiences.“)
• Psychedelic medicine in psychiatry residency training: a survey of psychiatric residency program directors (September, n=61, survey, “The majority of respondents (64%) favored devoting additional time to psychedelic education, but many endorsed concerns about the dearth of educational materials (54%) and limited availability of faculty to deliver content (46%). The majority of programs (94%) expressed some interest in implementing a standardized curriculum in psychedelic medicine.“)
• A Longitudinal Study of Resilience Among Participants Attending Ayahuasca Retreats in Latin America (September, thesis)
• Psychedelic mushroom-containing chocolate exposures: Case series (September, safety, n=36, “While most patients in this series experienced minor clinical effects, some developed serious effects after ingestion of a mushroom-containing chocolate product. Findings from this study further characterize the limited patient demographics, clinical effects, and outcomes published thus far. Further characterization in a larger cohort of patients could expand on our initial findings and is needed to better identify factors that may influence clinical outcomes.“)
• Lost in translation? Qualitative interviews with Australian psychedelic-assisted therapy trial clinicians (September, qualitative, interview study, n=11, “We argue that clinicians’ perspectives on PAT are reflective of existing tensions between a medical model of mental health care and other psychosocial, relational models. Therapists’ ideals for the delivery of PAT can be conceptualised as a sort of ‘enhanced care’ approach, but workforce development and economic constraints are likely to challenge the accessible and impactful translation of this vision.“)
• Going Underground: Demographics, Services, and Best Practices Endorsed by Practitioners Providing Support for Naturalistic Psychedelic Use (September, survey, n=107, “Almost all participants reported pre-screening clients before treatment, offering preparation, integration, and trip-sitting services, and most employed a range of therapeutic modalities, centering primarily on non-directive approaches. Participants reported that clients most commonly consumed psilocybin, and treated numerous conditions, primarily aligning with indications targeted in psychedelic clinical research.“)
• Psychedelic Therapist Sexual Misconduct and Other Adverse Experiences Among a Sample of Naturalistic Psychedelic Users (September, survey, n=1,221, adverse events, “Among 1,221 participants, most reported having adverse experiences such as being frightened (74.3%), sadness (58.6%), feeling their body shake or tremble (54.3%), and loneliness (51.6%) during their psychedelic experiences. About half of participants reported having some other adverse experience, and one in ten participants had adverse physical reactions. About one-third of participants knew someone who was arrested for possession or use of psychedelics; 8% reported that they or someone they know was the victim of inappropriate sexual contact by a psychedelic sitter, guide, or practitioner; and one-quarter of participants knew someone who experienced a severe adverse event other than inappropriate sexual contact or arrest.“)
• Personal and social connection to psychedelics is associated with lower drug use stigma among psychiatrists in the United States (September, n=180, survey, “Approximately one-third (32.8%) of psychiatrists reported Personal Connection (i.e., history of personal use and social connection) to psychedelics. Psychiatrists with Personal Connection to psychedelics were more likely to be younger (p = 0.006, η_p² = 0.057) and have fewer years of practice (p = 0.008, η_p² = 0.058). Almost all (92%) of those with No Connection to psychedelics were out of training, compared with only 8% of those in training.“)
• Demographic, Mental Health, and Substance Use Correlates of Self-Described Medicinal Use, Recreational Use, and Non-Use of Hallucinogenic Drugs (September, survey, n=5187, “Logistic regression analyses showed that greater depression severity; more frequent use of alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine; and using several illegal and prescription drugs were associated with an increased likelihood of medicinal hallucinogen use relative to no hallucinogen use. Greater depression severity was also associated with an increased likelihood of medicinal hallucinogen use relative to exclusively recreational hallucinogen use. Further, participants who used hallucinogens for medicinal reasons reported more frequent hallucinogen use relative to those who used hallucinogens for exclusively recreational reasons.“)
• Exploring the regulatory framework of psychedelics in the US & Europe (September, analysis of regulations, Indian research team)
• Whole brain modelling for simulating pharmacological interventions on patients with disorders of consciousness (September, whole-brain modelling, mentions psychedelics in relation to treating disorders of consciousness)
• Psychoanalysis and psychedelics: The censored story in Argentina (September, essay, history)
• Provider Education on Ketamine Effects and Administration Guidelines in an Outpatient Clinic (September, thesis)
• Association between lifetime hallucinogen use and psychological distress varies by sexual identity in a nationally representative sample (September, survey, NSDUH data, “We found that in a nationally representative sample, psychedelic use was associated with reduced odds of psychological distress in heterosexual individuals only.“)
• Monitoring of ketamine-based emerging contaminants in wastewater: a direct-injection method and fragmentation pathway study (September, monitoring)
• Psilocybin legalization in the United States and psychological reactance: A test of evidence uncertainty, controlling language, and an ambiguous call to action (September, policy)
• Validation of the imperial psychedelic predictor scale (September, scale development)
• Statewide Ketamine and Esketamine Prescribing Trends in Rhode Island, 2017-2023 (September, real-world implementation)
• How to Make Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Safer (September, ethics, safety)
• MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD (September, thesis)
• A Prospective Survey Study of Radiation Therapy Patient Interest in Psychedelic Research (September, survey, n=43, “The therapeutic use of psychedelics to treat cancer-associated mental health conditions is in its nascent stage. Curiosity for psychedelic research is prevalent – it was observed in 42% of patients undergoing radiation therapy in this study. Patients with higher levels of psychosocial distress, including symptoms of anxiety, depression, lack of spiritual well-being, and demoralization showed more interest in psychedelic medication.“)
• History, Hype, and Responsible Psychedelic Medicine: A Qualitative Study of Psychedelic Researchers (October, n=14, interviews, qualitative, “Participants’ experiences and viewpoints were influenced by the history of psychedelic research, and this was met with an overarching concern for protecting the field from premature discontinuation, as well as maximizing potential positive impacts.“)
• The Resistant Depression Response to Esketamine Assessing Metabolomics (ReDREAM) Project-Untargeted Metabolomics to Identify Biomarkers of Treatment Response to Intranasal Esketamine in Individuals with Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Study Protocol (August, study protocol)
• Traditional Indigenous-Amazonian Therapy Involving Ceremonial Tobacco Drinking as Medicine: A Transdisciplinary Multi-Epistemic Observational Study (October, tobacco ceremonial use)
• An exploration of psychotherapists’ readiness to join the psychedelic renaissance (September, n=6, qualitative, interviews, “Three themes emerged that highlight the importance of preparation for effective clinical outcomes, the differences in standard and psychedelic practice and the personal and professional implications for therapists.“)
• Healing with Ayahuasca the Plant Teacher: Psychedelic Metaphoricity and Polyontologies (October, ontology, “This article examines ontological collisions at a healing retreat in the Peruvian Amazon, considering Shipibo shamans and their international clients.“)
• What do health professionals think about implementing psilocybin-assisted therapy in palliative care for existential distress? A World Café qualitative study (October, n=16, qualitative interviews, “Although participants were interested in psilocybin-assisted therapy, several concerns and needs were identified. Educational and certified training needs, medical legalization of psilocybin, more research, refinement of therapy protocols, reflections on the type of professionals dispensing the therapy, the treatment venue, and eligibility criteria for treatment were discussed.“)
• Existential feelings as a phenomenological framework for psychedelic therapy (October, philosophy/phenomenology)
• Cognitive Development as a Model for the Effects of Psychedelics (October, thesis)
• Exploring the molecular determinants of behavioral changes induced by ketamine at the nanoscale (October, thesis)
• Latin American adults who regularly use macrodoses of psychedelics: a cross-sectional study (October, survey, n=4270, “Results indicated a diverse user base with varied motivations, predominantly psychological and spiritual well-being. The most frequently used substance was psilocybin mushrooms, with significant associations found between demographic variables and specific psychedelics used.“)
• Inhaled Dimethyltryptamine (DMT): Use Patterns and Predictors of Consumption Frequency (October, n<400, survey, “Generally, participants reported initiation motivated by curiosity about DMT’s effects, interest in psychedelics more broadly, and potential spiritual benefits. Those who had used other psychoactive substances (especially ayahuasca) and who had extracted DMT themselves reported inhaled DMT more frequently. Most (>60%) reported obtaining DMT from a friend and claimed it was “slightly difficult” to procure. Participants most commonly inhaled DMT from a glass pipe, in private homes, frequently alone or in small groups.“)
• Examining differences in the effects and contexts of naturalistic psilocybin use for White participants vs. Participants of Color: A longitudinal online survey study (October, survey, n=2833, “Race/ethnicity moderated the associations between time for predicting spiritual wellbeing (beta = −1.8; 95 % CI [−3.4, −0.17]; p < 0.05), cognitive flexibility (beta = −1.5 [−2.7, −0.26]; p < 0.05), and emotion regulation – expressive suppression (beta = 0.25 [0.06, 0.44]; p < 0.05) at Time 6 (but not Time 5).“)
• Neural Correlates of Psychedelic, Sleep, and Sedated States Support Global Theories of Consciousness
  (October, psychedelics x consciousness, “Overall, these findings provide empirical evidence supporting global theories of consciousness in relation to varying states of consciousness. They also bridge the gap between two prominent theories, GNW and IIT, by demonstrating how different theories can converge on shared neuronal mechanisms.“)
• Critical appraisal of evidence supporting prescription of psychedelics from clinic websites in Ontario, Canada (October, analysis of 10 ‘clinics’ in Ontario that promote psychedelics for mental health and the studies they cite (low quality))
• The Afterglow Inventory (AGI) – validation of a new instrument for measuring subacute effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics (October, pre-print, new measure for psychedelic (after) effects)
• Palliative Care and Psychedelics on a Long Strange Trip, Revisited (October, interview, palliative care clinician scientist and -chaplain)
• Psychedelics in PERIL: The Commercial Determinants of Health, Financial Entanglements and Population Health Ethics (October, ethics of psychedelic research and for-profit funding)
• Talking to Your Patients About Psychedelics: Using an Informed Approach and Understanding Indications, Risks, and Benefits (October, q&a article on how to inform patients about psychedelics)
• Psychedelics disrupt the functional hierarchy of the human brain (October, thesis)
• How Should We Expand Access to Psychedelics While Maintaining an Environment of Peace and Safety? (November, policy, access to psychedelics)
• Amid magic and menace: psychiatrists’ attitudes to psilocybin therapy (November, survey, n=153, “Overall psychiatrists in Ireland held positive attitudes towards psilocybin therapy. However, there was a lack of knowledge evident. Addressing the knowledge gap and aligning with the best available evidence will be key if psychedelic therapy is to prevail in a clinical setting.“)
• The relation between naturalistic use of psychedelics and perception of emotional stimuli: An fMRI study (October, study design)
• Ketamine use in a large global sample: Characteristics, patterns of use and emergency medical treatment (October, analysis of GDS 2018 data, “The study reveals frequent ketamine use but low harm occurrence, underscoring the complex incterplay between ketamine use, substance use and dependence, and related factors.“)
• Psychedelic-related deaths in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (1997-2022) (October, n=28 cases found, “Nevertheless, psychedelic-related deaths remain very rare in comparison to other recreational drugs, and frequently involve polydrug use. Implications for harm reduction and policy are discussed.“)
• Psilocybin Mushrooms and Public Health in Brazil: Insights from a Retrospective Analysis of Adverse Events and Their Implications for Regulatory Discussions (October, safety, “Out of 112,451 individuals seeking medical attention for drug abuse-related events, men predominated (n = 79,514; 70.7%), with alcohol being the primary agent (n = 71,824; 49.2%). The psilocybin mushroom group included 13 participants, and the unknown mushroom group, 51. Hospitalization rates were 19.5% (n = 21,923) for drug abuse, 46.2% (n = 6) for psilocybin mushrooms (0.02% of all hospitalizations) (99% CI: 10.6% – 81.6%), and 23.5% (n = 12) for unknown mushrooms (99% CI: 8.3% – 38.7%). Mortality was 1.8% (n = 2035) for drug abuse group, with no fatal events in the psilocybin or unknown mushroom groups.”)
• Open MDMA: An Open Source Framework and Practical Guide for the Therapeutic use of MDMA (August, continuously updated, framework around MDMA therapeutic use)
• Australian psychologists’ attitudes towards psychedelic-assisted therapy and training following a world-first drug down-scheduling (November, n=20, survey, “ Psychologists displayed notably positive attitudes towards PAT, likely reflecting both shifting perceptions of psychedelics and self-selection bias within the sample. Despite this optimism, concerns were raised about psychiatric risks and the necessity for comprehensive and reputable training and supervision. The cohort showed openness to both novel treatments and innovative training methods, underscoring the importance of enhancing educational frameworks to ensure effective implementation of PAT.“)
• Does the Perception of Risk Associated with Psychedelics Use Differ in Physicians According to Their Belief of Effectiveness? (November, n=407, survey, “Physicians from the lower mean of age were significantly more supportive of therapeutic potential, while general practitioners were significantly less likely to consider psychedelics as a treatment than specialists (<.001). By the term therapeutic potential, we meant the therapeutic value attributable to psychedelics and the risks expressed the possibility of damage caused by the use of the drug. Clinicians who considered psychedelics as a potential treatment were less likely to associate these with risks than their counterparts (<.001).“)
• Predictors of Mystical Experiences in the Electronic Dance Music Scene (November, thesis)
• Associations Between Psychedelic Use and Cannabis Use Disorder in a Nationally Representative Sample (November, survey (NSDUH), “lifetime psilocybin use as well as past year LSD use were both associated with higher rates of past year DSM-5 CUD (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] range: 1.89 – 2.04), controlling for a variety of sociodemographic factors. These associations remained significant in the case of moderate-to-severe past year CUD (aRR range: 1.65 – 2.07). Past year LSD use also predicted three of eleven CUD symptoms among individuals with past year cannabis use (aRR range: 1.45 – 1.73).“)
• Knowledge, attitudes, and concerns about psilocybin and MDMA as novel therapies among U.S. healthcare professionals (November, survey, n=879, “Respondents endorsed strong belief in therapeutic promise, and moderate openness to clinical use and support for legal access to both substances, with higher overall ratings for psilocybin compared to MDMA. Objective knowledge items revealed low knowledge of therapeutic uses, risks, and pharmacology. Primary concerns were lack of trained providers, financial cost, and potential contraindications. Prior psychedelic use, self-rated knowledge, younger age, and professional role predicted openness to clinical use of psilocybin and MDMA, with physicians reporting lower openness.“)
• Leveraging meditation research for the study of psychedelic-related adverse effects (November, perspective on using meditation research on adverse effects for psychedelics)
• Emergency Department Visits Involving Hallucinogen Use and Risk of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (November, survey, “In this cohort study, individuals with an ED visit involving hallucinogen use had a greater risk of developing an SSD compared with both the general population and with individuals with ED visits for other types of substances.“)
• The Effects of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy on Illness and Death Anxiety (November, thesis)
• Where and how does neuroplasticity lead to therapeutic changes? (November, thesis)
• Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy for Death Acceptance in Serious Illness: A Mixed Methods Secondary Analysis (November, thesis)
• Real-world Effectiveness of Intravenous Ketamine for Suicidal Ideation in Treatment-Resistant Depression (November, thesis)
• Artificial intelligence-based drug repurposing with electronic health record clinical corroboration: A case for ketamine as a potential treatment for amphetamine-type stimulant use disorder (November, AI to suggest ketamine for addiction (SUD))
• Behavioural Effects of High Doses of Psilocybin in Female Rats (November, thesis)
• Pattern of psychedelic substance use: a comparison between populations in Spain and South America using the Psychedelic Use Scale (PUS) (November, survey, n=735, “Psilocybin was the most used substance. MDMA was more frequently consumed in the Spanish population (78.5 vs. 37.1%), while mescaline was more commonly used among participants from South America (31.9 vs. 24.0%), mainly among males (P < 0.05). Among the Spanish population, MDMA was the most commonly combined psychedelic; for the South American population, LSD was the substance most frequently combined, highlighting the predominant recreational use of this substance. DMT predicted the most adverse effects during consumption, whereas MDMA predicted the most adverse effects after consumption.“)
• The Reporting of Setting in Psychedelic Clinical Trials (ReSPCT) Guidelines: An international Delphi consensus study (November, “Eighty-nine experts from 17 countries initially identied hundreds of potentially important psychedelic setting variables. These 770 responses were synthesized into 49 distinct items that were then rated, debated, and rened in subsequent rounds. The process resulted in 30 extra-pharmacological variables reaching pre-dened consensus thresholds: rated “important” or “very important” for reporting by at least 70% of experts. These items compose the Reporting of Setting in Psychedelic Clinical Trials (ReSPCT) guidelines, categorized into: physical environment, dosing session procedure, therapeutic framework and protocol, and subjective experiences. Emergent study ndings reveal signicant ambiguities in current conceptualizations of set and setting.“)
• Moral enhancement and cheapened achievement: Psychedelics, virtual reality and AI (November, ethics, “We argue that, to the extent that the ‘cheapened achievement’ objection succeeds in the domains of cognitive or athletic enhancement, it could plausibly also succeed in the domain of moral enhancement-but only regarding certain forms. Specifically, although the value of moral self-improvement may be diminished by some of the more speculative and impractical forms of moral enhancement proposed in the literature, this worry has less force when applied to more plausibly viable forms of moral enhancement: forms in which drugs or technologies play an adjunctive or facilitative, rather than a determinative, role in moral improvement.“)
• Simulated synapse loss induces depression-like behaviors in deep reinforcement learning (November, computational modelling, possibly relevant for psychedelics)
• Registered Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Psychedelics in Healthcare: Statewide Survey Results (November, survey, n=793, “Findings generally align with previous research regarding provider attitudes towards psychedelics. Participants in this study had slightly more favourable attitudes and higher knowledge scores.“)
• A Thematic Analysis of “Challenging” or “Bad Trip” Psychedelic Experiences: A Qualitative Study (November, thesis)
• Associations Between Ayahuasca Use in Naturalistic Settings and Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: Analysis of a Large Global Dataset (November, survey, n=7576, “The number of ayahuasca uses was found to be positively associated with current mental health status (all measures), and this remained highly significant in multivariate models, with little evidence of associations diminishing over time. Variables such as the strength of the mystical experience, self-insights, and community/social variables were also positively associated with current mental health and PWG, while acute extreme fear and integration difficulties were negatively associated. Findings suggest that naturalistic ayahuasca use is associated with better current mental health status and enhanced psychological wellbeing for individuals with and without a history of mental illness, independent of community effects, with certain variables contributing positively or negatively to these effects.“)
• Survey of Massachusetts peer recovery coaches’ attitudes toward the use of psychedelics to treat substance use disorders (November, survey, n=146, “The majority of participants agreed that they would feel comfortable being a coach for someone using psychedelics to treat SUDs. However, a significant number of participants expressed concerns. Those who had utilized 12-steps were more likely to express concerns about the dangers of using psychedelics to treat SUD. Conversely, participants with a personal history of psychedelic use were more likely to support the use of psychedelics for the treatment of SUDs.“)
• Placebo Effects: Neurological Mechanisms Inducing Physiological, Organic, and Belief Responses-A Prospective Analysis (November, theory building, covers psychedelics)
• The METEMP Protocol: Massed Exposure Therapy Enhanced with MDMA for PTSD (November, study protocol)
• Participants’ Experience of Psychedelic Integration Groups and Processes: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis (November, survey, n=65, support groups for integration)
• Psychedelic risks and benefits: A cross-sectional survey study (November, survey, n=743+514), “Results indicated that first or most memorable psychedelic experiences were associated with greater acute challenging effects and persisting negative effects than first or most memorable cannabis experiences, but psychedelic experiences were also associated with greater positive acute and persisting effects. Common predictors of negative and positive acute and persisting effects with psychedelics included various experience qualities (e.g., dose level, presence of others) and individual differences (e.g., religiosity, personality), though only to a small degree.“)
• Estimating illicit production of MDMA from its production waste, a Dutch case study (November, MDMA production in The Netherlands, “ The MDMA produced, associated to the amount of waste found in the environment is 4.2 and 5.8 tons per year for two common synthesis routes. The MDMA produced, associated to production-related residues in wastewater is significantly larger, with 39.2 tons per year. The estimated MDMA production associated to waste in the environment and wastewater analysis is 43.4 and 45.0 tons per year for two common synthesis routes.“)