Psychedelic Research Links May 2023

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

You can find all interesting papers in our Papers Database.

Related Papers

In Rodents

• Harmine exerts anxiolytic effects by regulating neuroinflammation and neuronal plasticity in the basolateral amygdala (in mice, “findings provide new evidence that harmine may exert its anxiolytic effect by downregulating LPS-induced neuroinflammation and restoring the changes in neuronal plasticity in BLA PNs.”)
• Antidepressant effects of repeated s-ketamine administration as NMDAR Antagonist: Involvement of CaMKIIα and mTOR signaling in the hippocampus of CUMS mice (in mice, “It turned out that s-ketamine manifested evident antidepressant effects with improved synaptic plasticity. Meanwhile, the results suggested that s-ketamine could differentially modulate glutamate receptors with upregulated GluN1 and GluR1 levels and downregulated GluN2B levels. CUMS-induced elevation of CaMKIIα phosphorylation and decline of BDNF, TrkB phosphorylation and mTOR could also be reversed through s-ketamine treatment. Together, our study provided evidence that selectively modulated glutamate receptors as well as CaMKIIα and mTOR signaling were involved in repeated s-ketamine administration.“)
• Ketamine supresses REM sleep and markedly increases EEG gamma oscillations in the Wistar Kyoto rat model of treatment-resistant depression (in rats, “Our data suggest an enhanced antidepressant-like response to ketamine in WKY rats, and further support the predictive validity of acute REM sleep suppression as a measure of antidepressant responsiveness.“)
• Psilocybin targets a common molecular mechanism for cognitive impairment and increased craving in alcoholism (in rats, “ the search for a pharmacological intervention with high translational potential, psilocybin was capable of restoring mGluR2 expression and reducing relapse behavior.“)
• Effect of psilocybin on marble burying in ICR mice: role of 5-HT1A receptors and implications for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (in mice, “HTR. These data suggest that neither 5-HT2A nor 5-HT1A receptors are pivotally implicated in the effect of psilocybin on marble burying. Co-administration with buspirone may block the psychedelic effects of psilocybin without impeding its anti-obsessional effects.“)
• Systems-level analysis of local field potentials reveals differential effects of lysergic acid diethylamide and ketamine on neuronal activity and functional connectivity (in rats, “Our data suggest that the altered brain states of LSD and ketamine are caused by different underlying mechanisms, where LFP power shifts indicate increased neuronal activity but reduced connectivity following ketamine, while LSD also leads to reduced connectivity but without an accompanying change in LFP broadband power.”)
• Acute psilocybin increased cortical activities in rats (in rats, “… psilocybin-induced hyperactive state of rats is congruent to that of humans, and may be responsible for its pharmacological effects.”)
• Effects of Methylone Pre-Exposure on Fluoxetine-Induced Conditioned Taste Avoidance in Male and Female Sprague-Dawley Rats (in rats, “Methylone pre-exposure had no impact on fluoxetine-induced avoidance. These findings suggest that it is unlikely that 5-HT mediates the aversive effects of methylone.“)
• Esketamine is neuroprotective against traumatic brain injury through its modulation of autophagy and oxidative stress via AMPK/mTOR-dependent TFEB nuclear translocation (in mice, “These findings suggested that esketamine exerts the neuroprotective effects of esketamine in TBI mice model via enhancing autophagy and alleviating oxidative stress…”)
• Novel psilocin prodrugs with altered pharmacological properties as candidate therapies for treatment-resistant anxiety disorders (in mice, identification of prodrugs similar to psilocybin, by researchers at Enveric Biosciences)
• Characterization of Novel Tryptamines’ Anxiolytic and Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Relation to their Psychoactive Effects (in mice, “Of the three tryptamines, compound 1 & 3 had the most robust HTR and anxiolytic response while compound 2 had the inverse. These results suggest that the magnitude of the anxiolytic response relies on the magnitude of the psychoactive effects, but further studies are needed to determine this.“)
• The serotonergic psychedelic N,N-Dipropyltryptamine prevents seizures in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome via an apparent non-serotonergic mechanism (in mice, fragile X syndrome causes significant part of autism (ASD) diagnoses/is genetic cause, “Our results suggest that DPT prevents seizures in Fmr1 KO mice via a non-serotonergic mechanism, which we are currently investigating.“)
• The Synthetic Psychedelic 2,5-methoxy-4-iodoampheamine (DOI) Attenuates the Positive Appetitive and Reinforcing Effects of Methamphetamine (in mice, DOI for meth addiction, “onsistent with previous findings from our lab showing that DOI suppresses alcohol CPP and decreases voluntary drinking, DOI suppressed methamphetamine CPP and voluntary methamphetamine self-administration.“)
• Therapeutic effects of methimazole on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-induced hyperthermia and serotonergic neurotoxicity (in rats, “Taken together, treatment of MMI shows benefits such as lowered body temperature, alleviation of neurotoxicity and excited behaviour.”)
• Modulation of Gut Microbiome in Ecstasy/MDMA-Induced Behavioral and Biochemical Impairment in Rats and Potential of Post-Treatment with Anacyclus pyrethrum L. Aqueous Extract to Mitigate Adverse Effects (in rats, “These findings suggest that A. pyrethrum therapy may directly modulate the gut microbiome, highlighting a potential target for regulating and treating substance use disorders.“)
• UNRAVELing the synergistic effects of psilocybin and environment on brain-wide immediate early gene expression in mice (in mice, “Network analyses treating each psilocybin-sensitive cluster as a node indicated that psilocybin disrupted co-activity between highly correlated regions, reduced brain modularity, and dramatically attenuated intermodular co-activity.“)
• Cortical Correlates of Psychedelic-Induced Shaking Behavior Revealed by Voltage Imaging (in mice, “Our results reveal a clear cortical fingerprint of serotonin-2A-receptor-mediated shaking behavior and open a promising methodological avenue relating a cross-mammalian psychedelic effect to cell-type specific brain dynamics.”)

Chemistry

• Phylogenomics of the psychoactive mushroom genus Psilocybe and evolution of the psilocybin biosynthetic gene cluster (genetic analysis to determine ‘tree of life’ for psychedelic mushrooms)
• Structure-based discovery of conformationally selective inhibitors of the serotonin transporter (serotonin transporter (SERT) blockers)
• Ligand and G-protein selectivity in the κ-opioid receptor (“These results provide insights into the actions of opioids and G-protein-coupling specificity at KOR [κ-opioid receptor] and establish a foundation to examine the therapeutic potential of pathway-selective agonists of KOR.”)
• Lysergic acid diethylamide stimulates cardiac human H 2 histamine receptors (effect of LSD on heart cells, “LSD (up to 10 µM) concentration dependently increased force of contraction and beating rate in left or right atrial preparations from 5-HT₄-TG (n=6, p<0.05) as a partial agonist in 5-HT₄-TG atrial preparations.”)
• In vivo biosynthesis of N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 5-MeO-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, and bufotenine in E. coli (production of psychedelics from E. coli, “This work provides a starting point for further genetic and fermentation optimization studies with the goal to increase methylated tryptamine production metrics to industrially competitive levels.”)
• Reactivity of the Iboga Skeleton: Oxidation Study of Ibogaine and Voacangine (study of ibogaine reactivity)
• Determination of synthetic hallucinogens in oral fluids by microextraction by packed sorbent and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (detection of novel psychedelics)
• Overview of the Synthetic Approaches to Lysergic Acid as a precursor to the Psychedelic LSD (chemistry)

Perspectives/Opinions

• Marketing pitches of ‘magic mushrooms’ and ‘psychedelics’ mask that psychotomimetics use exposes those vulnerable to serious adverse effects (letter to the editor)
• Cognitive liberty and the psychedelic humanities (humanities perspective on psychedelics and cognitive liberty)
• Why didn’t the TGA consult with Australian researchers and clinicians with experience in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder? (perspective on Australian TGA rescheduling, critical perspective, “Until these [questions] are adequately addressed, we cannot, in good conscience, support this move.”)
• The down-scheduling of MDMA and psilocybin(e): Too fast and too soon (perspective on TGA…)
• Remove barriers to clinical research for schedule 1 drugs with therapeutic potential (opinion, by Leslie King, David Nutt, and David Nichols)
• Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: a State-of-the-art Review (review, PTSD treatment covers psychedelics)
• Psychotogenic potential of prescribed drugs (perspective/opinion on TGA (Australia) decision)
• Considerations in the Application of Psychedelic-Augmented Psychotherapy: A Commentary on Clinical Mechanisms (perspective, “I offered a clinically grounded perspective on psychedelic therapies based on a number of selected modalities and counseling philosophies. This was done in the spirit of exploratory navigation of psychedelic-augmented treatment rather than as a prescriptive remark about the benefits of one therapeutic model over another.”)
• Appropriateness and safety of using cannabinoid and psychedelic medicines as treatments for psychiatric disorders (editorial)
• Applying Key Lessons from the Hospice and Palliative Care Movement to Inform Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (commentary)
• Transformative experience and informed consent to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (hypothesis article, arguing that informed consent can’t be given considering the transformative nature of (mystical) psychedelic experiences)
• Cardiovascular and Metabolic Comorbidities as the Factors for Adverse Events With Ketamine (letter to the editors, arguing that adverse events are related to comorbidities, not ketamine itself)
  • Reply to Comments by Sadko and Jakuszkowiak: Medical Comorbidities to Depression Do Not Necessarily Limit the Effectiveness or Safety of Ketamine-Assisted Therapy (counters the previous arguments)
• Ten years of Psychedemia — and the future (perspective)
• Psychedelics: Threshold of a Therapeutic Revolution (editorial)
• Evidence versus expectancy: the development of psilocybin therapy (opinion)
• Getting In Touch with Touch: The Importance of Studying Touch in MDMA-Assisted Therapy and the Development of a New Self-Report Measure (need for studying touch in MDMA-AT)
• Psychedelic literary studies and the poetics of disruption (opinion)
• Psychedelic unselfing: self-transcendence and change of values in psychedelic experiences (hypothesis, “This article presents an empirically informed framework of philosophical psychology to understand how self-transcendence relates to psychedelic value changes“)
• The making of a mushroom people: Toward a moral anthropology of psychedelics beyond hype and anti-hype (perspective, “This article suggests extending ethnographic studies of the psychedelic renaissance from medical to moral anthropology“)
• Ethical considerations for psychedelic-assisted therapy in military clinical settings (perspective, “The authors argue that MDMA-assisted therapy currently represents a promising treatment that should be more rapidly investigated as a clinical therapy for service members while still taking a measured approach that accounts for the many military-specific uncertainties that remain.“)
• Importance of Integrating Spiritual, Existential, Religious, and Theological Components in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (perspective)
• Extrapharmacological Safety Topics in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy (perspective)
• Evidence versus expectancy: the development of psilocybin therapy (opinion)

Reviews

• The neurobiology of treating substance use disorders with classical psychedelics (review, psychedelics for SUD, neurobiology)
• Psychedelics as Transformative Therapeutics (review)
• Introduction to the Chemistry and Pharmacology of Psychedelic Drugs (review)
• The Tripping Point: A Comprehensive Review of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (review, thesis)
• Microdosing Psychedelics for Menopausal Symptoms (review)
• Inflammaging, Immunosenescence, and Anti-Inflammatory Medications Used in Psychiatry (review, relevant for psychedelics, but doesn’t cover them besides ketamine)
• The Role of Psychotherapy in the Management of Treatment-Resistant Depression (review, relevant as PAT stands for Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy)
• Role of Psychedelics in Treatment-Resistant Depression (review)
• The antidepressant actions of ketamine and its enantiomers (review, “… recent randomized, controlled trials found that it had no significant antidepressant efficacy compared to placebo, suggesting that caution is warranted in interpreting its therapeutic potential.“)
• Pharmacological Treatment of Bipolar Depression: A Review of Observational Studies (review, covers ketamine)
• Ketamine Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Systematic Review (review)
• The role of ketamine in major depressive disorders: Effects on parvalbumin-positive interneurons in hippocampus (review)
• Exploring the Potential Utility of Psychedelic Therapy for Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (review, psychedelics (PAP) for ALS)
• Psychedelics and Related Pharmacotherapies as Integrative Medicine for Older Adults in Palliative Care (review)
• The therapeutic use and efficacy of ketamine in alcohol use disorder and alcohol withdrawal syndrome: a scoping review (review)
• Drugs in the Developmental Stage (Psychotropics) (review, Japanese)
• A review of psilocybin: chemistry, clinical uses and future research directions (review)
• Psychoactive plant derivatives (ayahuasca, ibogaine, kratom) and their application in opioid withdrawal and use disorder – a narrative review (review)
• The use of esketamine in the treatment of patients with severe depression and suicidal ideation: systematic review and meta-analysis (review)
• Psilocybin-Assisted Treatment of Depression, Anxiety and Substance use Disorders: Neurobiological Basis and Clinical Application (review, German)
• Therapeutic role of psilocybin and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in trauma: A literature review (review)
• A scoping review for building a criticality-based conceptual framework of altered states of consciousness (review)
• Neurobiological Correlates of Psilocybin Response in Depression (review)
• Ecstasy’ – Accurate or Deceptive Name? A Systematic Review of MDMA Effects on the Male Sexual Response Cycle (review)
• Spirit Molecules (academic book chapter)
• Letter to the editor on “Increased low-frequency brain responses to music after psilocybin therapy for depression” (letter to the editor)
• The psychedelic afterglow phenomenon: a systematic review of subacute effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics (review)
• Microbiome: The Next Frontier in Psychedelic Renaissance (review)

Other

• Use of Continuous Ketamine Infusion as an Adjunctive Agent in Young Infants With Refractory and Super Refractory Status Epilepticus: A Case Series (case study, n=3, IV ketamine for infants with epilepsy)
• Ketamine for depression: a potential role in requests for Medical Aid in Dying? (case study, n=1, “we report the case of a Canadian patient who was actively requesting Medical Assistance in Dying for severe and prolonged treatment-resistant depression until she experienced remarkable benefits from a course of intravenous ketamine infusions. To our knowledge, this is the first report of ketamine or any other intervention yielding remission in a patient who would have otherwise likely been eligible for MAiD for depression. We discuss implications for the evaluation of similar requests and, more specifically, why a trial of ketamine warrants consideration.“)
• MDMA, Internal Family Systems therapy, and the Minnesota model in the resolution of C-PTSD-induced alcohol and diazepam addiction—A retrospective case study (case study, n=1, “This case study, the first of its kind in recent years, illustrates in detail how and why MDMA, combined with Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS), can promote abstinence.“)
• Self-treatment of depression and complex post-traumatic stress disorder with psilocybin and LSD—A retrospective case study (case study, n=1, “The case illustrates that chronic treatment-resistant depression together with an unsupportive social environment may present a challenge for psychedelic therapy. As with ketamine, chronic administration may be necessary in some cases.“)
• Self-treatment of psychosis and complex post-traumatic stress disorder with LSD and DMT—A retrospective case study (case study, n=1, “Eventually the teenager chose to self-medicate with LSD in order to resolve a suicidal condition. The teenager carried out six unsupervised LSD sessions, followed by an extended period of almost daily use of inhaled low-dose DMT. Psychotic symptoms were mostly resolved after approximately one year. Subsequent cannabis use caused a transient relapse.“)
• Self-treatment of parental neglect-induced mixed anxiety and depressive disorder with psilocybin – A retrospective case study (case study, n=1, “The mushrooms ‘did not provide a swift solution’ but ‘played a major role’ in the resolution of her depression.“)
• Underground small-group therapy of treatment-resistant depression and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) with psilocybin—A retrospective case study (case study, n=1, “Psilocybin appeared to interrupt trauma-related dissociation, producing an ‘anti-dissociative’ effect, allowing the woman to re-experience, in a controlled setting, dissociated physical sensations produced by earlier overwhelming events.“)
• Cardiac Arrest Associated With Psilocybin Use and Hereditary Hemochromatosis (case study, n=1, “Here, we present the case of a 48-year-old male with a past medical history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on lisdexamfetamine who presented after a syncopal episode witnessed by his wife at home.“)
• Exposure therapy under psilocybin for general anxiety disorder and claustrophobia (case study, n=1, psilocybin for anxiety)
• Case report: Intramuscular ketamine or intranasal esketamine as a treatment in four patients with major depressive disorder and comorbid anorexia nervosa (case studies, n=4, (es)ketamine for depression whilst suffering from anorexia)
• The Ayahuasca Voices (academic book chapter)
• Nitrous oxide: a unique official French addictovigilance national survey (nitrous oxide use/abuse in France)
• Corrigendum to ‘Psilocybin induces spatially constrained alterations in thalamic functional organization and connectivity’ (“Upon further analysis, while several effects are significant before multiplicity correction, none of the reported correlations survive correction for multiple comparisons”)
• Study protocol of an open-label proof-of-concept trial examining the safety and clinical efficacy of psilocybin-assisted therapy for veterans with PTSD (trial protocol)
• Three years of wastewater surveillance for new psychoactive substances from 16 countries (analysis of wastewater for novel drugs (NPS), including psychedelics)
• Senses and experiences related to the recreational use of MDMA (Ecstasy) (n=13, interview study, Spanish)
• Esketamine in treatment-resistant depression patients comorbid with substance-use disorder: A viewpoint on its safety and effectiveness in a subsample of patients from the REAL-ESK study (further analysis of the REAL-ESK study, will probably add later)
• The role of non-ordinary states of consciousness occasioned by mind-body practices in mental health illness (review of mind-body practices (e.g. yoga / meditation), finds positive benefits and more accessibility)
• Recreational Use of Psychedelics at Music Festivals: Motivation, Nature of Experiences and Learnings (use of psychedelics at festivals)
• Stakeholder Perceptions of Substances Scheduled Under the Controlled Substances Act (dissertation)
• Preclinical Development of a Novel Serotonin Receptor Modulator for Fragile X Syndrome (dissertation, Fragile X underlies part of autism diagnoses)
• Molly users versus nonusers in a sample of college alcohol drinkers: Differences in substance-related harms and sensation seeking (public health/safety, “ Results revealed that approximately 12% of the sample reported lifetime Molly use. Molly users compared with nonusers reported higher levels of other drug use, alcohol use, substance-related problems, and sensation seeking.“)
• 2C Series Phenethylamine Derivative Exposures in Texas (public health/safety)
• Microbiome–Gut–Brian Axis Modulation: New Approaches in Treatment of Neuropsychological and Gastrointestinal Functional Disorders (patent highlight)
• Cognitive liberty and the constitutionality of criminalising psilocybin mushrooms in South Africa (legalisation)
• Microdosing Is More Than Placebo In Some Individuals: A Critical Re-examination of ‘Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing’ (re-analysis of microdosing trial – early draft)
• Tusi: a new ketamine concoction complicating the drug landscape (recreational use of drug-mix)
• An Overview of Adolescent Psychostimulant Use (youth use of MDMA and Speed)
• Henri Michaux’s program for the psychedelic humanities (“This article presents an analytical reading of the extraordinarily rich cultural production around drugs by the 20th-century French poet, writer, critic, and visual artist Michaux (1899–1984)“.)
• Predictors of Medical Students’ Perceptions of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Use in Medical Practice (n=213, medical students, “In this sample, medical students with greater self-assessment of their knowledge about medical psilocybin, less concern for its potential adverse effects, and more positive views about recreational psilocybin legalization predicted positive attitudes about its medical use. Interestingly, although some participants had positive perceptions about the legalization of psilocybin for medical use, endorsing its legalization for recreation was related to greater positive attitudes toward medical psilocybin in general, a finding that appears to be somewhat counterintuitive.“)
• Lifetime classic psychedelic use is associated with greater psychological distress in unemployed job seekers (survey data study, “In sum, and contrary to expectations, the results of this study suggest that lifetime classic psychedelic use (specifically lifetime indoleamine use) is associated with increased psychological distress in unemployed job seekers; a conservative estimate being that these unemployed job seekers experience roughly 10% more symptoms than unemployed job seekers without lifetime classic psychedelic use.“)
• Psychedelic Sensationalism: An Analysis of the Schedule Classification of Psilocybin (thesis, “This paper asserts that drug regulation was used as a form of social control that aimed to stifle the progressive ideals of the youth counterculture movement and reinforce conservative American ideals.“)
• 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Mdma; Ecstasy) Use and Transitions to Injection Drug Use among Street-Involved Youth (survey, safety, “Amid ongoing frequent use of MDMA among some young people in North America, we did not observe an elevated risk of injection initiation among those who used MDMA in this cohort of street-involved youth.“)
• There’s Something about Molly: The Underresearched Yet Popular Powder form of Ecstasy in the United States (letter to editor, non-medical use of MDMA)
• Computational modelling in disorders of consciousness: Closing the gap towards personalised models for restoring consciousness (review, covers consciousness disorders, which are in some way the opposite of psychedelic states)
• Deep CANALs: A Deep Learning Approach to Refining the Canalization Theory of Psychopathology (builds further on the REBUS model)
• The evolution and ecology of psilocybin in nature (psilocybin evolution)
• Current suicide risk, but not lifetime history of attempted suicide, predicts treatment response to low-dose ketamine infusion: Post Hoc analysis of adjunctive ketamine study of Taiwanese patients with treatment-resistant depression (n=47, re-analysis, “Current suicide risk was associated with the antidepressant effect of a low-dose ketamine infusion among patients with treatment-resistant depression. A low-dose ketamine infusion may be prioritized for depressed patients with moderate or high current suicide risk.“)
• Region- and time- specific effects of ketamine on cerebral blood flow: a randomized controlled trial (n=75, healthy subjects, “These findings underscore the idea that regionally selective patterns of CBF changes reflect proximate effects of modulated glutamate release on neuronal activity.”)
• Ego Birth: Measure 109, The NMHA, and Forward Movement in the Nascent Psilocybin Industry (legal/policy)
• Exposure to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) induced biochemical but not behavioral effects in Daphnia magna
• Exploring the Mystical Dimensions of Psychedelic Experience: A Deductive Thematic Analysis of LSD and Psilocybin-Induced Mystical Experiences (thesis)
• Creating Greater Safety in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Spaces (thesis)
• Safety and tolerability of intramuscular and sublingual ketamine for psychiatric treatment in the Roots To Thrive ketamine-assisted therapy program: a retrospective chart review (n=221, retrospective, no unexpected findings)
• Ibogaine treatment in combat Veterans significantly improves sleep, beyond alleviating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms (n=30, observational, sleep outcomes also positive)
• Real-world study of intranasal ketamine for use in patients with refractory chronic migraine: a retrospective analysis (n=169, retrospective interviews, ketamine helped with chronic pain)