Psychedelic Research Links April 2023

This is all the other psychedelic research that came out in April 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

• 5-MeO-DMT modifies innate behaviors and promotes structural neural plasticity in mice (in mice, “We showed that 5-MeO-DMT induces a dose-dependent increase in head-twitch response that is shorter in duration than that induced by psilocybin at all doses tested. 5-MeO-DMT also substantially suppresses social ultrasonic vocalizations produced during mating behavior. 5-MeO-DMT produces long-lasting increases in dendritic spine density in the mouse medial frontal cortex that are driven by an elevated rate of spine formation. However, unlike psilocybin, 5-MeO-DMT did not affect the size of dendritic spines.“)

• Sex-specific effects of psychedelic drug exposure on central amygdala reactivity and behavioral responding (in mice, “We found that psilocin administration acutely increased CeA activity in both males and females and increased stimulus specific CeA reactivity in females, but not males. In contrast, psilocin produced time-dependent decreases in reactivity in males, but not in females, as early as 2 days and lasting to 28 days post administration.“)

• High-resolution tracking of unconfined zebrafish behavior reveals stimulatory and anxiolytic effects of psilocybin (in zebrafish, updated pre-print)

• Psilocybin prevents symptoms of hyperarousal and enhances novel object recognition in rats exposed to the single prolonged stress paradigm (in rats, poster, “The SPS paradigm exerted sex- and test-dependent effects on rat behavior. Stressed males treated with vehicle tended to exhibit greater startle responses than controls, which was prevented by psilocybin. SPS exposure led to greater locomotor activity in males, but not females, and enhanced NOR memory in females, but not males.”)

• Low-dose psilocybin enhances novel object recognition but not inhibit inhibitory avoidance in adult rats (in rats, poster, “In both male and female rats, psilocybin-treated animals spent significantly more time exploring the novel object than the familiar object. Such a difference was not observed in vehicle-treated animals, suggesting that psilocybin did enhance novel object recognition memory.“)

• The effects of serotonergic psychedelics in synaptic and intrinsic properties of neurons in layer II/III of the orbitofrontal cortex (in rats, 25C-NBOMe)

• Receptor Binding Profiles for Tryptamine Psychedelics and Effects of 4-Propionoxy- N,N-dimethyltryptamine in Mice (in mice “[O]ur data support a growing body of evidence that the 5-HT2A-mediated HTR induced by tryptamine psychedelics is attenuated by 5-HT1A receptor agonist activity at high doses in mice.”)

• The Antidepressant-like Activity and Cognitive Enhancing Effects of the Combined Administration of ( R)-Ketamine and LY341495 in the CUMS Model of Depression in Mice Are Related to the Modulation of Excitatory Synaptic Transmission and LTP in the PFC (in mice, “mixRL appeared to exert its antidepressant effects and cognitive enhancing effects in a mouse model of depression, at least in part, by mechanisms involving modulation of glutamatergic transmission and LTP in the PFC.“)

• The Acute Effects and Mechanism of Ketamine on Nicotine-Induced Neurogenic Relaxation of the Corpus Cavernosum in Mice (in mice, “Ketamine inhibited cavernosal nerve neurotransmission via direct action on the ganglion and impaired nicotine-induced CC relaxation. The relaxation of the CC was dependent on the interaction of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, which may be mediated by the NMDA receptor.“)

Chemistry

• Screening strategy for ketamine-based new psychoactive substances using fragmentation characteristics from high resolution mass spectrometry (analysis of ketamine-based NPS)

• A Multifunctional Nanocarrier System for Highly Efficient and Targeted Delivery of Ketamine to NMDAR sites for Improved Treatment of Depression (delivery mechanism for ketamine to NMDAR sites)

• Metabolites Study of Experimental Plant Derived Alkaloids: A Review (chemistry, review)

• Benzydamine—An Affordable Over-the-Counter Drug with Psychoactive Properties—From Chemical Structure to Possible Pharmacological Properties (chemistry, review, “In addition to the therapeutic indications found in the summary of product characteristics (SPC), the compound is used, in high doses, as a psychotropic substance for oral administration, having similar properties to lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)“)

• Fungi Fiction: Analytical Investigation into the Church Of Psilomethoxin’s Alleged Novel Compound Using UPLC-HRMS (chemistry, “Authentic reference standards for structurally related tryptamines were used for comparison. Our findings revealed no evidence to suggest that the compound psilomethoxin is present in samples of material that the church is offering to their members online.“)

• The Theoretical Description for Psilocin Electrochemical Determination over Cobalt Oxyhydroxide (chemistry, “The possibility of psilocin electrochemical determination over cobalt (III) oxyhydroxide-modified anode is evaluated from the mathematical point of view“)

• Molecular docking, MM-GBSA and Molecular dynamics Approach: 5-MeO-DMT Analogues as Potential Antidepressants (chemistry, “We used 70,000 5-MeO-DMT analogues that were sketched using Marvin to conduct a high throughput virtual screening (HTVS) method in hopes of finding potential 5-MeO-DMT analogues against the 5-HT1AR (7E2Y.pdb) as an agonist.“)

• Chronic exposure to (2 R,6 R)-hydroxynorketamine induces developmental neurotoxicity in hESC-derived cerebral organoids (applying ketamine’s metabolite to embryonic cells)

• Synthesis of Novel (±)-Lysergic Acid Derivative 12-Chlorolysergic Acid (chemistry, “ The synthesis of analogues such as 12-chlorolysergic acid may facilitate a new structure activity relationship model guiding the way for the next generation of pharmaceuticals.“)

• Synthesis of 2-(5-(2-Aminopropyl)-2-hydroxyphenyl)acetic Acid, a Metabolite of the Drug 5-APB (synthesis)

• Ultralow detection of 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine using an immunofluorescence nanoconjugate of heavy metal-free alloyed quantum dots and NiCeFe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (chemistry, MDMA detection)

• Inhibitory activity of psilocybin/psilocin towards the enzymes of the cytochrome P450 (CYP450): an in vitro evaluation (in cells, “The results suggest a potential for psilocin to be an inhibitor of all the enzymes evaluated, especially CYP2A6, contrary to psilocybin which seems to only have the potential to inhibit CYP3A4.“)

• Assessment of the CYP450 inhibitory potential of LSD, 5-MeO-DMT and mescaline: an in vitro study (in cells, “SD and 5-MeO-DMT have a strong potential to inhibit CYP2D6, which is highly polymorphic and therefore implicated in great toxicological interindividual variability. CYP3A4 which is involved in the metabolism of many drugs and food is also greatly inhibited by LSD and mescaline.“)

• Mechanisms behind the neurotoxicity of 2C-I and 25I-NBOMe drugs (in cells, “Both drugs exhibited a concentration-dependent neurotoxic effect, with 25I-NBOMe being more cytotoxic than its counterpart, which supports the drugs’ lipophilicity data. MAO inhibition had no significant impact on drug-induced cytotoxicity.“)

• MDA effects on morphophysiology and reproduction of Daphnia magna – preliminary data (in small water creature, “Data are suggestive of some adverse influence of MDA on the analyzed endpoints.”)

• A route to potent, selective and biased salvinorin chemical space (salvanorin-based compounds for pain reduction)

Perspectives/Opinions

• Why Ignore the opioid action of nitrous oxide and ketamine when working on their antidepressant/ psychotropic actions? (editorial)

• Psychedelics, entropic brain theory, and the taxonomy of conscious states: a summary of debates and perspectives (review/summary, psychedelics x consciousness)

• Are psychedelic medicines the reset for chronic pain? Preliminary findings and research needs (commentary, psychedelics for pain)

• With great power comes great vulnerability: an ethical analysis of psychedelics’ therapeutic mechanisms proposed by the REBUS hypothesis (ethics perspective on REBUS)

• Assessment of Psilocybin Therapy for Patients With Cancer and Major Depression Disorder (research letter)

• The Evolution of Ketamine in Severe Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, From Contraband to Promising Neuroprotectant? (editorial)

• Evidence-Informed Recommendation to Achieve Approximate Parity in the Allowed Number of Doses for Common Psychedelics (commentary, “[W]e provide an evidence-informed table of typical moderate-high doses for seven commonly used psychedelic substances.“)

• US could soon approve MDMA therapy — opening an era of psychedelic medicine (news feature in Nature)

• Emerging Challenges for Psychedelic Therapy (editorial)

• Hair buried in a cave shows hallucinogen use in ancient Europe (research highlight)

• Not in the drug, not in the brain: Causality in psychedelic experiences from an enactive perspective (hypothesis/theory article)

• Implications from Jaworska’s Account of Autonomy and Self for Dementia and Psychedelic Research (commentary on earlier article)Journey to Narayama: Cultural Complexities, Psychedelics and Dementia (same) Ethical Considerations at the Intersection Between Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and Medical Assistance in Dying (same) Barriers and Facilitators to the Equitable Access of Psychedelic Medical Care and Research in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (same) Psychedelic Research for Dementia Risks Perpetuating Structural Failures and Inadequacies in Aged Care (same) Avoiding the Premature Introduction of Psychedelic Medicines in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (same) Toward a Broader Psychedelic Bioethics (same) The Road to Ixtlan in Neuro-Degenerative Diseases Is Paved with Palliative Cobblestones (same) Whose Mental Data? Privacy Inequities and Extended Minds (same)

• A roadmap for psychedelic pharmacy in Canada: A proposed policy and operations approach for controlled access to select psychedelics for treatment of mental illness (pharmaceutical access roadmap)

• Light Shining within the “Dark” Classics: A Perspective on Entheogenic Compounds (viewpoint, “Here, we acknowledge that some entheogens were included in the DARK Classics issues of ACS Chemical Neuroscience and that the label of “DARK” may perpetuate harmful and misguided labels and stigmas. We acknowledge that these compounds should really be framed in the light and beauty of their histories and uses culturally.“)

• Pressing regulatory challenges for psychedelic medicine (commentary)

• Treatment Issues Related to the Use of Psychedelics, Trichotillomania, Social Anxiety Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Opioid Use Disorder (editorial)

Reviews

• Contribution of serotonin 5-HT2A receptor to antidepressant effect of serotonergic psychedelics (review, Japanese)

• Clinical pharmacological innovation in the treatment of depression (review, covers ketamine)

• Use of Selective Alternative Therapies for Treatment of OCD (review, covers psychedelics for OCD, though all small studies)

• Psilocybin zeigt Wirkung bei Depression (review, German)

• Designing Clinical Trials to Assess the Impact of Pharmacological Treatment for Suicidal Ideation/Behavior: Issues and Potential Solutions (review, covers ketamine)

• Non-opioid analgesics for the prevention of chronic postsurgical pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis (review, covers ketamine for pain)

• Mini-review: The neurobiology of treating substance use disorders with classical psychedelics (review)

• Psilocybin in Palliative Care: An Update (review, “… reasonable inferences can be made regarding the potential for benefit to palliative care patients from psilocybin’s demonstrated anxiolytic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory and entheogenic effects. However, major legal, ethical and financial barriers to access exist for the general population; obstacles which are likely worsened for geriatric and palliative care patients.“)

• Current and Future Directions of Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Mental Illnesses (review, covers drug delivery)

• G protein coupled receptors as targets for transformative neuropsychiatric therapeutics (review)

• Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in adolescents with multiple psychiatric diagnoses (review)

• Ketamine – a long way from anesthetic to a prototype antidepressant: Review of potential mechanisms of action (review, for Polish psychiatry audience)

• Will MDMA-assisted psychotherapy become a breakthrough in treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder? A critical narrative review (review, same)

• The Acute Effects of Psychoactive Drugs on Emotional Episodic Memory Encoding, Consolidation, and Retrieval (review, “Finally, retrieving memories under the effects of THC, dextroamphetamine, MDMA, and perhaps GABAA sedatives distorts memory, with potentially greater selectively for emotional (especially positive) memories.“)

• Effects of serotonergic psychedelics on mitochondria: Transdiagnostic implications for mitochondria-related pathologies (review/theory building)

• Pharmacological Treatment and Eating Disorders (living review, covers psilocybin)

• Functional brain networks reflect spatial and temporal autocorrelation (review, about brain networks but covers psychedelics and has many psychedelic-oriented co-authors)

• Pharmacological Mechanism of Ketamine in Suicidal Behavior Based on Animal Models of Aggressiveness and Impulsivity: A Narrative Review (review)

• Effect of Ketamine on Sleep in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Systematic Review (review, some positive effects on sleep but not robust)

• Benzydamine-An Affordable Over-the-Counter Drug with Psychoactive Properties-From Chemical Structure to Possible Pharmacological Properties (review)

• Psychotherapy with Psilocybin for Depression: Systematic Review (review)

• 25X-NBOMe compounds – chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology. A comprehensive review (review, focus on toxicity, “Moreover, preclinical studies confirm that 25X-NBOMes cause developmental impairments, cytotoxicity, cardiovascular toxicity and changes in behavior of animals.“)

• Psychedelics as Transformative Therapeutics (review)

• Ketamine and psychotherapy for the treatment of psychiatric disorders: systematic review (review, promising but heterogeneity between studies)

• Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy as a Potential Treatment for Eating Disorders: a Narrative Review of Preliminary Evidence (review, PAT for ED)

• Changing the paradigm in treatment-resistant depression: A review of long-term efficacy and tolerability of esketamine nasal spray (review of esketamine long-term effects, seems too positively skewed)

Other

• Investigating the associations of acute psychedelic experiences and changes in racial trauma symptoms, psychological flexibility, and substance use among People of Color in the United States and Canada (n=211, survey, “Analyses showed a significant perceived reduction in alcohol (p < .0001, d = 0.54) and drug use (p = .0001, d = 0.23) from before to after the psychedelic experience... These findings suggest that psychedelic experiences may contribute to an increase in psychological flexibility and reduction in racial trauma symptoms and alcohol and drug use among POC“)

• The treatment of abandonment anxiety with MDMA and LSD (n=1, case study, multiple sessions (IFS) to deal with trauma)

• Ketamine as an alternative to ECT in catatonia in elderly women with bipolar disorder: A case report (n=2, case study, ketamine instead of ECT)

• Pharmacotherapy and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Patient With Lifelong Self-Doubt and Self-Criticism (n=1, case study)

• Effect of esketamine on postoperative depressive symptoms in patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung cancer surgery: A randomized controlled trial (n=156, esketamine significantly lowered depressive symptoms after lung cancer surgery)

• Psilocybin to promote synaptogenesis in the brains of patients with mild cognitive impairment (proposed study, psilocybin for early-stage Alzheimer’s)

• Predictors of response and remission in patients with treatment-resistant depression: A post hoc pooled analysis of two acute trials of esketamine nasal spray (n=518, retrospective analysis of factors that make treatment more likely to succeed – “Overall, younger age, any employment, fewer failed ADs in the current depressive episode, and reduction in Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) score at day 8 were significant positive predictors of response and remission at day 28“)

• Facing Shadow in the Eyes of the Lover: A Ceremonial Approach to MDMA-Assisted Couples Therapy (thesis, MDMA-AT for couples)

• Predictors of Medical Students’ Perceptions of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Use in Medical Practice (n=213, survey, “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.“)

• The right to privacy in the decriminalisation of psilocybin mushrooms in South Africa (law/privacy)

• Implementation of a natural product from Ayahuasca (banisteriopsis caapi) in the substitution of synthetic antidepressants (review?)

• Mystical and Ego-Dissolution Experiences in Ayahuasca and Jurema Holistic Rituals: An Exploratory Study (n=26 survey, n=7 interview, MEQ)

• An unusual route of non-intentional intoxication by ecstasy in a toddler (safety, MDMA ingestion by toddler)

• Acute liver failure after MDMA (Ecstasy) intoxication (safety, MDMA overdose as part of SI)

• Intoxication Associated with Ayahuasca Consumption, Characterization, and Comparative Analysis of the Beverage’s Components: A Case (safety, case study, n=1, ayahusac in combination with other drugs)

• Entheogens and spiritual seeking: The quest for self-transcendence, psychological well-being, and psychospiritual growth (n=684, survey)

• As without, so within: how the brain’s temporo-spatial alignment to the environment shapes consciousness (on consciousness, theoretical)

• Nitrous Oxide-Induced Subacute Combined Degeneration in a 38-Year-Old Pregnant Female After Recreational Use (case study, safety, don’t do N20 in those doses and especially not when pregnant)

• Utilization of mental health services in relation to the intention to reduce chemsex behavior among clients from an integrated sexual health services center in Taiwan (harm reduction, sex whilst using drugs including ketamine)

• A Utilização Da Ayahuasca No Tratamento De Perturbações Psiquiátricas: Uma Revisão Da Literatura (review, Portuguese)

• Demographic and health characteristics of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine users (MDMA, ecstasy) (n=304, survey, Polish MDMA users)

• Orally Active Forms of DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and Long-Acting MDMA for the Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Disorders (patent highlight)

• Safety, tolerability, and clinical and neural effects of single-dose psilocybin in obsessive–compulsive disorder: protocol for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, non-crossover trial (study protocol)

• Natural vs. Synthetic Psilocybin: The Same or Completely Different? (academic book chapter)

• Combination of ketamine and esketamine with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (in French, (es)ketamine for OCD)

• LSD et MDMA en combinaison (Candy Flip) (in French, LSD and MDMA candy flip)

• A critical evaluation of QIDS-SR-16 using data from a trial of psilocybin therapy versus escitalopram treatment for depression (critique of depression measure, following from psilocybin vs antidepressant study)

• Development and psychometric validation of a novel scale for measuring ‘psychedelic preparedness’ (development of preparedness measure)

• A Suicide Attempt Following Psilocybin Ingestion in a Patient With No Prior Psychiatric History (case study, n=1, stabbing of own neck after psilocybin (mushroom) ingestion)

• Bias and Blinding in Psychedelic Trials (powerpoint)

• Comparator selection in psychedelic clinical trial design (powerpoint)

• Association of Bacterial Communities with Psychedelic Mushroom and Soil as Revealed in 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing (bacteria in soil interaction with psilocybin-containing mushrooms)

• Adverse drug effects as a deterrent against willingness to use in the future among nightclub/festival attendees (in-person survey, n=2981, “Personally experienced adverse effects can deter willingness to use certain party drugs again in this high-risk population. Interventions targeting cessation of recreational party drug use can likely benefit from focusing on deleterious effects of use that have been experienced.“)

• A Single Preoperative Dose of S-Ketamine Has No Beneficial Effect on Chronic Postsurgical Pain in Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgical Lung Lesion Resection: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study (study, ketamine for chronic pain after surgery, null finding)

• Characteristics of Esketamine Prescribers Among Medicare Beneficiaries in the United States, 2019-2020 (who prescribes esketamine)

• Spiritual and psychotropic cults: ethnotoxicology applied to century-old samples of ayahuasca, peyote and Mariani wine (Spanish, “Pharmaceutical preparations and secular products used since antiquity were analyzed. This study made it possible to identify the main psychotropic substances, to determine its state of degradation for Mariani wine and to put forward hypotheses as to the species used in their preparation. “)

• Ayahuasca poisoning case: repeated use documented by hair and nail analysis (French, intoxication case study of ayahuasca)

• Contributions to the Phenomenology of Heightened Reality (phenomenology study, covers psychedelics)