Psychedelic Research Links November 2022

This is all the other psychedelic research that came out in November 2022. 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

• Psychedelics enhance the effects of brain stimulation in rodents (in mice)

• Effects of Repeated Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) on the Mouse Brain Endocannabinoidome and Gut Microbiome (in mice, “The prosocial effects elicited by repeated LSD administration are accompanied by alterations of hippocampal eCBome and kynurenine levels, and the composition of the gut microbiota. Modulation of the hippocampal eCBome and kynurenine pathway might represent a mechanism by which psychedelic compounds elicit prosocial effects and affect the gut microbiome.“)

• Structure–Activity Relationships for Psilocybin, Baeocystin, Aeruginascin, and Related Analogues to Produce Pharmacological Effects in Mice (in mice, “pharmacological effects of 4-acetoxy and 4-hydroxy compounds were similar, and these compounds were more potent than their 4-phosphoryloxy counterparts. Importantly, psilacetin appears to be a prodrug for psilocin that displays substantial serotonin receptor activities of its own.“)

• Rewarding and Reinforcing Effects of 25H-NBOMe in Rodents (in mice & rats, “Administration of 25H‐NBOMe induced rewarding and reinforcing effects in mice and increased extracellular dopamine in the striatum in rats”)

• Ketamine modulates neural stem cell differentiation by regulating TRPC3 expression through the GSK3β/β-catenin pathway (in rats, “These results suggest that TRPC3 is necessary for ketamine to modulate NSC differentiation, which occurs partly via regulation of the GSK3β/β-catenin pathway.”)

• S-ketamine exerts sex- and dose-dependent anti-compulsive-like effect as monotherapy or in augmentation to fluoxetine (in mice, “[W]e found that female mice are less sensitive to S-ketamine’s anti-compulsive-like effect than male mice as monotherapy or adjuvant treatment, but oscillations in female sex hormones concentrations do not seem to explain this difference.“)

• Impact of fluoxetine preexposure on MDMA-induced taste avoidance in male and female rats (in rats, “Fluoxetine preexposure attenuated [taste] avoidance in males, but not females.”)

• MDMA administration attenuates hippocampal IL-β immunoreactivity and subsequent stress-enhanced fear learning: An animal model of PTSD (in mice, “MDMA blocks SEFL through an immunosuppressive mechanism and supports the use of MDMA as a potential therapeutic agent for those experiencing [PTSD]”)

• Selective effects of acute and chronic stress on slow and alpha-theta cortical functional connectivity and reversal with subanesthetic ketamine (in mice, “The functional connectivity changes induced by acute stress in the 4-15 Hz band were strongly related to those in the slow band after chronic stress, as well as the selective effects of subanesthetic ketamine.“)

• Size matters: comparing the MDMA content and weight of ecstasy tablets submitted to European drug checking services in 2012–2021 (same content in EU MDMA tablet (per gram), but size increases)

Chemistry

• Solving an Old Puzzle: Elucidation and Evaluation of the Binding Mode of Salvinorin A at the Kappa Opioid Receptor (binding of Salvinorin A)

• Analytical profile of the lysergamide 1cP-AL-LAD and detection of impurities (LSD-analogues)

• Characterization of the Gateway Decarboxylase for Psilocybin Biosynthesis (in cells)

• Cardiac effects of ephedrine, norephedrine, mescaline, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in mouse and human atrial preparations (in cells, “ephedrine, norephedrine, and MDMA, but not mescaline, increased force of contraction and increased protein phosphorylation presumably, in part, by a release of noradrenaline in isolated human atrial preparations”)

• Psilocin – The “real deal” or an extraction byproduct (case report, chemical analysis triggering hydrolysation from 4-acetoxy-DMT to psilocin)

• Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the bioanalysis of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and its metabolites DMT-N-oxide and indole-3-acetic acid in human plasma (analysis of DMT)

• Extensive Collection of Psychotropic Mushrooms with Determination of Their Tryptamine Alkaloids (analysis of concentration of psilocybin in 82 different mushrooms, large variety of concentration of psilocybin)

• Ketamine impairs growth cone and synaptogenesis in human GABAergic projection neurons via GSK-3β and HDAC6 signaling (in cells, “Our findings identified a novel ketamine neurotoxic pathway that depends on GSK-3β and HDAC6 signaling, suggesting that microtubule acetylation is a potential target for reducing ketamine’s toxic effect on GABAergic projection neuronal development.“)

• Vibrational analysis of hallucinogenic amphetamines (chemistry, “This paper presents the vibrational analysis of some representative 2C-x and DOx hallucinogenic amphetamines.“)

• Molecular descriptors – a mathematical approach to characterize psychedelic substances (chemistry/math, “This paper analyses different molecular descriptors determined for the main 2C-x and DOx psychedelic phenethylamines.“)

• Molecular Structure, Reactivity and Spectroscopic Properties of Hallucinogens Psilocybin, Mescaline and their Derivatives – A Computational Study (“The molecular structure, reactivity, spectroscopic properties, and mechanism in hallucination confirm that the geometry of the molecules is crucial in their preferred action“)

• Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the bioanalysis of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and its metabolites DMT-N-oxide and indole-3-acetic acid in human plasma (“[A] high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantification of DMT and its major metabolites indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and DMT-N-oxide (DMT-NO) was developed and validated“)

• DNA Authentication and Chemical Analysis of Psilocybe Mushrooms Reveal Widespread Misdeterminations in Fungaria and Inconsistencies in Metabolites (still much info missing about other psychoactive compounds in psychedelic mushrooms)

Perspectives/Opinions

• Therapeutic setting as an essential component of psychedelic research methodology: Reporting recommendations emerging from clinical trials of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine for post-traumatic stress disorder (perspective)

• (De)criminalisation of psychedelics in the Czech Republic—Where are we heading in drug policy and legislation? (essay, argues for decrim/legalisation in Czech Republic)

• The next bet for cerebral aneurysms treatment: Psychedelics (perspective, using psychedelics in the treatment of aneurysms – by way of anti-inflammatory effects of psychedelics)

• Do psychedelics have therapeutic potential for obesity? (comment, possibly, but misspells Hofmann)

• Coda: Widening the Scope of Psychoanalysis (perspective)

• Introduction to the Symposium on Psychedelics and Psychoanalysis: A Conversation Long Overdue (perspective)

• Psychedelic Psychodynamics: Relational Knowing and the Unthought Known (perspective)

• Psychedelic Psychoanalysis: Transformations of the Self (perspective)

• Should we be leery of being Leary? Concerns about psychedelic use by psychedelic researchers (perspective)

• Psychedelic drugs: more emphasis on safety issues (perspective)

• The future of hallucination research: Can hallucinogens and psychedelics drugs teach us anything new? Theme issue: Celebrating Thought Leaders in Psychiatry Research (commentary)

• What We Have Gained from Ibogaine: α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Inhibitors as Treatments for Substance Use Disorders (perspective, ibogaine derivatives)

Reviews

• Microdosing with classical psychedelics: Research trajectories and practical considerations (review)

• Molecular Pathways of the Therapeutic Effects of Ayahuasca, a Botanical Psychedelic and Potential Rapid-Acting Antidepressant (review, molecular pathways of ayahuasca)

• Hallucinogens as Therapeutic Agents: Past, Present, and Future (book chapter)

• Roles of the monoaminergic system in the antidepressant effects of ketamine and its metabolites (review, mechanisms of action of ketamine)

• The Missing Piece? A Case for Microglia’s Prominent Role in the Therapeutic Action of Anesthetics, Ketamine, and Psychedelics (review, role of microglia (immune cells) on neuroplasticity and other effects of psychedelics including ketamine)

• Role of mTOR1 signaling in the antidepressant effects of ketamine and the potential of mTORC1 activators as novel antidepressants (review, “…we discuss the role of mTORC1 and its subsequent signaling cascade in the antidepressant effects of ketamine and other compounds with glutamatergic mechanisms of action. We also present the possibility that mTORC1 signaling itself is a drug discovery target.“)

• Ayahuasca’s therapeutic potential: What we know – and what not (review)

• Psychedelics and Neural Plasticity: Therapeutic Implications (review)

• Ketamine and its metabolites: Potential as novel treatments for depression (review, “Given its reported antidepressant efficacy in preclinical studies and limited undesirable adverse effects, (R)-ketamine may be a safer, more controllable, rapid antidepressant“)

• The therapeutic role of ketamine and esketamine in treating psychopathological domains of depression (ketamine)

• Molecular and structural insights into the serotonin 5-HT2C receptor as a therapeutic target for substance use disorders (review, 5-HT2c! focussed, for substance use disorders)

• Does route of administration affect antidepressant efficacy of ketamine? A meta-analysis of double-blind randomized controlled trials comparing intravenous and intranasal administration (review, n=1340, finds no difference between route of administration (IV vs IN) of ketamine)

• Potential Therapeutic Effects of Psilocybin: A Systematic Review (review)

• Neuroinflammation and neuroprogression in depression: Effects of alternative drug treatments (review, covers neuroinflammation as cause of depression, notes ketamine and psychedelics as possible treatments)

• Inpatient suicide in psychiatric settings: Evaluation of current prevention measures (review, covers ketamine)

• Recreational Drug Misuse and Its Potential Contribution to Male Fertility Levels’ Decline: A Narrative Review (review, briefly covers psychedelics but there are no reported studies on male fertility and psychedelics)

• Role of neurotrophic and growth factors in the rapid and sustained antidepressant actions of ketamine (review, “Ketamine also induces the persistent release of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in the PFC of male mice. These neurotrophic effects of ketamine are associated with its rapid and sustained antidepressant effects.”)

• Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and methamphetamine on motor vehicle driving performance: A systematic review of experimental and observational studies (review, “Experimental studies often demonstrated no significant MVP safety signals for METH or MDMA use, which was contrary to the overwhelming MVP safety risks found in observational studies.”)

• Overdoses and deaths related to the use of ketamine and its analogues: a systematic review (review, safety, recreational ketamine use, “No cases of overdose or death related to the use of ketamine as an antidepressant in a therapeutic setting were found; most of the deaths occurred in the circumstances of polydrug use and overdoses left no sequelae.“)

• Antidepressants in the post-ketamine Era: Pharmacological approaches targeting the glutamatergic system (review/commentary)

• Ketamine triggers a switch in excitatory neuronal activity across neocortex (review, “our results reveal two largely non-overlapping cortical neuronal populations-one engaged in wakefulness, the other contributing to the KET-induced brain state-and may lay the foundation for understanding how the brain might become disconnected from the surrounding environment while maintaining internal subjective experiences.“)

• Ketamine, benzoate, and sarcosine for treating depression (review)

• Weapons of stress reduction: (R,S)-ketamine and its metabolites as prophylactics for the prevention of stress-induced psychiatric disorders (review, ketamine as prophylactic)

• Clinical Trial Design Challenges and Opportunities for Emerging Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder: A Review (review, trial design)

Other

• Psilocybin for alcohol use disorder: Rationale and design considerations for a randomized controlled trial (trial protocol for A Double-Blind Trial of Psilocybin-Assisted Treatment of Alcohol Dependence (for which the results are already published))

• Relation between Psychedelic and Transcendental Experiences (short article that argues large differences between meditative/transcendental and psychedelic experiences)

• An Assessment of Psychedelic Knowledge Among People Using Psychedelics Naturalistically (survey, n=1435, “those who “Respondents who had used greater numbers of different psychedelics, with higher levels of education, lower age, greater frequency of psychedelic use, identifying as male, used high doses (vs. microdosing only), identifying as Caucasian/White, and with greater annual household income answered more questions correctly.“)

• The perceptions of cancer health-care practitioners in New Zealand and the USA toward psychedelic-assisted therapy with cancer patients: A cross-sectional survey (survey, n=245, generally positive attitude towards using psychedelics for cancer patients)

• Self-transcendent experiences as promoters of ecological wellbeing? Exploration of the evidence and hypotheses to be tested (exploring altered state of consciousness – self-transcendent experiences, also covers those induced by psychedelics)

• Serotonin-releasing agents with reduced off-target effects (novel compounds that may help with depression, not psychedelics)

• MDMA for the treatment of misophonia, a proposal (MDMA for misophonia (e.g. being disturbed by someone eating food)

• Psilocybin mushrooms for psychological and existential distress (case report, n=1, psilocybin-containing mushroom experience of person with lung cancer, in Canada)

• Manuel de Yale pour la Thérapie de la Dépression Assistée par la Psilocybine (French translation of Yale Manual for PAT for depression)

• Psychedelics and Desistance From Crime: Lessons From the Concord Prison Experiment (look back at Concord Prison Experiment, “Without addressing common social and structural barriers to successful reentry such as housing and employment, the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy as a recidivism reducing intervention will be limited.“)

• The effect of ketamine and D-cycloserine on the high frequency resting EEG spectrum in humans (n=24, brain imaging of ketamine-like compound (D-cycloserine, DCS))

• Music programming for psilocybin-assisted therapy: Guided Imagery and Music-informed perspectives (music for psychedelic-assisted therapies)

• The emergence of LSD-assisted psychotherapies (1950-1970) (review, French)

• A Google Trends analysis of public interest in psilocybin in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (“This study suggests that interest in psilocybin is increasing when measured by Google Trends data, that the interest in psilocybin and psychedelic therapy increased after declaration of pandemic, and that this increase in interest correlates with an increase in interest in antidepressants after the pandemic declaration, perhaps suggesting that there is an association with psilocybin as a therapeutic similar to antidepressants. The lack of correlation with increases in interest in cannabis or cocaine further support this.“)

• The Varieties of Psychedelic Law (psychedelic law(s) analysis)

• Evaluating the attitudes of mental health professionals towards trials of MDMA: a randomised vignette trial (n=94, survey, “Psychiatrists, but not psychologists or researchers showed more hesitancy in recommending trials of MDMA-AP versus an unknown pharmacotherapy. Experienced MH professionals were more likely to have negative views about MDMA-AP trials than less experienced MH professionals.”)

• Considerations in assessing the abuse potential of psychedelics during drug development (policy, Schedule I classification of psychedelics)

• The efficacy and safety of esketamine in the treatment of major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (study protocol)

• A Case of Prolonged Mania, Psychosis, and Severe Depression After Psilocybin Use: Implications of Increased Psychedelic Drug Availability (n=1, case study)