What happened in psychedelic research in 1999

Week of 26 July 1999

• PaperThe Discovery of Serotonin and its Role in Neuroscience1 Aug

  This historical review traces how serotonin was discovered and became central to neuroscience and psychopharmacology. In the receptor list, it gives readers the foundation for why the serotonin system became such an important framework for understanding mood, perception, and psychedelic drug effects.

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Week of 31 May 1999

• PaperPharmacokinetics of Hoasca alkaloids in healthy humans1 Jun

  This open-label field study (n=15) investigated the pharmacokinetics, subjective, neuroendocrine, autonomic, and cardiovascular effects of ayahuasca (35.5 mg DMT, 158.5 mg THH, 29.7 mg Harmaline, 252.3 mg Harmine), providing a time-course of these parameters in a 24-hour period in the context of a religious ceremony.

  AyahuascaHealthy VolunteersMedicinal Chemistry & Drug Development

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• PaperNeurometabolic effects of psilocybin, (MDE) and d-methamphetamine in healthy volunteers1 Jun

  This re-analysis of an RCT study (n=32) compared the neural correlates FDG-PET (n=8 per group) of MDE (140mg/70kg), psilocybin (14mg/70kg), and methamphetamine (14mg/70kg). The authors found that all three present unique neural profiles. Psilocybin increased regional metabolic rates of glucose (rMRGlu) in right frontotemporal cortical regions and decreased it in the thalamus, while MDE and METH-induced cortical hypometabolism and cerebellar hypermetabolism. Cognitive activation-related increases in left frontocortical regions were attenuated under all three substances but less under MDE, with different mechanisms potentially responsible for these effects across the groups.

  PsilocybinHealthy VolunteersSchizophreniaNeuroimaging & Brain Measures

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Week of 15 February 1999

• PaperPsychopathological, neuroendocrine and autonomic effects of 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDE), psilocybin and d-methamphetamine in healthy volunteers: results of an experimental double-blind p…18 Feb

  This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subjects study (n=32) investigated the effects of MDE (140mg/70kg), psilocybin (14mg/70kg), and methamphetamine (14mg/70kg) on the mental state and the neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous system of healthy participants. The entactogen MDE took an intermediate position between the stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen psilocybin and elicited highly characteristic emotional effects, that were qualitatively different from the effects of the other two drugs, which supports the hypothesis that entactogens constitute a distinct psychoactive substance class.

  MDMAPsilocybinHealthy VolunteersAnxiety Disorders

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Week of 1 February 1999

• PaperDo hallucinogens cause residual neuropsychological toxicity?1 Feb

  This review study (1999) finds few, to none, long-term neuropsychological deficits/toxicity that can be attributed to psychedelic (mainly LSD) use.

  LSDAdolescentsSchizophreniaPublic Health, Prevention & Behaviour Change

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Week of 28 December 1998

• CompletedAntidepressant Effects of Ketamine in Depressed Patients: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Crossover Pilot (ketamine)1 Jan

  Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover pilot (Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven CT; investigators: Ronald M. Berman, Angelo Cappiello, Amit Anand, David A. Oren, George R. Heninger, Dennis S. Charney, John H. Krystal) of a single 40-minute IV infusion of ketamine hydrochloride 0.5 mg/kg versus normal saline in 9 adults (4 men, 5 women; mean age 37 ± 10 years, range 23–56; 2 Hispanic, 7 Caucasian) meeting DSM-IV criteria for a major depressive episode (8 with recurrent unipolar MDD, 1 with bipolar disorder depressed phase), all medically healthy and unmedicated ≥2 weeks (confirmed by toxicology). Two treatment days separated by ≥1 week; 4 of 9 participants received ketamine first. Two participants withdrew before completing the second treatment day, leaving 7 who completed both conditions. Primary outcome: Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-25) at baseline and 80 min, 230 min, 24h, 48h, and 72h post-infusion. Secondary outcomes: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at the same time points plus 10, 40, and 110 min; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) at baseline and 10, 40, 80, 110, and 230 min; Visual Analogue Scale for "feeling high" (VAS-high) at baseline and 10, 40, 80, and 110 min. Analysed with repeated-measures ANOVA (Huynh–Feldt correction), condition × time interaction. IRB approved; no trial registry entry: the study pre-dates the ICMJE 2005 registration mandate by five years and the FDAAA 2007 requirement by seven years. This is the first reported randomized trial of ketamine as an antidepressant and is the foundational citation for the field.

  Ketamine

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• PaperDo entheogen-induced mystical experiences boost the immune system? Psychedelics, peak experiences, and wellness1 Jan

  This article (1999) advances the hypothesis that entheogen-induced mystical experiences influence the immune system.

  MicrodosingImmunology & Inflammation

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