Science

Psychological effects of psychedelics in adolescents

…if new research is any indication of the efficacy of psychedelics for teens, parents may no longer have to rely on anecdotes and their instincts to help them decide whether the compounds are the right choice for their child’s treatment… parent-led inquiries on psychedelics have steadily increased over the past few years… …however… challenges are…

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National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health acknowledges psilocybin’s therapeutic potential…

An annual nationally representative survey on drug use and health reported that 9.68 percent of U.S. adults have used psilocybin at least once in their lifetime, based on data gathered between 2015 and 2018. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), which is part of the National Institutes of Health… posted page about psilocybin…

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Science

The double face of fentanyl: the neuronal basis of opioid addiction

…fentanyl… triggers the activation of the dopamine neurons in the mesolimbic system (also known as the reward system), which includes the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accubens. The neurons then release a large quantity of dopamine. Normally, dopamine neurons are under the control of inhibitory GABA cells. However, opioids block GABA neurons, which makes…

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…psychedelic returns on distress…

…the individual level where the psychedelic is consumed sits “atop of a more fundamental collective level, which frames and gives shape” to set-and-setting available… …the results did not find a direct interaction between Lifetime Classic Psychedelic Use (LCPU) and marital status alone…. marital status and family sizes effect on psychedelic returns; to understand how marital…

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How cannabis and psilocybin might help some of the 50 million Americans who are experiencing chronic pain

I want to help understand how to effectively use cannabis and psilocybin as potential tools for pain management. …lethal overdoses from cannabis are almost unheard of. This is remarkable considering that nearly 50 million Americans use it each year… a group of cannabis and pain specialists published a proposed guideline for clinical practice in early 2024 to…

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Psilocybin enhances insightfulness in meditation: a perspective on the global topology of brain imaging during meditation

…in which a novel topological data analysis (TDA) method is applied to the neurophysiological study of the synergistic effects of meditation and psychedelics. …intriguing evidence of similarities in the phenomenology and neurophysiology of meditation and psychedelics has been found… recent reviews suggest that meditation and psychedelics exhibit similarities and complementary differences, which may indicate potential…

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Science

Magic mushrooms can treat medication-resistant depression. Are they safe? A systemic review and meta-analysis

What are the notable acute adverse effects for therapeutic doses of psilocybin in the treatment of depression and anxiety? [Date Sources:] MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for publications available between 1966 and November 30, 2023. In this meta-analysis of 6 randomized, double-blind clinical trials with 528 patients, headaches, nausea, anxiety,…

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Decoding psilocybin: “magical” enzymatic pathways…

Psilocybin is formed by fungi in complex biochemical processes from the amino acid L-tryptophan. The enzyme PsiM, a methyltransferase, plays an important role in this process. It catalyzes two methylation reactions in succession, the last two steps in the production of psilocybin. …a team from the Medical University of Innsbruck led by crystallographer Bernhard Rupp and the…

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Science

How corporate involvement in psychedelic research could threaten public safety

…now corporations are stepping up to fund clinical trials. Although this support may help accelerate researchers’ understanding of psychedelics, it also sparks concern as a conflict of interest. Considering how to reduce the impact of conflicts of interest on psychedelic studies could help avoid public health risks… more awareness is needed for how corporate interests…

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