The therapeutic potential of psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, DMT, ayahuasca) is increasingly shown by clinical studies and is proposed to result from increases in neuroplasticity - the brain’s ability to change throughout life. This systematic literature review summarizes the evidence that psychedelics induce neuroplasticity by focusing on psychedelics’ cellular and molecular neuroplasticity effects after single and repeated administration, as investigated in… Continue reading Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review Unraveling the Biological Underpinnings of Psychedelics
Tag: psychedelics
Improving cognitive functioning in major depressive disorder with psychedelics: A dimensional approach
There is growing evidence for the antidepressant effects of psychedelics, yet the mechanism underlying these effects are still a mystery. Igor Magaraggia and Rudy Schreiber (of PIM) have suggested a hypothetical model of psychedelics therapeutic mechanism. "After investigating what psychedelics do at the molecular, cellular, and behavioural level, we have suggested a hypothetical model that… Continue reading Improving cognitive functioning in major depressive disorder with psychedelics: A dimensional approach
Prospective Examination of Synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine Inhalation
Ongoing research from our group, presented at Breaking Convention 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URSqxFocaas 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a psychotropic substance found in various plant as well as animal species, and can also be synthetically produced. Despite the use of 5-MeO-DMT by people in naturalistic settings, current scientific knowledge on the effects of 5-MeO-DMT in humans are relatively… Continue reading Prospective Examination of Synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine Inhalation
(Sub-)Acute Effects of Psilocybin on Creativity, Empathy and Satisfaction with Life
Ongoing research from our group, presented at Breaking Convention 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEGJWxH-jYs Creative thinking and empathy are crucial for everyday interactions and subjective well-being. This is emphasised by studies showing a reduction in these skills in populations where social interaction and subjective well-being is significantly compromised (e.g. depression). Anecdotal reports and recent studies suggest a single… Continue reading (Sub-)Acute Effects of Psilocybin on Creativity, Empathy and Satisfaction with Life
How Magic Mushrooms Might Dissolve the Ego Revealed
New research from our group, published in Neuropsychopharmacology: Following a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group design, we utilized an ultra-high field multimodal brain imaging approach and demonstrated that psilocybin (0.17 mg/kg) induced region-dependent alterations in glutamate, which predicted distortions in the subjective experience of one’s self (ego dissolution). Whereas higher levels of medial prefrontal cortical glutamate were… Continue reading How Magic Mushrooms Might Dissolve the Ego Revealed