Psychopharmacology
March 26, 2022
Giulia Piazza, Georges Iskandar, Vanessa Hennessy et al.
14 citations
A significant obstacle to an improved understanding of pathological dissociative and psychosis-like states is the lack of readily implemented pharmacological models of these experiences. Ketamine has dissociative and psychotomimetic effects but can be difficult to use outside of medical and clinical-research facilities. Alternatively, nitrous oxide (N2O) — like ketamine, a dissociative...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
July 23, 2021
Sunjeev K. Kamboj, Hannah Zhao, Luzia Troebinger et al.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an anesthetic gas with both therapeutic and abuse potential. Because N2O is an NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, its effects are expected to resemble those of the prototypical NMDAR antagonist, ketamine. In this study, we examined the subjective rewarding effects of N2O using measures previously employed in studies of ketamine. We also tested for moderation of these...
European Neuropsychopharmacology
July 1, 2018
R K Das, K Walsh, J Hannaford et al.
Weakening drinking-related reward memories by blocking their reconsolidation is a potential novel strategy for treating alcohol use disorders. However, few viable pharmacological options exist for reconsolidation interference in humans. We therefore examined whether the NMDA receptor antagonising gas, Nitrous Oxide (N2O) could reduce drinking by preventing the post-retrieval restabilisation of...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
March 27, 2018
Ruth Braidwood, Samantha Mansell, Jon Waldron et al.
7 citations
Research suggests that daily cannabis users have impaired memory for past events, but it is not clear whether they are also impaired in prospective memory (PM) for future events. The present study examined prospective memory in daily cannabis users who were either dependent (n = 18) or non-dependent (n = 18), and compared them with non-using controls (n = 18). The effect of future event...
Mindfulness
2018
Shirley Serfaty, Grace Gale, Matthew Beadman et al.
The psychological flexibility model (PFM) provides a framework for understanding and treating behavioural dysregulation in addictions. Rather than modulating the intensity of subjective experience, interventions based on, or consistent with, the PFM (PFM interventions) seek to alter the individual's relationship to internal states, such as craving, negative affect and drug-related thoughts,...
Mindfulness
November 4, 2017
Sunjeev K. Kamboj, Ylva Walldén, Caroline J. Falconer et al.
27 citations
3,4-Methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA;'ecstasy') produces prosocial subjective effects that may extend to affiliative feelings towards the self. Behavioural techniques can produce similar self-directed affiliation. For example, compassionate imagery (CI) and ecstasy reduce self-criticism and increase self-compassion to a similar extent, with the effects of CI enhanced in the presence of...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
July 28, 2017
Sunjeev K. Kamboj, Damla Irez, Shirley Serfaty et al.
44 citations
Background: Like other complex psychosocial interventions, mindfulness-based treatments comprise various modality-specific components as well as nonspecific therapeutic ingredients that collectively contribute to efficacy. Consequently, the isolated effects of mindfulness strategies per se remain unclear. Methods: Using a randomized double-blind design, we compared the isolated effects of...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
April 1, 2017
Katie Walsh, Ravi Das, Sunjeev K. Kamboj
Healthy people with a family history of alcohol problems show a pattern of subjective responses to alcohol that resemble those of affected probands. Studies on ketamine suggest that up-regulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) underlies these effects, and point to a pharmacologically-responsive endophenotype reflecting enhanced risk for alcohol-use disorders. Subjective stimulant...
Psychological Medicine
March 3, 2016
Ravi Das, Amanda J. F. Tamman, Viktoriya L. Nikolova et al.
48 citations
BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves maladaptive long-term memory formation which underlies involuntary intrusive thoughts about the trauma. Preventing the development of such maladaptive memory is a key aim in preventing the development of PTSD. We examined whether the N-methyl d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist gas nitrous oxide (N2O) could reduce the frequency of...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 18, 2015
Sunjeev K. Kamboj, Emma J. Kilford, Stephanie Minchin et al.
43 citations
3,4-methylenedioxy- N-methylamphetamine (MDMA) produces diverse pro-social effects. Cognitive training methods rooted in Eastern contemplative practices also produce these effects through the development of a compassionate mindset. Given this similarity, we propose that one potential mechanism of action of MDMA in psychotherapy is through enhancing effects on intrapersonal attitudes (i.e....
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
November 1, 2010
Bradley Platt, Sunjeev K. Kamboj, C. Morgan et al.
BACKGROUND While heavy cannabis-users seem to show various cognitive impairments, it remains unclear whether they also experience significant deficits in affective functioning. Evidence of such deficits may contribute to our understanding of the interpersonal difficulties in cannabis-users, and the link between cannabis-use and psychological disorders (Moore et al., 2007). METHOD Emotion...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
March 19, 2008
L Muetzelfeldt, Sunjeev K. Kamboj, H Rees et al.
Although recreational use of the dissociative anaesthetic drug ketamine is currently increasing, little is known about the phenomenological aspects of its use. We therefore designed a structured interview to examine initiation experiences, positive and negative effects of ketamine use, and concerns about the drug and its long-term effects. Ninety participants (30 frequent users, 30 infrequent...
Frederick Pattisson, Sunjeev K. Kamboj, Devon Stoliker et al.
preprint
Positive psychological changes following psychedelic experiences are widely studied, yet no validated instrument has been developed specifically to assess the breadth of enduring change that individuals attribute to those experiences. We therefore conducted a two-part programme of research to evaluate an existing measure and to develop and validate a more comprehensive scale. In Part 1, a...