The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
November 22, 2017
André Schmidt, Felix Müller, Patrick C. Dolder et al.
25 citations
Background: Stimulants such as methylphenidate and modafinil are frequently used as cognitive enhancers in healthy people, whereas 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) is proposed to enhance mood and empathy in healthy subjects. However, comparative data on the effects of methylphenidate and modafinil on negative emotions in healthy subjects have been partially missing. The aim of this...
Psychological Medicine
October 2, 2017
André Schmidt, Felix Müller, Claudia Lenz et al.
62 citations
Abstract Background Recent evidence shows that the serotonin 2A receptor (5-hydroxytryptamine2A receptor, 5-HT 2A R) is critically involved in the formation of visual hallucinations and cognitive impairments in lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)-induced states and neuropsychiatric diseases. However, the interaction between 5-HT 2A R activation, cognitive impairments and visual hallucinations is...
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
September 21, 2017
Felix Müller, Claudia Lenz, Patrick C. Dolder et al.
149 citations
Objective It has been proposed that the thalamocortical system is an important site of action of hallucinogenic drugs and an essential component of the neural correlates of consciousness. Hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD can be used to induce profoundly altered states of consciousness, and it is thus of interest to test the effects of these drugs on this system. Method 100 μg LSD was...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
June 28, 2017
Patrick C. Dolder, Edna Grünblatt, Felix Müller et al.
12 citations
Rationale Renewed interest has been seen in the use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in psychiatric research and practice. The repeated use of LSD leads to tolerance that is believed to result from serotonin (5-HT) 5-HT2A receptor downregulation. In rats, daily LSD administration for 4 days decreased frontal cortex 5-HT2A receptor binding. Additionally, a single dose of LSD acutely increased...
Psychopharmacology
May 27, 2017
Patrick C. Dolder, Felix Müller, Yasmin Schmid et al.
118 citations
RATIONALE: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is used recreationally and investigated as an adjunct to psychotherapy. Methylphenidate and modafinil are psychostimulants that are used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy, respectively, but they are also misused as cognitive enhancers. Little is known about differences in the acute effects of equally...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
May 16, 2017
André Schmidt, Felix Müller, Patrick C. Dolder et al.
41 citations
Background: Psychostimulants such as methylphenidate and modafinil are increasingly used by healthy people for cognitive enhancement purposes, whereas the acute effect of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) on cognitive functioning in healthy subjects remains unclear. This study directly compared the acute effects of methylphenidate, modafinil, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on...
Translational Psychiatry
April 4, 2017
Felix Mueller, Claudia Lenz, Patrick C. Dolder et al.
124 citations
Abstract Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) induces profound changes in various mental domains, including perception, self-awareness and emotions. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the acute effects of LSD on the neural substrate of emotional processing in humans. Using a double-blind, randomised, cross-over study design, placebo or 100 μg LSD were orally...
Neurosignals
2017
Davide Zanchi, Marie‐Louise Montandon, Indrit Sinanaj et al.
46 citations
BACKGROUND: Cognitive functions progressively deteriorate during aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The present study aims at investigating differences in working memory performance as well as functional brain changes during the earliest stages of cognitive decline in health elderly individuals. METHODS: 62 elderly individuals (41 females), including 41 controls (35 females) and 21 middle...
Neuropsychopharmacology
June 1, 2016
Patrick C. Dolder, Yasmin Schmid, Felix Müller et al.
249 citations
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is used recreationally and has been evaluated as an adjunct to psychotherapy to treat anxiety in patients with life-threatening illness. LSD is well-known to induce perceptual alterations, but unknown is whether LSD alters emotional processing in ways that can support psychotherapy. We investigated the acute effects of LSD on emotional processing using the Face...
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
December 30, 2015
Felix Mueller, Claudia Lenz, Markus Steiner et al.
68 citations
MDMA ("ecstasy") is widely used as a recreational drug, although there has been some debate about its neurotoxic effects in humans. However, most studies have investigated subjects with heavy use patterns, and the effects of transient MDMA use are unclear. In this review, we therefore focus on subjects with moderate use patterns, in order to assess the evidence for harmful effects. We searched...
Biological Psychiatry
November 29, 2014
Yasmin Schmid, Florian Enzler, Peter Gasser et al.
425 citations
BackgroundAfter no research in humans for >40 years, there is renewed interest in using lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in clinical psychiatric research and practice. There are no modern studies on the subjective and autonomic effects of LSD, and its endocrine effects are unknown. In animals, LSD disrupts prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response, and patients with...
Current Pharmaceutical Design
May 10, 2014
Johannes Wrege, André Schmidt, Anna Walter et al.
96 citations
We conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence for specific effects of cannabis on impulsivity, disinhibition and motor control. The review had a specific focus on neuroimaging findings associated with acute and chronic use of the drug and covers literature published up until May 2012. Seventeen studies were identified, of which 13 met the inclusion criteria; three studies investigated...
PLoS One
September 10, 2013
Niklaus Denier, Hana Gerber, Marc Vogel et al.
32 citations
Heroin dependence is a chronic relapsing brain disorder, characterized by the compulsion to seek and use heroin. Heroin itself has a strong potential to produce subjective experiences characterized by intense euphoria, relaxation and release from craving. The neurofunctional foundations of these perceived effects are not well known. In this study, we have used pharmacological magnetic resonance...
Psychological Medicine
October 1, 2012
Zerrin Atakan, Sagnik Bhattacharyya, Paul Allen et al.
54 citations
BACKGROUND: Cannabis can induce transient psychotic symptoms, but not all users experience these adverse effects. We compared the neural response to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in healthy volunteers in whom the drug did or did not induce acute psychotic symptoms. Method In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, pseudorandomized design, 21 healthy men with minimal experience of cannabis were...
Current Pharmaceutical Design
September 12, 2012
Rocío Martín‐Santos, José Alexandre S. Crippa, Albert Batalla et al.
288 citations
RATIONALE: Animal and humans studies suggest that the two main constituents of cannabis sativa, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have quite different acute effects. However, to date the two compounds have largely been studied separately. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the acute pharmacological effects of both THC and CBD in the same human volunteers. METHODS: A...
Current Pharmaceutical Design
2012
Niklaus Denier, Marc Walter, Kerstin Bendfeldt et al.
We conducted a systematic review on resting state cerebral blood flow activities found in first-episode psychosis (FEP) and during acute effects of cannabinoids and opioids, mental states that can be profoundly different from normal functioning. The main goal was to identify connections of cerebral blood flow measure and regional brain activity patterns associated with subjective experiences...
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
June 2011
Toby T Winton-Brown, Paul Allen, Sagnik Bhattacharyya et al.
Although the effects of cannabis on perception are well documented, little is known about their neural basis or how these may contribute to the formation of psychotic symptoms. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess the effects of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) during visual and auditory processing in healthy volunteers. In total, 14 healthy...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 24, 2009
Paolo Fusar‐poli, Paul Allen, Sagnik Bhattacharyya et al.
165 citations
Cannabis sativa, the most widely used illicit drug, has profound effects on levels of anxiety in animals and humans. Although recent studies have helped provide a better understanding of the neurofunctional correlates of these effects, indicating the involvement of the amygdala and cingulate cortex, their reciprocal influence is still mostly unknown. In this study dynamic causal modelling (DCM)...
Psychological Medicine
July 23, 2009
Rocío Martín‐Santos, Ana B. Fagundo, José Alexandre S. Crippa et al.
207 citations
BACKGROUND: We conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence for specific effects of cannabis on brain structure and function. The review focuses on the cognitive changes associated with acute and chronic use of the drug. METHOD: We reviewed literature reporting neuroimaging studies of chronic or acute cannabis use published up until January 2009. The search was conducted using Medline,...
Archives of General Psychiatry
April 1, 2009
Sagnik Bhattacharyya, Paolo Fusar‐poli, Stefan Borgwardt et al.
250 citations
CONTEXT: Cannabis sativa use can impair verbal learning, provoke acute psychosis, and increase the risk of schizophrenia. It is unclear where C. sativa acts in the human brain to modulate verbal learning and to induce psychotic symptoms. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of 2 main psychoactive constituents of C. sativa, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta9-THC) and cannabidiol, on regional...
Archives of General Psychiatry
2009
Paolo Fusar‐poli, José A. Crippa, Sagnik Bhattacharyya et al.
461 citations
CONTEXT: Cannabis use can both increase and reduce anxiety in humans. The neurophysiological substrates of these effects are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of 2 main psychoactive constituents of Cannabis sativa (Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol [Delta9-THC] and cannabidiol [CBD]) on regional brain function during emotional processing. DESIGN: Subjects were studied on 3 separate...
Neuropsychobiology
2008
Paolo Fusar‐poli, Stefan Borgwardt
7 citations
to experience 'an extremely stimulated imagination' caused by an accidental ingestion of LSD.Three days later, on April 19, 1943, he decided to verify his results by intentionally ingesting LSD.This day has become known as 'Bicycle Day' as Hofmann experienced an incredible bicycle ride on his way home from the lab.LSD was initially hailed as a wonder drug for use in psychoanalysis, particularly...