University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich
55 papers in the library · 2,045 citations · publishing 2011-2026
Scientific Reports April 23, 2024 Berit Singer, Daniel Meling, Matthias Hirsch-Hoffmann et al.
The original version of this Article contained an error in the name of author Berit Singer which was incorrectly given as Singer Berit.
Psychoactives April 16, 2024 Daniel Meling, Rebecca Ehrenkranz, Sandeep M. Nayak et al. 26 citations
Rationale: Psychedelic research re-emerged from a period of suppression into the so-called psychedelic renaissance. In parallel, most media reporting has shifted from the overstatement of the risks of psychedelics to overly positive hype. As the empirical evidence is more equivocal than frequently portrayed, the conclusions about the effectiveness of psychedelics should be considered...
Scientific Reports March 26, 2024 Berit Singer, Daniel Meling, Matthias Hirsch-Hoffmann et al. 15 citations
In this study, for the first time, we explored a dataset of functional magnetic resonance images collected during focused attention and open monitoring meditation before and after a five-day psilocybin-assisted meditation retreat using a recently established approach, based on the Mapper algorithm from topological data analysis. After generating subject-specific maps for two groups (psilocybin...
CNS Drugs December 1, 2023 Niloufar Pouyan, Farnaz Younesi Sisi, Alireza Kargar et al. 12 citations
The renewed interest in psychedelic research provides growing evidence of potentially unique effects on various aspects of reward processing systems. Using the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, as proposed by the National Institute of Mental Health, we aim to synthesize the existing literature concerning the impact of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on the RDoC's Positive Valence...
Frontiers in Psychology April 3, 2023 Daniel Meling, Milan Scheidegger 17 citations
Psychedelics are psychoactive substances that receive renewed interest from science and society. Increasing empirical evidence shows that the effects of psychedelics are associated with alterations in biochemical processes, brain activity, and lived experience. Still, how these different levels relate remains subject to debate. The current literature presents two influential views on the...
January 4, 2023 Klemens Egger, Frederik Gudmundsen, Naja Støckel Jessen et al. preprint
RationaleThe psychedelic effects of the traditional Amazonian botanical decoction known as ayahuasca are attributed to the effects of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) at brain serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. To make oral DMT bioavailable, ayahuasca additionally contains reversible monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) inhibitors, namely β-carboline alkaloids such as harmine. However, there is lacking biochemical...
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2023 Helena Aicher, Michael J Mueller, Dario Dornbierer et al. 34 citations
There is growing scientific evidence for the therapeutic benefits of the Amazonian plant-based psychedelic "ayahuasca" for neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. However, there are certain challenges when incorporating botanical ayahuasca into biomedical research and clinical therapy environments. Formulations inspired by ayahuasca, which contain specific and standardized...
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2023 Dario Dornbierer, Laurenz Marten, Jovin Mueller et al. 32 citations
Recently, the Amazonian plant medicine "ayahuasca"-containing the psychedelic compound N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and numerous β-carboline alkaloids, such as harmine-has been suggested to exhibit beneficial effects in patients with affective and other mental health disorders. Although ayahuasca ingestion is considered safe, its pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and tolerability profile pose...
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2023 Klemens Egger, Frederik Gudmundsen, Naja Støckel Jessen et al. 17 citations
Rationale: The psychedelic effects of the traditional Amazonian botanical decoction known as ayahuasca are often attributed to agonism at brain serotonin 5-HT2A receptors by N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). To reduce first pass metabolism of oral DMT, ayahuasca preparations additionally contain reversible monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) inhibitors, namely β-carboline alkaloids such as harmine....
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology August 10, 2022 Anne Weigand, Matti Gärtner, Milan Scheidegger et al. 22 citations
BACKGROUND: Growing evidence underscores the utility of ketamine as an effective and rapid-acting treatment option for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, clinical outcomes vary between patients. Predicting successful response may enable personalized treatment decisions and increase clinical efficacy. METHODS: We here explored the potential of pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC)...
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience January 12, 2022 Matti Gärtner, Anne Weigand, Milan Scheidegger et al. 13 citations
Abstract Ketamine exerts its rapid antidepressant effects via modulation of the glutamatergic system. While numerous imaging studies have investigated the effects of ketamine on a functional macroscopic brain level, it remains unclear how altered glutamate metabolism and changes in brain function are linked. To shed light on this topic we here conducted a multimodal imaging study in healthy...
The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry January 5, 2022 Matti Gärtner, Mischa de Rover, Lena Václavů et al. 11 citations
Ketamine is a promising treatment option for patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and has become an important research tool to investigate antidepressant mechanisms of action. However, imaging studies attempting to characterise ketamine's mechanism of action using blood oxygen level-dependent signal (BOLD) imaging have yielded inconsistent results- at least partly due to intrinsic...
PLOS global public health 2022 José Carlos Bouso, Óscar Andión, Jerome Sarris et al. 115 citations
Ayahuasca is a plant-based decoction native to Amazonia, where it has a long history of use in traditional medicine. Contemporary ritual use of ayahuasca has been expanding throughout the world for mental health purposes, and for spiritual and personal growth. Although researchers have been conducting clinical trials and observational studies reporting medical and psychological benefits, most...
Frontiers in Psychiatry August 2, 2021 Nicolas Langlitz, Erika Dyck, Milan Scheidegger et al. 35 citations
The revival of psychedelic research coincided and more recently conjoined with psychopharmacological research on how drugs affect moral judgments and behaviors. This article makes the case for a moral psychopharmacology of psychedelics that examines whether psychedelics serve as non-specific amplifiers that enable subjects to (re-)connect with their values, or whether they promote specific...
Molecules April 22, 2021 Paul Cumming, Milan Scheidegger, Dario Dornbierer et al. 45 citations
Hallucinogens are a loosely defined group of compounds including LSD, N,N-dimethyltryptamines, mescaline, psilocybin/psilocin, and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methamphetamine (DOM), which can evoke intense visual and emotional experiences. We are witnessing a renaissance of research interest in hallucinogens, driven by increasing awareness of their psychotherapeutic potential. As such, we now present a...
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports February 6, 2021 Jerome Sarris, Daniel Perkins, Lachlan Cribb et al. 72 citations
Background\nAyahuasca is a psychoactive Amazonian brew which has emerging data indicating that it has antidepressant and anxiolytic properties.\n\nMethods\nThis paper uses data from the Global Ayahuasca Project (GAP), which was undertaken across 2017-2020 and involved 11912 people, to examine the perceived effects of ayahuasca consumption on affective symptoms. The study focused on the...
Human Brain Mapping August 21, 2020 Lukasz Smigielski, Michael Kometer, Milan Scheidegger et al. 42 citations
Abstract The concept of self and self‐referential processing has a growing explanatory value in psychiatry and neuroscience, referring to the cognitive organization and perceptual differentiation of self‐stimuli in health and disease. Conditions in which selfhood loses its natural coherence offer a unique opportunity for elucidating the mechanisms underlying self‐disturbances. We assessed the...
Scientific Reports October 24, 2019 Lukasz Smigielski, Michael Kometer, Milan Scheidegger et al. 174 citations
Meditation and psychedelics have played key roles in humankind's search for self-transcendence and personal change. However, neither their possible synergistic effects, nor related state and trait predictors have been experimentally studied. To elucidate these issues, we administered double-blind the model psychedelic drug psilocybin (315 μg/kg PO) or placebo to meditators (n = 39) during a...
Neuroimage August 1, 2019 Lukasz Smigielski, Milan Scheidegger, Michael Kometer et al. 261 citations
Both psychedelics and meditation exert profound modulatory effects on consciousness, perception and cognition, but their combined, possibly synergistic effects on neurobiology are unknown. Accordingly, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 38 participants following a single administration of the psychedelic psilocybin (315 μg/kg p.o.) during a 5-day mindfulness...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs March 6, 2019 Ansgar Rougemont-Bücking, Henrik Jungaberle, Milan Scheidegger et al. 6 citations
Differences in mental health (MH) of users of distinct psychoactive substances have been shown. Both substance use (SU) and MH in users are influenced by stressful life events. This study compared MH parameters in distinct groups of substance users and evaluated the impact of stress factors on these outcomes. Data stem from the longitudinal Swiss Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors...
Neuropharmacology November 1, 2018 Henrik Jungaberle, Sascha Thal, Andrea Zeuch et al. 70 citations
RationaleWe reviewed the concepts and empirical findings in studies with psychedelics and entactogens related to positive psychology - the study of healthy human functioning, well-being and eudaemonia. It is an unresolved question how beneficial effects of psychedelics and entactogens are related to the potential risks of these substances - particularly in non-clinical settings.MethodsWe...
European Neuropsychopharmacology March 8, 2017 Oliver G. Bosch, Michael M. Havranek, A Baumberger et al. 22 citations
-receptor agonist currently used as treatment for narcolepsy but also as a drug of abuse. Non-medical GHB users have repeatedly reported prosexual effects including libido-enhancement and lowering of attractiveness standards for partner selection. Here, we examined the putative prosexual effects of oral GHB in healthy males in two experiments both employing randomized, placebo-controlled,...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences April 18, 2016 Katrin H. Preller, Thomas Pokorny, Andreas Hock et al. 175 citations
Social ties are crucial for physical and mental health. However, psychiatric patients frequently encounter social rejection. Moreover, an increased reactivity to social exclusion influences the development, progression, and treatment of various psychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, the neuromodulatory substrates of rejection experiences are largely unknown. The preferential serotonin (5-HT)...
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience April 13, 2016 Mick Lehmann, Erich Seifritz, Anke Henning et al. 58 citations
Distraction and rumination are distinct response styles that determine how an individual deals with negative thoughts and feelings. Rumination is accompanied by an elevated self-focus, which is associated with increased resting state functional connectivity and decreased reactivity within the default mode network. Interestingly, the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine reduces functional...
Human Brain Mapping February 25, 2016 Milan Scheidegger, Anke Henning, Martin Walter et al. 78 citations
Increased amygdala reactivity might lead to negative bias during emotional processing that can be reversed by antidepressant drug treatment. However, little is known on how N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonism with ketamine as a novel antidepressant drug target might modulate amygdala reactivity to emotional stimulation. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and...