Translational Psychiatry
May 21, 2026
Francesco Bavato, Andrea E. Steuer, Anna M. Jacobsen et al.
Methamphetamine (METH, "Crystal Meth") and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") are two types of substituted amphetamines that share structural-chemical similarities but exhibit contrasting acute and chronic effects including addictive liability. Tryptophan (TRY) pathways are involved in pleiotropic physiological functions at the interface of brain-body connections. Preclinical...
Asian Journal of Psychiatry
October 1, 2024
An-Nie Chung, Ming-Chyi Huang, Tung-Hsia Liu et al.
5 citations
Ketamine can induce persisting psychosis in a subset of individuals who use it chronically and heavily. Previously, we found that the psychopathology and cognitive impairments in patients with ketamine dependence (KD) exhibiting persistent psychosis (KPP) bear resemblances with schizophrenia, albeit with less severity in those with no persistent psychosis (KNP). Furthermore, we also showed that...
Der Nervenarzt
September 1, 2024
Johannes Jungwirth, Francesco Bavato, Boris B. Quednow
6 citations
With the discovery of the antidepressive effects of ketamine and the increasing withdrawal of the pharmaceutical industry from the development of new psychotropic drugs, the psychiatric research into the clinical application of hallucinogens in psychiatry has literally blossomed in the last two decades. Promising results for various treatment approaches with psychedelic agents, such lysergic...
Communications Biology
June 20, 2023
Joel Frohlich, Pedro A. M. Mediano, Francesco Bavato et al.
16 citations
Abstract Low-frequency (<4 Hz) neural activity, particularly in the delta band, is generally indicative of loss of consciousness and cortical down states, particularly when it is diffuse and high amplitude. Remarkably, however, drug challenge studies of several diverse classes of pharmacological agents—including drugs which treat epilepsy, activate GABA B receptors, block acetylcholine...
NeuroImage: Clinical
September 19, 2022
Josua Zimmermann, Nicole Friedli, Francesco Bavato et al.
14 citations
3,4–Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”) is a serotonin- and noradrenaline-releasing substance, currently among the most widely used illicit substances worldwide. In animal studies, repeated exposure to MDMA has been associated with dendritic but also axonal degeneration in the brain. However, translation of the axonal findings, specifically, to humans has been repeatedly questioned...