Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery
July 4, 2026
Christopher D. Verrico, Lynnette A. Averill, Cameron J Moore et al.
INTRODUCTION: Ibogaine is a naturally occurring indole alkaloid with suggested therapeutic potential across substance use disorders, trauma-related conditions, mood disorders, and suicidality. However, its clinical translation has been hindered by safety concerns, regulatory barriers, and uncertainty regarding its complex pharmacology. Recent interest has surged in developing ibogaine analogs...
Journal of Addiction Medicine
June 3, 2026
Ynhi T Thomas, Mubeen Iqbal, Chung J Mun et al.
Kratom ( Mitragyna speciosa ) is a psychoactive botanical with a long history of use in Southeast Asia and growing uptake in the United States for its analgesic, stimulant, and mood-altering properties. The evidence base remains limited, and retail products vary widely in composition and potency. This narrative review highlights what is known about kratom's pharmacology and suggests a practical...
Psychiatry Research
May 1, 2024
Yuan Yao, Dan Guo, Tang-Sheng Lu et al.
126 citations
We aim to systematically review and meta-analyze the effectiveness and safety of psychedelics [psilocybin, ayahuasca (active component DMT), LSD and MDMA] in treating symptoms of various mental disorders. Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and PubMed were searched up to February 2024 and 126 articles were finally included. Results showed that psilocybin has the largest number of articles on...
JAMA Psychiatry
2023
Brian D Kiluk, Bethea A Kleykamp, Sandra D Comer et al.
22 citations
Novel treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) are needed to address both the ongoing opioid epidemic and long-standing barriers to existing OUD treatments that target the endogenous μ-opioid receptor (MOR) system. The goal of this review is to highlight unique clinical trial design considerations for the study of emerging treatments for OUD that address targets beyond the MOR system. In...
Journal of Affective Disorders
March 1, 2020
David S. Mathai, Matthew Meyer, Eric A. Storch et al.
The relationship between ketamine's hallucinogenic- and dissociative-type effects and antidepressant mechanism of action is poorly understood. This paper reviewed the correlation between subjective effects defined by various psychometric scales and observed clinical outcomes in the treatment of patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Based on PRISMA guidelines, we reviewed the...
Psychiatry Research
October 2018
Huiqiong Deng, Christopher D. Verrico, Thomas R Kosten et al.
Synthetic cannabinoid (SC) products have gained popularity as abused drugs over the past decade in many countries. The SCs broadly impact psychological state (e.g., mood, suicidal thoughts and psychosis) and physiological functions (e.g., cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and urinary). This review is about the effects of SCs on psychotic symptoms in clinical settings and the potentially relevant...
American Journal on Addictions
December 2016
David S. Mathai, Christopher D. Verrico, Daryl Shorter et al.
Certain medical consequences seem unique to synthetic cannabinoid (SC) and not cannabis use. We report the case of an adolescent, whose drug expectancies appear to minimize the severity of SC-related adverse events. An 18-year-old male presented with altered mental status and seizure, complicated by respiratory failure. He was stabilized and on discharge, despite counseling on the harms of SC...