Recent years have seen a resurgence in clinical interest in, and increased public acceptance of, psychedelic drugs in Canada. However, our understanding of how psychedelic drugs are currently used in Canada remains limited. We developed the Canadian Psychedelic Survey (CPS) to gather real-world evidence about psychedelic drug use in Canada. This study aimed to characterize CPS respondents;...
The potential use of psychedelic drugs as therapeutics for neuropsychiatric disorders has been limited by their hallucinogenic properties. To overcome this limitation, we developed and characterized tabernanthalog (TBG), a novel analogue of the indole alkaloids ibogaine and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine with reduced cardiac arrhythmogenic risk and a lack of classical psychedelic...
Background: Emerging literature suggests that classic psychedelics may have efficacy in treating mood and substance use disorders in humans. This has raised questions regarding the primary therapeutic mechanism of these compounds. Here, we hypothesize that the reversal of and resilience against learned helplessness may be an important driver of the therapeutic mechanisms of classic...
More than 50 million people in the United States serve as uncompensated informal caregivers to chronically ill friends or family members. Providing care to a sick loved one can contribute to personal growth but can also cause significant strain. Caregiver distress refers to a constellation of physiological, psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual impairments that typically result when an...
Introduction: A resurgence of interest in the use of psychedelics for mental health and wellness has stimulated greater experimentation with psychedelics in society. Although clinical psychedelic trials protect research participants by offering a safe setting, thorough preparation, and containment during and after ingestion of psychedelic medicines, many try these substances without the benefit...
Psilocybin has shown long-lasting antidepressant effects in preclinical and clinical trials, but the mechanisms responsible are unclear. As both passive coping strategies and pattern separation deficits are characteristics of major depression, we used adult female rats subjected to adolescent chronic restraint stress (aCRS) to investigate the effects of psilocybin on forced swim test (FST) and...
Although still investigational, psychedelic therapies appear poised to begin securing regulatory approval as medical treatments in the United States within the next 2 years. If approved, one of the most daunting barriers to equitable patient access to these novel treatments is their incorporation into the medical billing and coding system. Since specific billing codes for psychedelic therapy...
There is growing interest in the therapeutic potential of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) for psychiatric disorders. Although 5-MeO-DMT can be chemically synthesized, the parotoid gland secretions of Incilius alvarius (also known as the Colorado River or Sonoran Desert toad) contain 5-MeO-DMT and other molecules including bufotenine, bufagenins, bufotoxins, and indole alkylamines...
Psychedelic drugs have resurged in neuroscience and psychiatry with promising success in psychedelic-assisted therapy for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and addiction. At the cellular level, psychedelic drugs elicit neuroplastic processes 24 h after administration, priming neural circuits for change. The acute effects of psychedelic drugs are well characterized with functional imaging...
Background: An emerging controversy in psychedelic therapy regards the appropriateness or necessity of psychedelic therapists having personal experience using psychedelics themselves. Although there are a number of potential advantages and disadvantages to personal use among psychedelic therapists, no studies to date have measured their use or other aspects of their training. Materials and...
Background: A trial of psilocybin (COMP360) versus escitalopram for major depressive disorder (MDD) was reported as negative, as there was no significant difference in the primary outcome, mean change in the 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology–Self-Report (QIDS SR-16). However, analyses using three other depression scales (17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAMD-17],...