European Neuropsychopharmacology - The Consciousness Library

Pathway-selective signaling of serotonergic psychedelics at 5-HT receptors: Implications for psychoactivity, safety, and therapeutic potential

European Neuropsychopharmacology April 10, 2026 Deborah Rudin, Jan Valenta, Helene Rolli et al. 2 citations

Serotonergic psychedelics primarily exert their effects through activation of the serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptor (5-HT 2A R). However, the full pharmacological profiles of these substances involve multiple serotonin receptor subtypes and intracellular signaling pathways. This study characterized the signaling behavior of a panel of serotonergic psychedelics using stable cell lines and a series of...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2026.112835 Serotonergic Serotonin Signal transduction Phospholipase c +4

Efficacy of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical and functional outcomes

European Neuropsychopharmacology March 12, 2026 Natalia E. Fares-Otero, Yuki Furukawa, Marit Sijbrandij et al.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and disabling condition and identifying beneficial therapies is timely and important. We aimed to estimate the efficacy of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) compared with control on clinical and functional outcomes in PTSD. A PRISMA-compliant search (PROSPEROCRD42022353261) up to August 14, 2025, covered nine databases...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2026.112802 Dissociative Posttraumatic stress Clinical trial Cognition +12

Personality, not cognition, distinguishes chronic ayahuasca and cannabis users from non-users

European Neuropsychopharmacology February 12, 2026 José Carlos Bouso, Óscar Andión, Sabela Fondevila Estévez et al.

The increasing interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and cannabis underscores the need to understand their long-term neuropsychological and personality effects. This cross-sectional study compared regular users of ayahuasca (n = 69), cannabis (n = 56), and non-substance users (n = 94) on a battery of neuropsychological tasks and psychological questionnaires. Participants were...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2026.112782 Cannabis Ayahuasca Anxiety Clinical psychology +11

Risk of manic switch and suicidal outcomes in bipolar depression treated with esketamine: A one-year retrospective cohort study of 2126 patients.

European Neuropsychopharmacology August 6, 2025 Tingting Liu, Jheng-Yan Wu, Po-Yu Huang et al. 6 citations

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the safety of esketamine in bipolar depression, focusing on suicide-related outcomes and manic switch across timeframe and demographic subgroups. METHODS This retrospective cohort study was conducted in May 2025 using data from the TriNetX global collaborative network. Adults with bipolar depression treated with esketamine plus a mood stabilizer were propensity...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.07.006

Ketanserin exhibits dose- and concentration-proportional serotonin 2A receptor occupancy in healthy individuals: Relevance for psychedelic research

European Neuropsychopharmacology August 9, 2024 Friederike Holze, M. Madsen, Claus Svarer et al. 16 citations

The serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor is an important target for drug development and the main receptor through which classical psychedelics elucidate their hallucinogenic effects. The 5-HT2A receptor antagonist ketanserin has frequently been used as a tool to block the receptor. Here, we establish the dose-occupancy relation of ketanserin and the cerebral 5-HT2A receptor in healthy participants...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2024.07.003 Serotonin Ketanserin Occupancy 5-HT Receptor +1

Psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of human studies

European Neuropsychopharmacology August 7, 2023 Natacha Perez, Florent Langlest, Luc Mallet et al. 85 citations

Psilocybin is increasingly studied for its antidepressant effect, but its optimal dosage for depression remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review and a dose-response meta-analysis to find the optimal dosage of psilocybin to reduce depression scores. Following our protocol (CRD 42022220190) multiple electronic databases were searched from their inception until February 2023, to identify...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.07.011 Psychedelic-assisted therapy Hallucinogen Mushroom Plant-base +4

Psychedelics in the treatment of eating disorders: Rationale and potential mechanisms

European Neuropsychopharmacology June 21, 2023 Seline Mock, Nicole Friedli, Patrick Pasi et al. 46 citations

Eating disorders are serious illnesses showing high rates of mortality and comorbidity with other mental health problems. Psychedelic-assisted therapy has recently shown potential in the treatment of several common comorbidities of eating disorders, including mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders. The theorized therapeutic mechanisms of psychedelic-assisted...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.05.008 Anxiety Anorexia nervosa Bulimia nervosa Eating disorders +7

Esketamine in treatment-resistant depression patients comorbid with substance-use disorder: A viewpoint on its safety and effectiveness in a subsample of patients from the REAL-ESK study

European Neuropsychopharmacology May 4, 2023 Stefania Chiappini, Giacomo D’andrea, Sergio De Filippis et al. 48 citations

Esketamine, the S-enantiomer of ketamine, has recently emerged as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), showing both rapid antidepressant action and good efficacy and high safety. It is also indicated for the acute short-term treatment of psychiatric emergency due to major depressive disorder (MDD) and for depressive symptoms in adults with MDD with acute suicidal...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.04.011 Major depressive disorder Treatment-resistant depression Anxiety Tolerability +8

Premise, promise and challenges of MDMA assisted therapy for PTSD

European Neuropsychopharmacology February 15, 2023 Santiago Madero, O. D. Alvarez 12 citations

COVID-19

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.02.002 Full text

Pharmacological characterization of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) analogs and two amphetamine-based compounds: ,α-DEPEA and DPIA

European Neuropsychopharmacology April 1, 2022 Karolina E. Kolaczynska, Paula Ducret, Daniel Trachsel et al. 7 citations

3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) is a psychoactive compound chemically related to the entactogen MDMA. MDA shares some of the entactogenic effects of MDMA but also exerts stimulant effects and psychedelic properties at higher doses. Here, we examined the pharmacological properties of MDA analogs and related amphetamine-based compounds detected in street drug samples or in sport supplements....

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2022.03.006 MDMA Serotonin Pharmacology Monoamine neurotransmitter +5

Remembering Molly: Immediate and delayed false memory formation after acute MDMA exposure

European Neuropsychopharmacology February 3, 2022 Lilian Kloft, Henry Otgaar, Arjan Blokland et al. 17 citations

The entactogen 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is increasingly being recognized for its therapeutic potential but is also widespread in nightlife settings where it may co-occur with crime. Since previous research detected impaired verbal memory during acute MDMA intoxication, understanding the drug's ramifications in an applied legal context becomes crucial. We conducted a...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2022.01.005 MDMA Ecstasy False memory Memory errors +9

Guanosine boosts the fast, but not sustained, antidepressant-like and pro-synaptogenic effects of ketamine by stimulating mTORC1-driven signaling pathway.

European Neuropsychopharmacology January 7, 2022 A. Camargo, A. P. Dalmagro, Eslen Delanogare et al.

The mTORC1-dependent dendritic spines formation represents a key mechanism for fast and long-lasting antidepressant responses, but it remains to be determined whether this mechanism may account for the ability of guanosine in potentiating ketamine's actions. Here, we investigated the ability of ketamine plus guanosine to elicit fast and sustained antidepressant-like and pro-synaptogenic effects...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.12.010

P.0729 Highlights of psychedelic history and current research on psilocybin application for treatment of depression – a comprehensive literature review

European Neuropsychopharmacology December 1, 2021 S. Penedos, C. Ramos, M. Miguel et al. 1 citation

Introduction: Psychedelics have seen various labels: mystical sacrament aids, potential interrogation tools for the Cold War, agents for social change in the Hippie counter movement, a panacea for various mental disorders, and a tool to “hack” of the psyche. This has led to their reputation as both societal threat and a psychopharmacological breakthrough. After the loss of data on over 1000...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.10.797

P.0623 The clinical relevance of the pharmacokinetics of psilocybin

European Neuropsychopharmacology December 1, 2021 A. Andreiev, E. Bucuci, J. Chue et al. 1 citation

Nicotine dependence is a reversible risk factor of numerous oral cavity diseases. Dentist should be non-smoking and have knowledge on diagnosis and treatment of nicotine addiction.The aim of this survey is the assessment of prevalence of nicotine dependence among Polish dentists, factors associated with this addiction and knowledge on minimal anti-nicotine intervention acquired during pre- and...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.10.588

The effect of single administration of intravenous ketamine augmentation on suicidal ideation in treatment-resistant unipolar depression: results from a randomized double-blind study

European Neuropsychopharmacology June 2, 2021 A. Feeney, Rebecca S. Hock, Marlene P. Freeman et al. 33 citations

This study aimed to assess the effect of a single infusion of intravenous (IV) ketamine on suicidal ideation in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Patients with TRD were randomized in a double-blind fashion to a single infusion of IV ketamine or IV midazolam placebo. Suicidal ideation was measured using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) suicide item at 3, 5,...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.04.024 Full text

Psychonauts’ psychedelics: A systematic, multilingual, web-crawling exercise

European Neuropsychopharmacology April 13, 2021 Valeria Catalani, John Corkery, Amira Guirguis et al. 18 citations

Psychedelics alter the perception of reality through agonist or partial agonist interaction with the 2A serotoninergic receptor. They are classified as phenethylamines, tryptamines and lysergamides. These classes, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), account for an important percentage of the new...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.03.006 Phenethylamines Pergolide Crawling Hallucinogen +4

Effects of a single dose of psilocybin on behaviour, brain 5-HT2A receptor occupancy and gene expression in the pig

European Neuropsychopharmacology December 4, 2020 Lene Lundgaard Donovan, Jens Vilstrup Johansen, Nídia Fernandez Ros et al. 45 citations

Psilocybin has in some studies shown promise as treatment of major depressive disorder and psilocybin therapy was in 2019 twice designated as breakthrough therapy by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A very particular feature is that ingestion of just a single dose of psilocybin is associated with lasting changes in personality and mood. The underlying molecular mechanism behind its...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.11.013 Psilocybin Hallucinogen Pharmacology

Mood and cognition after administration of low LSD doses in healthy volunteers: A placebo controlled dose-effect finding study

European Neuropsychopharmacology October 17, 2020 Nadia R. P. W. Hutten, Natasha L. Mason, Patrick C. Dolder et al. 121 citations

There is a popular interest in microdosing with psychedelics such as LSD. This practice of using one-tenth of a full psychedelic dose according to a specific dosing schedule, anecdotally enhances mood and performance. Nonetheless, controlled research on the efficacy of microdosing is scarce. The main objective of the present dose-finding study was to determine the minimal dose of LSD needed to...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.10.002 Anxiety Mood Vigilance psychology Cognition +7

A single psilocybin dose is associated with long-term increased mindfulness, preceded by a proportional change in neocortical 5-HT2A receptor binding

European Neuropsychopharmacology March 4, 2020 M. Madsen, Patrick M. Fisher, Dea Siggaard Stenbæk et al. 189 citations

A single dose of the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) agonist psilocybin can have long-lasting beneficial effects on mood, personality, and potentially on mindfulness, but underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we for the first time conduct a study that assesses psilocybin effects on cerebral 5-HT2AR binding with [11C]Cimbi-36 positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and on personality and...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.02.001 Psilocybin Mindfulness Clinical psychology Hallucinogen

Gene-environment interaction between an endocannabinoid system genetic polymorphism and cannabis use in first episode of psychosis.

European Neuropsychopharmacology June 1, 2019 M. Bioque, S. Mas, M. Costanzo et al.

Alterations of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) may play an important role in the development of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Cannabis use is one of the environmental factors more repeatedly related to an increase the risk of developing a psychotic episode, while its use modifies the ECS normal function. In the present study we purposed to examine the gene by environment (GxE)...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.04.005

Modulation of acute effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on psychotomimetic effects, cognition and brain function by previous cannabis exposure.

European Neuropsychopharmacology July 1, 2018 Marco Colizzi, P. McGuire, Vincent Giampietro et al.

Cannabis use has been associated with psychosis and cognitive dysfunction. Some evidence suggests that the acute behavioral and neurocognitive effects of the main active ingredient in cannabis, (-)-trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC), might be modulated by previous cannabis exposure. However, this has not been investigated either using a control group of non-users, or following abstinence in...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.04.003 Full text

Psilocybin modulates functional connectivity of the amygdala during emotional face discrimination

European Neuropsychopharmacology April 25, 2018 O. Grimm, Rainer Kraehenmann, Katrin H. Preller et al. 94 citations

Recent studies suggest that the antidepressant effects of the psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonist psilocybin are mediated through its modulatory properties on prefrontal and limbic brain regions including the amygdala. To further investigate the effects of psilocybin on emotion processing networks, we studied for the first-time psilocybin's acute effects on amygdala seed-to-voxel connectivity...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.03.016 Psilocybin Amygdala Prefrontal cortex Salience neuroscience +3

Neural underpinnings of prosexual effects induced by gamma-hydroxybutyrate in healthy male humans

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,...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2017.02.006 Sexual arousal Nucleus accumbens Gamma hydroxybutyrate Ventrolateral prefrontal cortex +6

Inhibition of alpha oscillations through serotonin-2A receptor activation underlies the visual effects of ayahuasca in humans

European Neuropsychopharmacology March 26, 2016 Marta Valle, Ana Maqueda, Mireia Rabella et al. 175 citations

Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychotropic plant tea typically obtained from two plants, Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis. It contains the psychedelic 5-HT2A and sigma-1 agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) plus β-carboline alkaloids with monoamine-oxidase (MAO)-inhibiting properties. Although the psychoactive effects of ayahuasca have commonly been attributed solely to agonism at the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2016.03.012 Ayahuasca Serotonin Ketanserin Hallucinogen +3

Modulatory effect of the 5-HT1A agonist buspirone and the mixed non-hallucinogenic 5-HT1A/2A agonist ergotamine on psilocybin-induced psychedelic experience

European Neuropsychopharmacology January 22, 2016 Thomas Pokorny, Katrin H. Preller, Rainer Kraehenmann et al. 148 citations

The mixed serotonin (5-HT) 1A/2A/2B/2C/6/7 receptor agonist psilocybin dose-dependently induces an altered state of consciousness (ASC) that is characterized by changes in sensory perception, mood, thought, and the sense of self. The psychological effects of psilocybin are primarily mediated by 5-HT2A receptor activation. However, accumulating evidence suggests that 5-HT1A or an interaction...

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2016.01.005 Psilocybin Buspirone Hallucinogen 5-ht1 receptor +5

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