Dr. Alaina M. Jaster is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Wayne State University. She currently serves on the trainee editorial board of Psychedelic Medicine, the journal for the International Society for Research on Psychedelics (ISRP), and is part of the Society's Diversity Equity Inclusion and Accessibility committee. Jaster is also part...
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic substance currently being investigated for the treatment of mood, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders. Evidence from animal and human studies suggest that the effects of ayahuasca involve modulation of neural substrates relevant for emotional processing, especially in regions rich in serotonergic receptors. Moreover, preclinical studies also show that ayahuasca...
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric illness with high mortality rates and limited treatment outcomes. Psilocybin treatment (PT) has shown promise for various mental health indications and there is significant interest in exploring its potential for AN; however, studies to date are preliminary. Given the probable surge in psychedelic studies for AN, more information is needed to understand...
Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck, Ph.D., is a practicing clinical psychologist and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Her career uniquely bridges clinical practice with innovative research, focusing on developing and evaluating novel psychiatric interventions, particularly for eating disorders. Dr. Knatz Peck's research journey began at the...
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a severe psychiatric condition characterized by preoccupation with perceived flaws in one's appearance, which the individual views as defective or ugly. Psilocybin, a serotonin 2A receptor agonist with psychedelic properties, has emerged as a potential therapeutic agent for depression and other psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to identify subacute neural...
This study aims to estimate the lower, middle, and upper bounds of potential demand for psilocybin-assisted therapy (PSIL-AT) for major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) in the United States. We calculated potential PSIL-AT demand for MDD and TRD by estimating the number of U.S. patients with MDD, identifying those in treatment, and determining who qualifies as...
PsychedelicsAugust 12, 2024Rodolfo Myronn de Melo Rodrigues
Depression is a global public health challenge that represents the world's largest cause of disability, especially in the context of traditional treatments. One potential solution being explored is psilocybin assisted psychotherapy (PAP) which shows promise for treating depression. A recent study by Rosenblat et al. explores the use of psilocybin in clinical mental care with promising results (1).
Classical psychedelics are increasingly receiving attention as potential therapeutic agents for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research has explored various classical psychedelics in the context of fear learning, recall, and extinction in rodents. We provide an overview of the reported effects of these substances on behavioral responses to learned fear. The amygdala complex, a...
Dr Nicolas Garel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Addictology at the University of Montreal and a junior investigator at the Research Center of the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal. Dr Garel did his psychiatry residency at McGill University before completing the Clinician-Investigator Program and a Master's degree at McGill University, studying the...
What are the mechanisms through which psychedelics may exert therapeutic effects in psychiatric disorders? There are two approaches to answering this question: first is the identification of novel pathways. Additionally, it would be of interest to determine the effects of psychedelics on mechanisms that already appear to underlie the neurobiology and therapeutics of psychiatric disorders. This...
Charles Raison, MD, is a Professor of Human Ecology and Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Raison also serves as Director of Clinical and Translational Research for Usona Institute, as Director of the Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center, Director of Research on Spiritual Health for Emory Healthcare,...
Katarina E. Leão, PhD, is an associate professor at the Brain Institute at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil. She is vice-coordinator of the postgraduate program in neuroscience (2013–2017 and 2023 – current) and spent 2020 as a visiting professor at the Karolinska Institute/Uppsala University, Sweden. She is head of the Hearing and Neuronal activity lab researching...
Professor Bernard Lerer is in the Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, where he is Director the Center for Psychedelic Research (https://cfpr.brainlabs.org.il/) at Hadassah Medical Center, in Jerusalem. The Center has a growing staff that includes senior scientists, post-docs, Ph.D. and graduate students, technicians, and psychiatrists undergoing research training. Their...