Research published in Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)

Ketamine use in a large global sample: Characteristics, patterns of use and emergency medical treatment.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) 2025 Karen P Barrios, Dean J Connolly, Jason Ferris et al. 17 citations

Ketamine's popularity has surged globally in the past decade, especially among young men. Emergency department visits due to its toxicity remain relatively rare, often linked to co-occurring use of other substances. Using data from the Global Drug Survey (GDS) 2018, this study explored the correlates associated with lifetime and past-year ketamine use, and estimated the socio-demographic...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241273850 Full text Emergency medical treatment Global drug survey Ketamine use patterns Past-year ketamine use +7

Ketamine for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: Double-blind active-controlled crossover study.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) 2025 Ben Beaglehole, Paul Glue, Shona Neehoff et al. 12 citations

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) may respond to ketamine treatment. To examine the responsiveness and tolerability of treatment-refractory OCD to intramuscular (IM) ketamine compared to IM fentanyl. This was a randomised double-blind psychoactive-controlled study with single doses of racemic ketamine 0.5 mg/kg, 1.0 mg/kg or fentanyl 50 µg (psychoactive control). Pre-dosing with 4 mg oral...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241301215 Full text Mental health OCD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Ketamine therapy Clinical trials +1

Compassionate use of esketamine intranasal in patients with severe major depressive disorder resistant to the treatment.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) 2025 Luis Gutiérrez-Rojas, Julia Vendrell-Serres, Josep Antoni Ramos‐quiroga et al. 8 citations

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is defined as the failure of at least two antidepressants in adequate doses and timing during a major depressive episode. Esketamine intranasal (ESK-IN) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of TRD in combination with other antidepressants. To assess the effectiveness and tolerability of a...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241267837 Full text Treatment-resistant depression Compassionate use Functional impairment Psychotherapy +6

Rapid and sustained reduction of treatment-resistant PTSD symptoms after intravenous ketamine in a real-world, psychedelic paradigm.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) 2025 Henry A MacConnel, Mitch Earleywine, Steven Radowitz 5 citations

Traditional treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often show limited success with high dropout. Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist known for rapid antidepressant effects, has decreased PTSD symptoms in some studies but not in others. Administering ketamine in ways that parallel psychedelic-assisted treatments-including preparatory, integration, sensory immersion, and...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241286726 Full text PTSD Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy Psychedelic Kap +1

Ketamine for refractory depression: Save the best for last?

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) 2025 Kabir Nigam, Franklin King, Fernando Espí Forcén 4 citations

Ketamine has recently been shown to be non-inferior to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), one of psychiatry's most effective treatments for depression. Given the novelty of ketamine as well as its interventional nature, ketamine is currently viewed as an alternative to ECT and as such, considered a third-line agent for treatment-refractory depression. However, available data suggest that ketamine...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241282646 Full text Algorithm Augmentation Ketamine infusion Treatment-resistant depression trd +4

Navigating the challenge of patient selection and scales to measure outcomes in ketamine trials for treatment-resistant depression.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) 2025 Sarah Pereira Gomes, Sofia Rodrigues Lima, Fabio Gomes de Matos Souza et al. 1 citation

The letter about the article "Ketamine for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder: Double-blind active-controlled crossover study" that discusses some points about methodology, outcome measures, and results.

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241276505 Full text Scales Ketamine therapy Treatment-resistant depression trd Refractory depression +4

Event-level associations among THC, CBD, social context, and subjective effects during Cannabis use episodes.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) November 1, 2024 Yi-Chun Chang, Renee E Magnan, Michael J Cleveland et al. 2 citations

Limited research considers the quantity and potency of cannabis products along with social context on the subjective effects of real-world cannabis use. This study examined the subjective effects of acute use as a function of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) doses and social context during cannabis use episodes. Ninety-six participants (43.75% male, Mage = 35.73) reporting...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241269800 Full text CBD THC Ecological momentary assessment Cannabis use +1

Regular cannabis use modulates gamma activity in brain regions serving motor control.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) November 1, 2024 Lauren K Webert, Mikki Schantell, Jason A John et al.

People who regularly use cannabis exhibit altered brain dynamics during cognitive control tasks, though the impact of regular cannabis use on the neural dynamics serving motor control remains less understood. We sought to investigate how regular cannabis use modulates the neural dynamics serving motor control. Thirty-four people who regularly use cannabis (cannabis+) and 33 nonusers (cannabis-)...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241268876 Full text Cannabis use Gamma Magnetoencephalography Motor control +1

A Phase 1 single ascending dose study of pure oral harmine in healthy volunteers.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) October 1, 2024 Jessica L Ables, Leah Israel, Olivia Wood et al. 17 citations

Harmine is a component of the hallucinogenic brew, Ayahuasca, which also contains the psychoactive compound, N, N-dimethyltryptamine. Whether pharmaceutical-grade harmine hydrochloride (HCl) has psychoactive effects, the doses at which these might occur, and the dose-response relationship to side effects and safety in humans are unknown. We conducted a Phase 1, open-label single ascending dose...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241273772 Full text Clinical-trials Drug-safety Harmine Phase 1 +3

Autonomic nervous system activity correlates with peak experiences induced by DMT and predicts increases in well-being.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) October 1, 2024 Valerie Bonnelle, Amanda Feilding, Fernando E. Rosas et al. 16 citations

Non-ordinary states of consciousness induced by psychedelics can be accompanied by so-called "peak experiences," characterized at the emotional level by their intensity and positive valence. These experiences are strong predictors of positive outcomes following psychedelic-assisted therapy, and it is therefore important to better understand their biology. Despite growing evidence that the...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241276788 Full text DMT Peak experience Transcendent states Psychedelics hallucinogens +9

Phase 1, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose trial to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and effect on altered states of consciousness of intranasal BPL-003 (5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine benzoate) in healthy participants.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) August 1, 2024 James Jonathan Rucker, Claire T. Roberts, Mathieu Seynaeve et al. 32 citations

To investigate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of BPL-003, a novel intranasal benzoate salt formulation of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), in healthy participants. In all, 44 psychedelic-naïve participants enrolled in the double-blind, placebo-controlled single ascending dose study (1-12 mg BPL-003). Concentrations of 5-MeO-DMT and its...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241246857 Full text 5-MEO-DMT Treatment-resistant depression Pharmacodynamics Pharmacokinetics +7

Tripping into the unknown: Exploring the experiences of first-time LSD users through global drug survey insights.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) August 1, 2024 Luke Baxter, Cheneal Puljević, Tim Piatkowski et al. 3 citations

The recreational use of LSD, a synthetic psychedelic drug, has surged in recent years, coinciding with a renewed research focus on its potential psychotherapeutic properties. This study aims to describe the experiences and perceptions of individuals engaging in LSD use for the first time, derived from a large international sample. This study utilised 2018 Global Drug Survey data collected from...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241254837 Full text LSD Prevention Drugs Psychedelics hallucinogens +8

Chronic Cannabis users exhibit altered oscillatory dynamics and functional connectivity serving visuospatial processing.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) August 1, 2024 Camilo A Castelblanco, Seth D Springer, Mikki Schantell et al.

Cannabis is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the United States. While multiple studies have associated acute cannabis consumption with alterations in cognitive function (e.g., visual and spatial attention), far less is known regarding the effects of chronic consumption on the neural dynamics supporting these cognitive functions. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) and an established...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241265764 Full text CBD Marijuana Alpha Attention +3

The 5-HT1A receptor biased agonists, NLX-204 and NLX-101, like ketamine, elicit rapid-acting antidepressant activity in the rat chronic mild stress model via cortical mechanisms.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) July 1, 2024 Mariusz Papp, Piotr Gruca, Ewa Litwa et al. 15 citations

The highly selective 5-HT1A serotonin receptor "biased" agonists NLX-101 and NLX-204 display, like ketamine, potent and efficacious rapid-acting antidepressant (RAAD) activity in the rat chronic mild stress (CMS) model with systemic (i.p.) administration. They rapidly (within 1 day) reverse anhedonia (i.e., CMS-induced sucrose consumption deficit), attenuate working memory deficit (novel object...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241254832 Full text Depression Ketamine Serotonin 5-ht1a receptors Biased agonist +6

Esketamine combined with a mindfulness-based intervention for individuals with alcohol problems.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) June 1, 2024 Emily M Gent, Joshua W. Bryan, Maisy A Cleary et al. 20 citations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major public health issue, posing harmful consequences for individuals and society. Recent advances in addiction research have highlighted the therapeutic potential of ketamine-assisted therapy for AUD. However, the exact mechanisms underlying its effectiveness remain unknown. This double-blind, pilot study aimed to investigate esketamine combined with...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241254834 Full text Esketamine Alcohol use disorder Engagement Ketamine-assisted therapy +6

The effect of psychedelics on the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) May 1, 2024 Arman Shafiee, Razman Arabzadeh Bahri, Mohammad Ali Rafiei et al. 21 citations Retracted

Recent interest in the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics has led to investigations into their influence on molecular signaling pathways within the brain. Integrated review and analysis of different studies in this field. A systematic search was conducted across international databases including Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed from inception to 9 July 2023. Eligibility...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241234247 Full text LSD MDMA Psilocybin Bdnf +8

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ibogaine in opioid use disorder patients.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) May 1, 2024 Thomas Knuijver, Rob Ter Heine, Arnt Schellekens et al. 15 citations

Ibogaine is a hallucinogenic drug that may be used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). The relationships between pharmacokinetics (PKs) of ibogaine and its metabolites and their clinical effects on side effects and opioid withdrawal severity are unknown. We aimed to study these relationships in patients with OUD undergoing detoxification supported by ibogaine. The study was performed in 14...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241237873 Full text Opioid use disorder Pharmacokinetics Qtc Pharmacodynamics +11

The neural oscillations serving task switching are altered in cannabis users.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) May 2024 Kellen M McDonald, Mikki Schantell, Lucy K Horne et al.

Regular cannabis is known to impact higher-order cognitive processes such as attention, but far less is known regarding cognitive flexibility, a component of executive function. Moreover, whether such changes are related to aberrations in the neural oscillatory dynamics serving flexibility remains poorly understood. Quantify the neural oscillatory dynamics serving cognitive flexibility by...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241235204 Full text Cannabis Magnetoencephalography Prefrontal cortex Task switching +1

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met and CYP2B6 polymorphisms as predictors for ketamine effectiveness in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) April 1, 2024 Nelson B Rodrigues, David C J Chen-Li, Joshua D. Di Vincenzo et al. 12 citations

Converging lines of evidence indicate that ketamine is a rapid antidepressant for individuals with treatment-resistant depression. Hitherto, no reliable a priori predictors of ketamine response have been reported. Pharmacogenetic biomarkers have yielded mixed results regarding potential candidate genes associated with ketamine's biochemistry as reliable predictors of response. No studies have...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811241238284 Full text Major depressive disorder Treatment-resistant depression Pharmacogenetics Tolerability +3

MDMA enhances positive affective responses to social feedback.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) March 1, 2024 Anya K. Bershad, David T Hsu, Harriet de Wit 9 citations

The prosocial compound ± 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is an amphetamine derivative that has shown promise as an adjunct to psychotherapy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. MDMA increases positive responses to social images, and it has been suggested that the ability of MDMA to positively bias social perception may underlie its therapeutic efficacy as a psychotherapy...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811231224153 Full text MDMA Social acceptance Social feedback Social rejection

Psychological and physiological effects of extended DMT.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) 2024 Lisa Luan, Emma Eckernäs, Michael Ashton et al. 41 citations

N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a serotonergic psychedelic that induces a rapid and transient altered state of consciousness when inhaled or injected via bolus administration. Its marked and novel subjective effects make DMT a powerful tool for the neuroscientific study of consciousness and preliminary results show its potential role in treating mental health conditions. In a within-subjects,...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811231196877 Full text Ayahuasca Dimethyltryptamine Serotonin Psychedelics +4

Longitudinal associations between psychedelic use and unusual visual experiences in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) 2024 Otto Simonsson, Peter S. Hendricks, Cecilia Ud Stenfors et al.

Whereas findings from case reports and cross-sectional studies suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use may be associated with unusual visual experiences that occur after the acute pharmacological effects have subsided, such findings need to be replicated in longitudinal studies to better understand potential cause-and-effect relationships. To investigate longitudinal associations between...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811231218931 Full text LSD Mescaline Psilocybin Hppd +8

Main targets of ibogaine and noribogaine associated with its putative anti-addictive effects: A mechanistic overview.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) December 1, 2023 Genís Ona, Ingrid Reverte, Giordano N. Rossi et al. 20 citations

There is a growing interest in studying ibogaine (IBO) as a potential treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs). However, its clinical use has been hindered for mainly two reasons: First, the lack of randomized, controlled studies informing about its safety and efficacy. And second, IBO's mechanisms of action remain obscure. It has been challenging to elucidate a predominant mechanism of...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811231200882 Full text Noribogaine Hallucinogen Substance use disorders Ibogaine therapy: ibogaine +10

Treating posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder comorbidity: Current pharmacological therapies and the future of MDMA-integrated psychotherapy.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) December 1, 2023 Brian J Gully, Erica Eaton, Christy Capone et al. 12 citations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) frequently co-occur in patients who have experienced trauma. This comorbidity leads to a vicious cycle where PTSD symptoms beget heavy drinking and vice versa. There are no FDA-approved medications to treat PTSD-AUD; therefore, individuals suffering from this comorbidity are treated with medication approved to treat the...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811231200880 Full text Alcohol use disorder Comorbidity Posttraumatic stress disorder Psychedelics

Rapid onset brain plasticity at novel pharmacologic targets hypothetically drives innovations for rapid onset antidepressant actions.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) March 1, 2023 Takesha Cooper, Michael David Seigler, Stephen M Stahl 18 citations

Numerous new agents with rapid onset antidepressant effects are entering clinical trials and clinical practice. Studies focus on either first-line treatment of major depressive disorder or on patients whose major depressive disorder is resistant to prior antidepressant drugs. Novel agents target three very different central nervous system sites: as antagonists of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811231158891 Full text Depression Pharmacology Plastogen

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