Data mining and knowledge discovery is a research area with applications in various fields, such as medicine. Data mining methods have proven to be very effective in making automated diagnoses and help medical teams in decision making. In addition to using data mining, medical data can be represented by complex networks. In the case of the brain, for example, brain regions can be represented as...
Emil Kraepelin believed that dementia praecox, the disorder we now call schizophrenia, was caused by the brain being poisoned with toxins generated in other parts of the body, especially the mouth, intestine or genitals. In this regard, Kraepelin hinted at the microbiome and conceptualized microbial molecules as drivers of severe psychiatric illness. However, it was not until the coronavirus...
Psychedelics have attracted medical interest, but their effects on human brain function are incompletely understood. In a comprehensive, within-subjects, placebo-controlled design, we acquired multimodal neuroimaging [i.e., EEG-fMRI (electroencephalography-functional MRI)] data to assess the effects of intravenous (IV) N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) on brain function in 20 healthy volunteers....
Background: Ayahuasca is a serotoninergic hallucinogen that plays a central role in the Amazonian traditional medicine. Its psychoactive effects are associated with the presence of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO-A). Advances in neuroimaging investigations have provided insight into ayahuasca’s neurobiological mechanisms of action. Methods: Selecting only...
Ayahuasca is a plant-based brew of indigenous Amazonian origin. It has psychedelic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, cytotoxic, and anti-parasitic effects, which are primarily due to monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). This article describes the case of a woman in her late thirties with complex trauma due to severe, years-long sexual abuse in early...
Abstract Psychedelic indolethylamines have emerged as potential medicines to treat several psychiatric pathologies. Natural sources of these compounds include ‘magic mushrooms’, plants used to prepare ahayuasca, and toads. Owing to the occurrence of indolethylamines such as N,N-dimethyltryptamine, toad skin and parotid gland preparations have a history of ceremonial use, yet their biosynthesis...
February 27, 2023Emma Garrod, Katrina Blommaert2 citations
Ayahuasca has experienced a meandering legal and ethical journey in Canada. The health and spiritual benefits of this medicine are profound, yet it is paramount to consider the implications of its use in places far removed from its endemic regions. In Canada, under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmaline, two ingredients in ayahuasca, are both...
Classic psychedelics are compounds that target the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor type 2A (5-HT2AR), inducing profound changes in consciousness. Although these compounds most closely resemble the natural neurotransmitter serotonin, their therapeutic and psychoactive action is still not well understood. Therefore, a quantitative atomistic description of their interaction in the 5-HT2AR receptor is...
Abstract Homeopathy, an alternative treatment method based on the principle of “like cures like,” has gained attention in recent years. This paper focuses on Bufo Rana, a homeopathic remedy prepared from the poison of the Bufo toad. We explore the process of potentization and dosage in homeopathy, discussing the various potencies and the influence of Avogadro’s number. Furthermore, we provide...