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...
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is widespread and problematic in the United States, and current pharmacotherapy options have relatively modest effects. Therefore, novel interventions such as ketamine therapy have gained interest as potentially efficacious options, known to generate unique psychotherapeutic experiences. The present secondary analysis examines the acute subjective experiences-both...
Background: Alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) is a significant challenge for psychologists due to relapse and its impacts on well-being. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) has emerged as a potential solution, receiving increasing attention in the field of psychological interventions for ADS. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of MBRP, specifically on emotion regulation and alcohol...
Abstract Psychoactive substances obtained from botanicals have been applied for a wide variety of purposes in the rituals of different cultures for thousands of years. Classical psychedelics from N,N′‐dimethyltryptamine, psilocybin, mescaline and various lysergamides cause specific alterations in perception, emotion and cognition by acting through serotonin 5‐HT 2A receptor activation. Lysergic...
Recent research with classic psychedelics suggests significant therapeutic potential, particularly for neuropsychiatric disorders. A mediating influence behind symptom resolution is thought to be the personal insight - at times, bordering on the mystical - one acquires during the acute phase of a psychedelic session. Indeed, current clinical trials have found strong correlations between the...
Introduction: Substance use disorder (SUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are major public health crises, affecting millions of Americans. Current treatment options include behavioral therapies and medications. In this review, we explored psilocybin’s efficacy in treating SUD and AUD. Methods: Key terms were used to search databases to identify articles that addressed psilocybin in the...
Childhood trauma (CT) increases addiction vulnerability. We examined CT's impact on delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) effects. This is a post-hoc analysis of a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial investigating the effects of oral THC (10, 20 mg) among 25 persons receiving methadone for opioid use disorder (OUD). Greater CT was associated with lower aversive effects from higher THC...
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a public health issue that affects millions of people worldwide leading to physical, mental and socio-economic consequences. While current treatments for AUD have provided relief to individuals, their effectiveness on the long term is often limited, leaving a number of affected individuals without sustainable solutions. In this review, we aim to explore two...
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...
ACS Chemical NeuroscienceMay 1, 2024Benjamin M Williams, Nathan D Steed, Joel T Woolley et al.7 citations
Iboga alkaloids, also known as coronaridine congeners, have shown promise in the treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorders. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of catharanthine and 18-methoxycoronaridine (18-MC) on dopamine (DA) transmission and cholinergic interneurons in the mesolimbic DA system, nicotine-induced locomotor activity, and nicotine-taking behavior....
The proliferation of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in the drug market raises concerns about uncertainty on their pharmacological profile and the health hazard linked to their use. Within the category of synthetic stimulant NPS, the phenethylamine 2-Cl-4,5-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (2-Cl-4,5-MDMA) has been linked to severe intoxication requiring hospitalization. Thereby, the...
Objective: Although individuals with a family history of alcohol use disorder (AUD) have a superior antidepressant response to ketamine, outcomes in patients with current AUD remain unclear. This study sought to investigate whether intranasal (IN) racemic (R,S)-ketamine had antisuicidal and antidepressant effects in unipolar and bipolar depression and whether comorbid AUD conferred superior...
AbstractBackgroundPrevalence of nitrous oxide (N2O) use appears to be increasing in numerous countries worldwide, and excessive use has been associated with physical and mental problems. Because there currently is no consensus whether N2O has addictive potential, we aimed to evaluate the evidence for the presence and prevalence of DSM‐5 substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms in N2O...
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: This pilot study investigated psilocybin-induced changes in neural reactivity to alcohol and emotional cues in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Participants were recruited from a phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) for the treatment of AUD (NCT02061293). Eleven...
Methadone treatment (MT) fails to address the emotion dysregulation, pain, and reward processing deficits that often drive opioid use disorder (OUD). New interventions are needed to address these factors. To evaluate the efficacy of MT as usual (usual care) vs telehealth Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) plus usual care among people with an OUD and pain. This study was a...
In addition to its health benefits, mindfulness has been theorized in classical contemplative frameworks to elicit self-transcendent experiences as a means of promoting universal love and compassion. Increasing feelings of love may be especially clinically relevant for the treatment of opioid misuse, in that addictive use of opioids dysregulates neurobiological processes implicated in the...
Abstract Alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders worldwide with high economic costs. Current treatment options show modest efficacy and relapse rates are high. Furthermore, there are increases in the treatment gap and few new medications have been approved in the past 20 years. Recently, psychedelic‐assisted therapy with psilocybin and lysergic acid...
Abstract Psychedelics produce lasting therapeutic responses in neuropsychiatric diseases suggesting they may disrupt entrenched associations and catalyze learning. Here, we examine psychedelic effects on dopamine signaling in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core, a region extensively linked to reward learning, motivation, and drug-seeking. We measure phasic dopamine transients following acute...
Methamphetamine is a highly stimulating psychoactive drug that causes life-threatening addictions and affects millions of people around the world. Its effects on the brain are complex and include disturbances in the neurotransmitter systems and neurotoxicity. There are several known treatment methods, but their effectiveness is moderate. It must be emphasised that no drugs have been approved...