Abstract Alcohol use disorder is a major global health problem, and current treatments often fail to produce lasting reductions in harmful drinking1,2. Psychedelic-assisted therapies may promote durable behavioural change by enhancing brain plasticity during emotionally meaningful experiences, but progress has been limited by a lack of experimental models that capture these context-dependent...
Abstract Introduction While the relationship between substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health conditions is well established, treatment for these co-occurring conditions is difficult to manage. Research on the potential for psychedelic treatments to address SUD and mental health conditions has recently seen a resurgence. This study aimed to explore narratives on the influence of...
Major depressive disorder remains a leading cause of disability worldwide, and current antidepressants are limited by delayed onset and incomplete response. Building on advances driven by ketamine research, renewed interest has focused on classical serotonergic psychedelics—particularly psilocybin, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), 5-methoxy-DMT, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)—which, under...
Background: Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) has shown promise for alcohol use disorder (AUD) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, the effects of open-label administration following blinded treatment are unclear. Here, we present safety and efficacy data from an open-label extension of a Phase II RCT (NCT02061293) examining PAT for AUD. Methods: Adults with AUD (N = 59) received a...
Behavioral SciencesMarch 24, 2026J. Richard Kendrick, Ghonwa Ahmad, Audrey Wood et al.
The use of ketamine for the management of neuropsychiatric conditions outside clinical settings has rapidly expanded, creating a critical need to understand diverse individual experiences. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of posts from the r/TherapeuticKetamine subreddit. From 3302 threads, the 500 highest-engagement threads (12,852 comments) were analyzed by independent coders...
Annals of NeurosciencesMarch 23, 2026Hemant Kashyap, Lalhmingmawii Khiangte, Nandan Kumar Thakur et al.
Background: Neuropsychological functioning, metacognitive awareness and mindfulness are central to self-regulatory processes operating across cognitive and affective domains. Although global research on these constructs has increased, integrated evidence from non-Western contexts, particularly India, remains limited. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess and compare...
Neurology BulletinMarch 23, 2026Azat R. Asadullin, Elvina A. Akhmetova, Ilia S. Efremov et al.
BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders remain a global public health problem. In recent decades, the drug market has undergone substantial changes, with traditional drugs increasingly replaced by new psychoactive substances characterized by high toxicity and strong addictive potential. Their distribution via the Internet and social media impedes control and increases risks to public health. AIM:...
While the limitations of existing treatment options have spurred investigations into the applicability of psychedelic therapies for chronic and treatment-resistant psychological disorders, there remain significant unresolved issues pertaining to how these treatments should be regulated and the implementation of an ethical framework for their widespread delivery in practice. Research...
Music and psychoactive substances play a key role in forming identity during adolescence. Grasping the historical, neurobiological, and clinical aspects of this relationship is crucial for exploring how music therapy (MT) can support recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). In this chapter, the discussion begins by framing adolescent risk-taking, including substance experimentation, as a way...
Alcohol and AlcoholismMarch 17, 2026Ieva Poceviciute, Martynas Arbaciauskas, Rokas Buisas et al.
Previous studies have demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system plays a significant role in the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD), and CB1 receptor antagonists/inverse agonists show promise as a novel AUD pharmacotherapy. However, these compounds failed in clinical trials due to the severe psychiatric side effects. Non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids may have a better safety profile...
The nature of consciousness, specifically the state of "pure consciousness"—often characterized in contemplative traditions as a state of awareness devoid of intentional content—has transitioned from a topic of purely philosophical inquiry to a rigorous subject of neuroscientific study. This review synthesizes current clinical and neurobiological research to propose that oxytocin (OT), a...
psychiatric disorders, beta-carbolines, trace amine, phosphoproteomics, social hierarchy. Scientific interest in psychedelic substances has re-emerged, offering new perspectives on the treatment of neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders.Historically, psychedelics have been associated with a wide spectrum of positive and negative effects, encompassing ritualistic and spiritual use,...
Bloy et al. [1] provide an important and methodologically rigorous secondary analysis of the Ketamine for the reduction of Alcoholic Relapse (KARE) trial, examining whether acute psychoactive effects mediate the therapeutic impact of ketamine in alcohol use disorder (AUD). Their finding that dissociative and perceptual effects did not mediate abstinence outcomes is clinically relevant, and...
Recent retrospective analyses have shown that individuals with comorbid Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) are overrepresented among responders to ketamine for Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD). Ketamine is an effective treatment for depression and also a potential substance of misuse. The authors contrast a mechanistic pathway with a possible expectancy effect to account for these findings, and...
Objectives: Mindfulness is consistently linked with individual well-being and relationship functioning, yet it remains unclear systemically whether mindfulness reliably “crosses over” within romantic couples — such that one partner’s mindfulness is associated with other partner’s outcomes after accounting for dyadic interdependence. We conducted a model-testing meta-analysis (MTMA) based on the...
HealthcareMarch 3, 2026Paul Lie, Titus Lie, Madeleine Nguyen et al.1 citation
This narrative literature review explores the clinical use of Ketamine as part of an untested hypothetical model framework for bridge therapy for acute suicidality. Long-term suicide rates continue to increase in the United States and in many other countries, creating a pressing public health challenge with a variety of treatment considerations. Existing standard-of-care SSRI therapeutics have...
SVOA Medical ResearchMarch 2, 2026Olumuyiwa A. Bamgbade, Olumide O. Asaolu, Daniel O. Bamgbade et al.
Background: Chronic pain is complicated by comorbid substance misuse. This multifaceted problem increases the risks of polypharmacy, overdose, impaired driving, and avoidable emergency care. Methods: This is an observational study of a convenience sample of twenty adult chronic pain patients who underwent regular monthly intramuscular ketamine for multimodal pain therapy. Ketamine was...
Background: Effective pharmacotherapies for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are lacking, and factors such as sex, drinking patterns, and timing of treatment during the addiction cycle may influence treatment efficacy. Clinical studies suggest that ketamine may be effective in AUD; however, preclinical findings have been inconclusive, likely due to varying rodent strains, intake protocols, and...
New treatment options are needed to improve outcomes for patients with both opioid use disorder (OUD) and injection-related infections. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has been suggested as a potential treatment for substance use disorders (SUD). To address this need, a qualitative study was conducted to understand the attitudes toward PAT from individuals with OUD who have survived...
BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) often co-occur, presenting a major clinical challenge with limited effective treatments. However, ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects and has shown promise in reducing alcohol use, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can be effective for both substance use and mood disorders. This study explores the...