Psychological Medicine
December 2016
Michael Bloomfield, E Mouchlianitis, C J A Morgan et al.
Cannabis is a widely used drug associated with increased risk for psychosis. The dopamine hypothesis of psychosis postulates that altered salience processing leads to psychosis. We therefore tested the hypothesis that cannabis users exhibit aberrant salience and explored the relationship between aberrant salience and dopamine synthesis capacity. We tested 17 cannabis users and 17 age- and...
Human Brain Mapping
October 2016
Francesca Filbey, Joseph Dunlop, Ariel Ketcherside et al.
Although there is emergent evidence illustrating neural sensitivity to cannabis cues in cannabis users, the specificity of this effect to cannabis cues as opposed to a generalized hyper-sensitivity to hedonic stimuli has not yet been directly tested. Using fMRI, we presented 53 daily, long-term cannabis users and 68 non-using controls visual and tactile cues for cannabis, a natural reward, and,...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
August 1, 2016
Lance R Mcmahon
Cannabidiol, a therapeutic with potential serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) 5-HT1A receptor agonist activity, is the second most prevalent cannabinoid in Cannabis after Δ(9)-THC. The extent to which cannabidiol modifies the effects of Δ(9)-THC has not been firmly established, especially with respect to abuse-related effects in rhesus monkeys where previously antagonistic interactions have...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
May 26, 2016
Amanda Amorin Nunes, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Flávia de Lima Osório et al.
92 citations
Recently, the anti-addictive potential of ayahuasca, a dimethyltryptamine(DMT)- and β-carboline-rich hallucinogenic beverage traditionally used by indigenous groups of the Northwest Amazon and currently by syncretic churches worldwide, has received increased attention. To better evaluate this topic, we performed a systematic literature review using the PubMed database to find quantitative...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
June 4, 2015
Reagan R Wetherill, Kanchana Jagannathan, Nathan M. Hager et al.
Structural magnetic resonance imaging techniques are powerful tools for examining the effects of drug use on the brain. The nicotine and cannabis literature has demonstrated differences between nicotine cigarette smokers and cannabis users compared to controls in brain structure; however, less is known about the effects of co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use. We used voxel-based morphometry...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
January 8, 2015
JHP van Wel, DB Spronk, Kim P. C. Kuypers et al.
23 citations
Trait impulsivity has been linked to addiction in humans. It has been suggested that drug users with high trait impulsivity levels are more sensitive to subjective drug intoxication. This study assessed whether subjective response to drugs differs between drug users with normal or high levels of trait impulsivity. Regular drug users (N = 122) received doses of cocaine HCl, cannabis, and placebo...
European Neuropsychopharmacology
July 2014
Serena Stopponi, Laura Soverchia, Massimo Ubaldi et al.
Cannabis derivatives are among the most widely used illicit substances among young people. The addictive potential of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active ingredient of cannabis is well documented in scientific literature. However, the consequence of THC exposure during adolescence on occurrence of addiction for other drugs of abuse later in life is still controversial. To...
American Journal on Addictions
August 30, 2013
Elias Dakwar, Frances R. Levin
Background: Mindfulness-based approaches may be effective treatments for substance use disorders (SUDs), but they have only been investigated for SUDs in the group setting. Methods: A novel 10-week individual mindfulness-based psychotherapy was provided weekly to participants. Tolerability and therapeutic feasibility were assessed by retention rates, incidence of adverse events or clinical...
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
August 22, 2013
Brittany Vasae Burdick, Bryon Adinoff
Current treatments for addiction are frequently ineffective. Hallucinogenic therapy has been indicated as helpful for a range of substance use disorders, yet this approach remains understudied and publicly unavailable. It is nonetheless a promising treatment, which has significant, long-term beneficial effects with single doses and a profile characterized by general safety, low toxicity, and...
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
June 1, 2013
Gerald Thomas, Philippe Lucas, N. Rielle Capler et al.
327 citations
This form of ayahuasca-assisted therapy appears to be associated with statistically significant improvements in several factors related to problematic substance use among a rural aboriginal population. These findings suggest participants may have experienced positive psychological and behavioral changes in response to this therapeutic approach, and that more rigorous research of...