Digital drugs, or binaural beats claimed to elicit specific cognitive or emotional states, are a phenomenon about which little is known. In this brief report, we describe demographic and drug use correlates of binaural beat use, patterns of use, reasons for use and methods of access. The Global Drug Survey 2021 was translated into 11 languages; 30 896 responses were gathered from 22 countries....
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a global public health concern that affects millions of people worldwide. Considering current research, addiction has been noted as the last stage of a chronic disease that may impair brain reward circuit responses and affects personal and social life. Treatments for SUD face challenges including availability and limited pharmacological response, often resulting...
SleepMay 25, 2022Feby Puravath Manikat, Clete A. Kushida
Abstract Introduction Exploding head syndrome is a rare phenomenon characterized by a loud imagined noise at sleep onset. Less commonly, it is associated with a simultaneous stab of pain in the forehead. It may result in recurring arousals and anxiety regarding the events. The underlying pathophysiology remains unknown. Report of Cases: A 27 year old male with no past medical history presented...
Objective: Functional neurological disorder (FND) causes a high burden of disability and distress. Although it is a common disorder, there is a pressing need for improved access to evidence-based treatments. With difficulties in finding effective treatment, some people with FND may seek alternative means of symptom relief, such as legal and illicit psychoactive substances, although the...
Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) are a large group of abused psychoactive compounds that elicit numerous toxic effects not observed with cannabis, including death. Abuse of third-generation SCRA 5F-MDMB-PINACA (also known as 5F-ADB) has been associated with over 40 fatalities. This SCRA is metabolized to several active phase I metabolites, including excessively high post-mortem...
Background: Preliminary evidence suggests that long-term ayahuasca use is associated with better psychosocial outcomes and less drug use; however, available data on the association between ayahuasca intake frequency and psychosocial outcomes is limited. Objectives: We sought to characterize and investigate the association of regular ayahuasca use, as compared to non-regular use, on licit...
NeuropsychopharmacologyApril 2022Ritchy Hodebourg, Michael E Meyerink, Ayteria D Crow et al.
Individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often comorbid for substance use disorders. Cannabis is widely used by PSTD patients, and the literature is mixed on whether cannabis use ameliorates or exacerbates patient responses to stress-associated conditioned stimuli (stress-CS). We determined if cannabis use affects responsivity to stress-CS in rats receiving 2 h...
The predictive coding theory of psychosis posits that individuals with schizophrenia demonstrate abnormalities in the strength of top-down modulation (based on prior experience) of sensory signals. Evidence suggests that difficulty perceiving depth inversion illusions (DIIs) (i.e., more accurate perception of stimuli under conditions in which control subjects perceive these illusions) may...
With an increasing number of countries and states adopting legislation permitting the use of cannabis for medical purposes, there is a growing interest among health and research professionals into the system through which cannabinoids principally act, the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Much of the seminal research into the ECS dates back only 30 years and, although there has been tremendous...
This phenomenological study explores the traits of substance-induced mysticism at the Rehman Baba shrine in Pakistan. The shrine of Rehman Babais frequently visited by many. Some of the Malang(monks) use marijuana to induce a mystic experience. It has become a socially acceptable practice at this shrine. It uses non-participant observation of the substance users and exploratory interviews along...