Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder that causes severe cognitive decline and poses a significant burden on global health systems. Despite extensive research, effective treatments to stop neurodegeneration or promote neuronal regeneration in AD remain elusive. Psychoactive substances as modulators of neurophysiological functions, have received increased attention in...
There are few effective treatments for eating disorders (EDs), and new interventions are urgently needed. The MEDication and other drugs For Eating Disorders ("MED-FED") survey investigated the lived experience of adults with EDs regarding their prescription and non-prescription drugs use. Psychedelic drugs were highly rated in this survey for their impact on ED symptoms and general mental...
The hallmark of bipolar disorder is hypomania or mania, and the predominant phase of illness is depression. Affecting approximately 40 million individuals worldwide, bipolar disorder is associated with a substantial psychosocial, medical, and financial burden and increased mortality from suicide and other causes. Diagnosis can be challenging due to symptom overlap with attention-deficit...
Conscious experience depends on the coordinated activity of neural processes that span multiple scales—from synapses to whole-brain dynamics. A recently introduced measure, dynamical independence, identifies, characterises and quantifies these multi-scale relationships using an information-theoretic dimensionality-reduction approach. Here, we use DI to examine changes in emergent dynamical...
Both psychedelic substances and meditation have been proposed to facilitate personally meaningful and transformative experiences, with insights playing a central role. However, previous research has mainly relied on questionnaires, limiting the range of insights that can be identified. In this study, we recruited participants who provided narrative reports of insights in personally meaningful...
There are few effective pharmacotherapies for treating eating disorders (EDs). High rates of substance use among individuals with EDs suggest potential self-medication of symptoms. To explore the experiences of individuals with EDs regarding use of prescribed and nonprescribed drugs. This survey study assessed responses to the Medications and Other Drugs for Eating Disorders (MED-FED) survey,...
Psychedelics, derived from the Greek words "psyche" (soul) and "deloun" (revealing), are substances historically and currently considered "soul-revealing". Also termed hallucinogens due to their impact on sensory perception, they are further categorized into hallucinogens, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and mescaline; entactogens or empathogens, such as...
Trauma-related disorders and substance use are disproportionately underdiagnosed and undertreated in individuals with High-Functioning Autism (Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder), particularly those in underserved or marginalized communities. Emerging evidence suggests that psychedelic-assisted therapies—including psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine—offer promising outcomes in the treatment of...
Drugs AgingJune 24, 2025Lou Vinarcsik, Charles Smoller, George Grossberg1 citation
The use of drugs with psychedelic and dissociative effects for the treatment of psychiatric illnesses has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, few trials have been conducted to determine the efficacy of these agents in the specific setting of treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) in older adults. In this paper, we review notable aspects of treatment-resistant MDD...
The development of new drugs is a complex, expensive, and time-consuming process, often fraught with a high likelihood of failure. Amid these obstacles, drug repurposing, which identifies new therapeutic applications for already existing medications, offers a more economical and time-saving approach, particularly in the challenging field of neurological and psychiatric disorders. This narrative...