Surgical procedures induce stress responses similar to severe illnesses, activating the metabolic and neuroendocrine systems, especially the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The resulting cortisol surge maintains homeostasis but can adversely affect recovery by elevating blood glucose levels and increasing the risk of complications. Given the high prevalence of opium use, especially...
The Hallucinogen Rating Scale (HRS) has been widely used to measure the subjective effects of psychedelics and other psychoactive substances. Its advantages include a basis in phenomenological interviews and clinical studies, straightforward items, and broad coverage of psychedelic effects. Previous studies have attempted to resolve its factor structure but were limited by small samples of...
Abstract Anhedonia is a transdiagnostic domain that leads to poor disorder outcome and low remission rates. This narrative review describes a broad range of interventions targeting anhedonia, including pharmacological, neuromodulatory, behavioral, and lifestyle‐based approaches. Drugs such as vortioxetine, agomelatine, bupropion, ketamine, and brexpiprazole show promising anti‐anhedonic...
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is an emerging treatment approach that often combines pharmacotherapeutic dosing sessions with more traditional psychotherapy. Despite limited formal regulatory approval, treatment seekers can currently access PAT through a variety of avenues, including ketamine treatment centers and “supported adult use” psilocybin centers in the U.S., drug tourism,...
Hallucinogenic substances such as psilocybin, LSD or ecstasy are now the subject of several hundred clinical trials around the world to test their ability to restore our mental health. Psilocybin (active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms), LSD (derived from compounds from ergot), dimethyltryptamine (or DMT, part of the composition of ayahuasca), mescaline (derived from peyote), but also...
The primary symptoms in the early stages of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis are psychiatric manifestations, making it difficult to distinguish from psychiatric disorders. While anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis requires a completely different treatment approach, the specific psychiatric features of the condition remain poorly identified. Although previous studies have suggested that altered...
Major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression are significant worldwide health problems that need new therapies. The success of the anesthetic ketamine as an antidepressant is well known. It is less widely known that several other anesthetic agents have also shown antidepressant effects. These include nitrous oxide, propofol, isoflurane, sevoflurane, dexmedetomidine, and xenon....
Psychoactive substances used for recreational purposes have mind-altering effects, but systematic evaluation of these effects is largely limited to self-reports. Automated analysis of expressed language (speech and written text) using natural language processing (NLP) tools can provide objective readouts of mental states. In this pre-registered systematic review, we investigate findings from...
Abstract Background Methoxphenidine (MXP) is a new psychoactive substance that belongs to the group of arylethylamines. Even though MXP has a different pharmacophore than ketamine, both of these substances belong to the dissociatives. To date, MXP has been associated with several intoxications and despite it being banned in most countries it is still available over the internet.1 Aims &...
Background and Objectives: Substance use disorders (SUDs) affect millions worldwide. Despite increasing drug use, treatment options remain limited. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), integrating psychedelic substances with psychotherapy, offers a promising alternative by addressing underlying neural mechanisms. Materials and Methods: This review’s purpose is to investigate the current...