Club drugs and "other" abusable substances are briefly overviewed as a reminder about the wide variety of known and unknown substances used by adolescents, the high potential for direct and interactive substance use effects to manifest acutely and chronically, and the vigilance needed to anticipate and recognize the new effects and drug-drug interactions arising as novel substances continue to...
The attenuation of the alpha rhythm following eyes-opening (alpha blocking) is among the most robust features of the human electroencephalogram with the prevailing view being that it is caused by changes in neuronal population synchrony. To further study the basis for this phenomenon we use theoretically motivated fixed-order Auto-Regressive Moving-Average (ARMA) time series modelling to study...
ZusammenfassungObwohl Ketamin seit langem bekannt und im klinischen Einsatz ist, bleiben nach wie vor Fragen rund um die vielfältigen möglichen Anwendungsfelder als Anästhetikum und Analgetikum offen. Diese betreffen nicht das klassische Einsatzgebiet in der Notfallmedizin und Anästhesie, sondern auch potentielle, neue Indikationen, in denen Ketamin in niedrigen, subanästhetischen Dosierungen...
The exploration of possible therapeutic benefits of hallucinogenic substances has undergone a revitalization in the past decade. This literature review investigated the published literature regarding the psychotherapeutic uses of hallucinogens in psychiatric disorders. The results showed that a variety of substances have been evaluated in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including...
General anesthesia reversibly alters consciousness, without shutting down the brain globally. Depending on the anesthetic agent and dose, it may produce different consciousness states including a complete absence of subjective experience (unconsciousness), a conscious experience without perception of the environment (disconnected consciousness, like during dreaming), or episodes of oriented...
Purpose of reviewNear-death experiences (NDEs) are conscious perceptual experiences, including self-related emotional, spiritual, and mystical experiences, occurring in close encounters with death or in non-life-threatening situations. The origin of NDEs remains unknown. Here, we review recent advances in the understanding of NDE semiology and pathophysiology.Recent findingsRecent prospective...
Many biological systems are altered in association with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and resilience. However, there are only few approved pharmacological treatments for PTSD, and no approved medications to enhance resilience. This paper provides a critical review of select neurobiological findings in PTSD and resilience, and also of pharmacologic approaches that have emerged from this...
BACKGROUND: The present paper provides an updated review of both the large number of new/novel/emerging psychoactive substances (NPS) and their associated psychopathological consequences. Focus was here given on identification of those NPS being commented in specialised online sources and the related short-/long-term psychopathological and medical ill-health effects. METHODS: NPS have been...
The role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor TrkB has been studied in the context of mood disorders and their treatments for a couple of decades. Pharmacologically diverse antidepressant drugs increase the synthesis of BDNF in the cortex (and some subcortical structures) and this effect accounts for their ability to facilitate neurotrophic processes eventually leading...
Classic serotonergic psychedelics are remarkable for their capacity to induce reversible alterations in consciousness of the self and the surroundings, mediated by agonism at serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. The subjective effects elicited by dissociative drugs acting as N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists (e.g. ketamine and phencyclidine) overlap in certain domains with those of serotonergic...