CureusSeptember 17, 2025Arya Kermanshah, Margo Stapleton, Christine M Mauriello et al.1 citation
Ayahuasca, a brew containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) with monoamine oxidase-inhibiting β-carbolines, has expanded from traditional use to global retreats. Reported adverse effects include vomiting, agitation, serotonin toxicity-like syndromes, and cardiovascular events. Rhabdomyolysis has been described with other classic hallucinogens (e.g., lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin),...
The serotonin 2C receptor (5-HT 2C ) is a G protein-coupled receptor implicated in multiple physiological and psychological processes and has been investigated as a therapeutic target for neuropsychiatric conditions such as obesity, drug abuse, and depression. With renewed interest in serotonergic psychedelics for treating depression, 5-HT 2C may contribute to psychedelic-induced therapeutic...
Exploring the intricate relationship between brain's structure and function, and how this affects subjective experience is a fundamental pursuit in neuroscience. Psychedelic substances offer a unique insight into the influences of specific neurotransmitter systems on perception, cognition and consciousness. Specifically, their impact on brain function propagates across the structural connectome...
Learning Objectives: After participating in this CME activity, the psychiatrist should be better able to: Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) is characterized by perceptual phenomena that either linger after substance-use cessation or recur as reperceptions or flashbacks. These symptoms may be either mild and transient or long-lasting and severely burdening. Since evidence for...
Psychedelic drugs, known for their profound effects on perception, cognition, and emotion, have long captivated scientific, cultural, and therapeutic interest. Following the discovery of LSD’s psychoactive properties in 1943, research surged into its therapeutic potential and the nature of consciousness. However, the integration of psychedelics into the 1960s counterculture led to moral panic,...
Professor Gregor Hasler stands at the forefront of revolutionary psychedelic research and neuroplasticity studies, transforming our understanding of mental health treatment through groundbreaking scientific discoveries. As Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he directs the Molecular Psychiatry Lab, Hasler has pioneered research on how psychedelics like LSD,...
Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which is characterised by cognitive decline, memory loss, and behavioural changes. Patients suffering from dementia often experience emotional distress, sadness and depression which also impacts the wellbeing of their caregivers. Recent research has explored the potential of psychedelics, such as psilocybin and LSD, when treating various...
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a complex and debilitating condition affecting approximately 280 million people worldwide. Its heterogeneous nature makes it difficult to establish clinical treatment guidelines that address individual differences in treatment response. As a result, many individuals experience treatment-resistant depression (TRD) failing to respond to first-line...
Established by the 1971 United Nations (UN) Convention on Psychotropic Substances, the prohibition of the recreational use of psychedelics (lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD], psilocybin, N , N -dimethyltryptamine [ N , N -DMT], and mescaline) has two premises. First, recreational use poses a serious threat to public health because psychedelics are highly liable to addiction and abuse. Second,...
Pharmaceutical ScienceAugust 27, 2025Guilllermo Castaño-perez, Sara Isabel Castaño-ocampo
The resurgence of research on the use of psychedelic substances for the treatment of mental disorders and addictions has generated significant interest in the scientific and clinical communities. This chapter examines the current evidence on the efficacy, safety, and limitations of psychedelics in the treatment of these conditions. Studies investigating the use of psychedelics as monotherapy...