June 29, 2023
Torsten Passie
Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the early, rather unknown, phase of MDMA as a recreational drug. MDMA was first detected by scientists in a forensic laboratory in 1970, and then a few more times up until 1976. A previously unknown document of the United States DEA has been used to describe these early detections. The evidence shows that up until 1976, the distribution of MDMA was...
The History of MDMA
June 29, 2023
Torsten Passie
1 citation
Abstract The association between drugs and dancing extends back to ancient times. Parallels can be seen between spontaneous medieval ‘dance epidemics’ and contemporary use of MDMA at dance parties. As a forerunner, MDA was used at dance parties in the late 1960s. However, it was only when the MDMA enthusiast Michael Clegg began to sell MDMA in parts of the Texas night-life scene that the...
The History of MDMA
June 29, 2023
Torsten Passie
Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the early history of the molecule MDMA, which was first synthesized by the pharmaceutical company Merck, in search of a synthesis of the blood-clotting agent hydrastinine. As the original synthesis of hydrastinine had already been patented by another company, Merck needed to find an alternative synthesis. After a few failed attempts, the company’s...
June 29, 2023
Torsten Passie
4 citations
Abstract This book is intended to provide an overview of the complex and dispersed history of MDMA, in the hope of making it more intelligible. In respect of the period up until the late 1980s, the book focuses on what was happening in Europe and the United States as other countries were not significant in this timeframe. This book does not describe the history of an illegal drug only as it is...
The History of MDMA
June 29, 2023
Torsten Passie
Abstract In the 1920s, physicians discovered the potential for ‘speech induction’ offered by psychoactive substances. The German Nazis were the first to conduct experiments on the use of ‘truth drugs’ for interrogation purposes. Later, after some American prisoners of war ‘confessed’ to the use of biological weapons in the Korean war, the United States (US) Army suspected that they had been...
The History of MDMA
June 29, 2023
Torsten Passie
Abstract The American chemist Alexander T. Shulgin played a significant role in the ‘rediscovery’ of MDMA in the 1970s. In 1960, an experience with mescaline inspired Shulgin to undertake research with psychoactive drugs. He subsequently synthesized psychoactive chemicals and tested them on himself and a group of others. In the early 1960s, Shulgin studied the chemistry of nutmeg: chemical...
Psychiatric News
June 28, 2023
Terri D’arrigo
Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Annual MeetingFull AccessExperts Offer Tips on Talking With Patients About PsychedelicsTerri D’ArrigoTerri D’ArrigoSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:28 Jun 2023https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2023.07.7.51AbstractPsychedelics differ from one another in their mechanism of action and potential effects on the body and mind....
Schizophrenia Bulletin
June 26, 2023
Anya K. Bershad, Harriet de Wit
12 citations
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Diminished social motivation is a negative symptom of schizophrenia and leads to severe functional consequences for many patients suffering from the illness. However, there are no effective medications available to treat this symptom. Despite the lack of approved treatments for patients, there is a growing body of literature on the effects of several classes of drugs...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
June 26, 2023
Simon Zhornitsky, Henrique Nunes Pereira Oliva, Laura A. Jayne et al.
12 citations
Background Ketamine and psychedelics have abuse liability. They can also induce “transformative experiences” where individuals experience enhanced states of awareness. This enhanced awareness can lead to changes in preexisting behavioral patterns which could be beneficial in the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs). Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that ketamine and psychedelics...
JACCP JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CLINICAL PHARMACY
June 12, 2023
Kevin Herkenham
5 citations
Abstract Psychoactive substances such as psilocybin and 3,4‐methylenedioxy‐methamphetamine (MDMA) are currently being investigated for a variety of psychiatric indications including major depressive disorder and post‐traumatic stress disorder. It is critical that clinicians working in the mental health field understand the regulatory framework that balances access and control for such...
June 9, 2023
Mika Turkia
2 citations
preprint
This retrospective study presents the case of a young woman in her mid-twenties who suffered from insecurity and abandonment-related anxiety, which intensified after a breakup of her relationship. Her parents' alcoholism and schizophrenia, as well as emotional and physical violence, had been a part of her childhood, but they had appeared 'normal' to her. Her parents and relatives had not...
ACS Omega
June 6, 2023
Alexander M. Sherwood, Elise K. Burkhartzmeyer, Samuel E. Williamson et al.
A divergent two-step process has provided access to optically pure enantiomers of MDMA and MDA, clinically relevant phenylisopropylamine entactogens. Target compounds were synthesized from commercially available alanine-derived aziridines. Critical process parameters were identified, and the reactions were optimized to avoid chromatographic purifications toward gram-scale isolations, providing...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
June 1, 2023
Josua Zimmermann, Niklaus Zölch, Rebecca C Coray et al.
Background: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a widely used recreational substance inducing acute release of serotonin. Previous studies in chronic MDMA users demonstrated selective adaptations in the serotonin system, which were assumed to be associated with cognitive deficits. However, serotonin functions are strongly entangled with glutamate as well as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)...
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
June 1, 2023
Justine M. Bakker
9 citations
Abstract Since 2001, visual artist Ellen Gallagher has been working on “Watery Ecstatic,” an ongoing, expansive project that depicts real and imaginary underwater life through drawings, films, reliefs, and paintings. Thus far, this series—indeed, Gallagher’s oeuvre—has not been studied by scholars of religion. Arguing that the series provokes an extended conversation about mysticism,...
medRxiv
June 1, 2023
Andreas Halman, Geraldine Kong, Jerome Sarris et al.
17 citations
preprint
Abstract Classic psychedelics, lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin, mescaline and N,N-dimethyltryptamine, are potent psychoactive substances that have been studied for their physiological and psychological effects. However, our understanding of the potential interactions and outcomes of using these substances are used in combination with other psychoactive drugs is limited. This systematic...
Psychiatric Clinics of North America
June 1, 2023
Shubham Kamal, Manish Kumar Jha, Rajiv Radhakrishnan
32 citations
There is increasing interest in exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Classic psychedelics (such as psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca/DMT), and atypical psychedelics (such as ketamine) have been studied in TRD. The evidence for the classic psychedelics TRD is limited at the present time; early studies however show promising results. There is also...
Psychedelic Medicine
June 1, 2023
Noah D Gold, Samantha K. Podrebarac, Lindsay A White et al.
3 citations
More than 50 million people in the United States serve as uncompensated informal caregivers to chronically ill friends or family members. Providing care to a sick loved one can contribute to personal growth but can also cause significant strain. Caregiver distress refers to a constellation of physiological, psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual impairments that typically result when an...
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
May 22, 2023
Abdelmounaim Baslam, Abdelfatah Aitbaba, Asmae Lamrani Hanchi et al.
16 citations
The use of illicit substances continues to pose a substantial threat to global health, affecting millions of individuals annually. Evidence suggests the existence of a 'brain-gut axis' as the involving connection between the central nervous system and gut microbiome (GM). Dysbiosis of the GM has been associated with the pathogenesis of various chronic diseases, including metabolic, malignant,...
World Journal of Psychiatry
May 19, 2023
Lakshan N Fonseka, Benjamin K.p. Woo
12 citations
With the Food and Drug Administration designation in 2017 of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) as a breakthrough therapy in post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression, psychedelic drugs have continued to garner the attention of researchers and clinicians for their promise of unmatched, rapid improvement in a multitude of psychiatric conditions....
Frontiers in Psychiatry
May 18, 2023
Tigran Makunts, Diane Dahill, Lisa Jerome et al.
6 citations
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is currently being investigated as an adjunctive treatment to therapy for posttraumatic stress and other anxiety related disorders in clinical trials. Within the next few years MDMA-assisted therapy is projected for approval by regulatory authorities. MDMA's primary mechanism of action includes modulation of monoamine signaling by increasing release and...