Abstract Serotonin was discovered in 1949 and has been detected in all living aerobic organisms and in every tissue of the human body. In animals, serotonin functions both as a neurotransmitter and a trophic factor. As a neurotransmitter, serotonin can modify a variety of biological and behavioural functions, including sex, aggression, appetite, locomotor activity, learning and memory, sleep...
Although reports of dextromethorphan (DXM) abuse have increased recently, few studies have examined the effects of high doses of DXM. This study in humans evaluated the effects of supratherapeutic doses of DXM and triazolam. Single, acute oral doses of DXM (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 mg/70 kg), triazolam (0.25 and 0.5 mg/70 kg), and placebo were administered to 12 healthy...
Although transhumanism offers hope for the transcendence of human biological limitations, it generates many intrinsic and consequential ethical concerns. The latter include issues such as the exacerbation of social inequalities and the exponentially increasing technological capacity to cause harm. To mitigate these risks, many thinkers have initiated investigations into the possibility of moral...
Objective To describe patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use (SPU) among Danish 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (“Ecstasy”) and hallucinogen users. Methods A cross‐sectional survey of 98 active MDMA and/or hallucinogen users recruited through homepage advertisements, flyers, and word of mouth in Denmark. Lifetime and recent substance use and SPU at last recalled use was described...
DrugScope is very proud to present The media guide to drugs: key facts and figures for journalists. This new guide is intended to be a resource for journalists working across all media. The guide contains an A to Z of drugs, including information on what substances look like, how they are used, what effects they have and how many people use them in the United Kingdom. The essential Q&A section...
Two recent studies report changes in human brain responses after exposure to psilocybin, the active ingredient of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Psilocybin increased sensory cortex responses during emotional recollection, but decreased resting-state blood flow in prefrontal cortex, with potential implications for treating depression.
Psychotomimetics like the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist ketamine and the 5-hydroxytryptamine2A receptor (5-HT(2A)R) agonist psilocybin induce psychotic symptoms in healthy volunteers that resemble those of schizophrenia. Recent theories of psychosis posit that aberrant encoding of prediction errors (PE) may underlie the expression of psychotic symptoms. This study used a...
Abstract Numerous and diverse reports indicate the efficacy of shamanic plant adjuncts (e.g., iboga, ayahuasca, psilocybin) for the care and treatment of addiction, post‐traumatic stress disorder, cancer, cluster headaches, and depression. This article reports on a first‐person healing of lifelong asthma and atopic dermatitis in the shamanic context of the contemporary P eruvian A mazon and the...
With regard to hallucinogens like psilocybin—an ingredient of so-called “magic mushrooms” (e.g., Psilocybe cubensis)—it may be high time to reconsider long-standing hypotheses related to their actions in the human brain.
"A partir de recentes mudanças nas legislações em relação às drogas em diferentes países, investiguei o potencial dos enteóg enos (i.e., plantas psicoativas usadas como sacramentos espiritua is) como instrumentos para favorecer a inteligência existencial. Plantas Mestres das Américas como a ayahuasca, os cogumelos de psilocibina, o peiote e o soma indo-ariano da Eurásia , são alguns dos...