European Journal of Pharmacology
January 15, 2012
Samanta Yubero‐lahoz, Mario A Ayestas, Bruce E. Blough et al.
(±)-3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is an illicit drug that evokes transporter-mediated release of serotonin (5-HT) in the brain. 5-HT transporter (SERT) proteins are also expressed in non-neural tissues (e.g., blood), and evidence suggests that MDMA targets platelet SERT to increase plasma 5-HT. Here we tested two hypotheses related to the effects of MDMA on circulating 5-HT. First,...
PLoS One
2012
Anne Klomp, Bjørnar den Hollander, Kora de Bruin et al.
Little is known on the effects of ecstasy (MDMA, a potent 5-HT-releaser and neurotoxin) exposure on brain development in teenagers. The objective of this study was to investigate whether in humans, like previous observations made in animals, the effects of MDMA on the 5-HT system are dependent on age-of-first exposure. 5-HT transporter (SERT) densities in the frontal cortex and midbrain were...
Rinsho shinkeigaku = Clinical neurology
2012
Hideho Arita
To gain insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms involved in Zen meditation, we evaluated the effects of abdominal (Tanden) breathing in novices. We investigated hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), an ttention-related brain region, using 24-channel near-infrared spectroscopy during a 20-munite session of Tanden breathing in 15 healthy volunteers. We found that the level of...
Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
2012
André Schmidt
Recent studies into the molecular, pharmacological and behavioral basis of psychotomimetics such as the glutamate N-methyl- D -aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist ketamine and the mixed 5- hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor agonist psilocybin in healthy human subjects suggest that both the glutamatergic and serotonergic system are implicated in the pathophysiolology of psychotic disorders such...
Seeing and Perceiving
2012
David Luke, Devin B. Terhune, Ross Friday
11 citations
The neurobiology of synaesthesia is receiving growing attention in the search for insights into consciousness, such as the binding problem. One way of decoding the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying this phenomenon is to investigate the induction of synaesthesia via neurochemical agents, as commonly occurs with psychedelic substances. How synaesthesia is affected by drugs can also help inform...