Serotonergic psychedelics are being explored as treatments for a range of psychiatric conditions. Promising results in mood disorders indicate that their effects on emotional processing may play a central role in their therapeutic potential. However, mechanistic and clinical studies paint a complex picture of the impact of psychedelics on emotions and mood. Here, we review recent findings on...
O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar os efeitos terapêuticos da ayahuasca na saúde mental por meio de uma revisão integrativa. Para isso, foram levantados artigos publicados nos últimos dez anos nas bases de dados PubMed, Scopus e Google Acadêmico, utilizando os descritores “ayahuasca”, “depressão”, “ansiedade” e “saúde mental”. Após o exame dos 96 trabalhos capturados, 18 estudos...
Depression is a prevalent and heterogeneous disorder with significant personal and social consequences. The rise of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) challenges traditional approaches and underscores the need for a broader neurobiological perspective. When monoaminergic modulation proves insufficient, clinical guidelines increasingly turn to non-monoaminergic interventions such as...
O transtorno de estresse pós-traumático (TEPT) é uma condição psiquiátrica caracterizada por sintomas persistentes após vivência de eventos traumáticos, incluindo revivescências, hipervigilância e esquiva. Estudos recentes têm apontado o uso de psicodélicos, como MDMA e psilocibina, como potenciais coadjuvantes no tratamento, devido à sua capacidade de promover neuroplasticidade e facilitar a...
This paper examines possible future evolution through knowledge of how past human evolution constrains possibilities for the future. Uniquely human evolution-brain, ultrasociality, and cultural niche development-are examined to see what these suggest about future adaptations. Rapid brain evolution involves neuroplasticity, a re-use and rewiring of neural networks. Psychedelics are extraordinary...
We read a recent article published by CNN titled “Ketamine offers lifeline for people with severe depression, suicidal thoughts1” with great interest. The article traces the story of a man with a 35-year history of severe refractory depression, suicidal ideation, and recent suicide attempts who was successfully treated with ketamine as a last resort after failing dozens of other pharmacologic...
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are involved in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. Conventional pharmacological models categorize the typology of pharmacologic ligands as agonists or antagonists. Biased agonism is a relatively newer pharmacodynamic characteristic that has potential to optimize therapeutic efficacy while minimizing adverse effects in psychiatric and...
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become one of the most common psychiatric diagnosis in the United States specifically within the veteran population. The current treatment options for this debilitating diagnosis include trauma-focused psychotherapies along with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI). 1 MDMA has recently...
Psychedelics show tremendous promise for treating psychiatric disorders and other illnesses, including pain and migraine. Despite decades of research, there is uncertainty which signaling mechanisms are necessary for rapid-acting and durable therapeutic effects of psychedelics. Although activation of the serotonin 5-HT 2A receptor is critical for their psychopharmacological effects, the precise...
Neurodegenerative diseases are marked by progressive neuronal loss, inflammation, and impaired plasticity. Although existing treatments provide limited protection for the brain or ability to slow disease progression, emerging research highlights the gut-brain axis and psychedelics as promising new areas for therapeutic development. The gut microbiome, a metabolically active ecosystem,...