Abstract Ketamine has transformed depression treatment by providing therapeutic relief within a single day, unlike monoaminergic antidepressants that require weeks to take effect. Here, we conducted whole-brain screening in mice to compare drug-evoked c-fos expression—acting as a marker of brain activity leading to protein synthesis-dependent forms of plasticity—following treatment with...
My findings show, for the first time, what causes loss of awareness, anesthesia, memory replay, opioids induced respiratory depression (OIRD), and slow wave sleep. Opiates are fast pain relievers and anesthetics that can cause respiratory arrest. I found how mu-opioids and other medial habenula activators slowdown respiration during SWS and anesthesia. Using DTI method I observed that human...
Cluster headache and migraine have a circadian timing of attacks and are linked to the trigeminovascular system. Recently the trigeminal ganglion was found to have a strong circadian rhythm, with the serotonin 2A receptor identified as a clock-controlled gene. Ergotamine is an acute treatment for cluster headache and migraine, acts on the trigeminal ganglion, and is a serotonin 2A receptor...
Psychedelics show promise in treating depression, PTSD, and substance use disorder, prompting research into their mechanisms of action. Most studies use rodent models, but genetic tools can be challenging to apply. Invertebrate models, like C. elegans , offer a cost-effective alternative with short generation times and genetic tractability. This study examined the worm's response to the...
Current antidepressants have shown certain limitations in the treatment of unipolar depression. Their long onset of action, interactions, and side effects are obstacles to achieving lasting remission of this prevalent, often chronic or recurrent, pathology. Faced with this clinical necessity, research efforts have intensified in recent years around psychedelic drugs, with a particular focus on...
O uso terapêutico de psicodélicos tem ganhado crescente interesse na psiquiatria, principalmente no tratamento de transtornos mentais resistentes a terapias convencionais, como a depressão resistente e a ansiedade. Este artigo de revisão aborda os fundamentos bioquímicos, a segurança e as indicações emergentes de psicodélicos, como ayahuasca, DMT, psilocibina e LSD, com foco nos mecanismos...
The objective of this systematic review was to determine if higher concentrations of urinary bufotenine occur in patients with a mental illness compared to healthy controls. Bufotenine is an alkaloid with psychedelic and psychoactive properties that closely resembles the structure of serotonin. Bufotenine naturally occurs in Anadenanthera seeds and is secreted along with 5-methoxy-N,...
Abstract Background and aims Altered states of consciousness (ASC) represent acute and marked deviations from normal waking consciousness. Investigations into ASC are significant to problems in medicine, science, and philosophy, including the structure of conscious experience. Here, we conducted a preliminary investigation into the structure of ASC while addressing the role of psychedelics,...
The head twitch response (HTR) is a spontaneously occurring behavior in mice that is increased in frequency by serotonergic psychedelics. The mouse HTR is often used as a proxy for psychedelic-like drug effects, but limited information is available about sex differences in HTRs evoked by various classes of psychedelics (i.e., phenethylamines, lysergamides, tryptamines). To examine potential sex...
Dreaming, a universal phenomenon linked to REM sleep, arises from intricate interactions between limbic regions, cortical networks, and neurotransmitter dynamics. Neuroimaging highlights amygdala and hippocampal hyperactivity alongside prefrontal cortex hypoactivity, elucidating the emotional vividness and cognitive disorganization of dreams. Cholinergic pathways drive REM sleep, while...