Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
2016
R. D. Dos Santos, F. Osório, J. Crippa et al.
We have read with great interest the report by Wiltshire et al.,1 which suggests a possible link between the death of a healthy young man in southwest England in 2008 and the South American botanical hallucinogen ayahuasca. This study is important as it highlights the complex link between life-threatening reactions and the ingestion of ayahuasca.2 However, the study has several important...
2016
Hanna Squire
Rationale: (±) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ‘ecstasy’) is a recreationally abused psychostimulant that leads to detrimental effects on memory performance. MDMA’s acute effects on memory are often attributed to a working memory impairment resulting from compromised serotonin systems. However, recent evidence from non-human animal experimental studies suggests that acute MDMA may...
European Neuropsychopharmacology
January 2016
Jui-Hu Shih, Kuo-Hsing Ma, Chien-Fu F Chen et al.
The misuse of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has drawn a growing concern worldwide for its psychophysiological impacts on humans. MDMA abusers are often accompanied by long-term serotonergic neurotoxicity, which is associated with reduced density of cerebral serotonin transporters (SERT) and depressive disorders. Resveratrol (RSV) is a natural polyphenolic phytoalexin that has been...
Clinical Toxicology
2016
Paul Gee, Leo J. Schep, Berit P Jensen et al.
Background A new class of hallucinogens called NBOMes has emerged. This class includes analogues 25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe and 25B-NBOMe. Case reports and judicial seizures indicate that 25I-NBOMe and 25C-NBOMe are more prevalently abused. There have been a few confirmed reports of 25B-NBOMe use or toxicity. Report Observational case series. This report describes a series of 10 patients who suffered...
Indian Journal of Psychiatry
2016
Gurudas Khilnani, Rekha Thaddanee, Ajeet Kumar Khilnani et al.
Sir, Ms. Sufentanyl, a charming “China girl,” and Ms. Mescaline, the cute Mexican lady, were invited by Mr. Marijuana at a dinner in “Chinese restaurant” in an “angel dusty” evening. Ms. Mescaline felt “ecstatic” and “Echo de la pensee” and on the occasion she “DRESS”ed herself with “heavenly blue” frock and adorned her eyes with mascara of “belladonna.” Ms. Sufentanyl wore a necklace with...
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
2016
Katrin H. Preller, Franz X. Vollenweider
285 citations
Classic serotonergic hallucinogens or psychedelics produce an altered states of consciousness (ASC) that is characterized by profound alterations in sensory perception, mood, thought including the perception of reality, and the sense of self. Over the past years, there has been considerable progress in the search for invariant and common features of psychedelic states. In the first part of this...
edoc (University of Basel)
2016
Anna Rickli
1 citation
This PhD work consists of an in vitro and in vivo part. In the in vivo part, we investigated the role of dopamine in the acute clinical effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) in healthy human subjects. The role of dopamine in the addictive effects of drug of abuse is well established, but whether it contributes to the acute psychotropic effects of MDMA is unclear. \nIn...
Clinical Toxicology
2016
Ruud P. W. Litjens, Tibor M Brunt
74 citations
Ibogaine is a psychoactive indole alkaloid found in the African rainforest shrub Tabernanthe Iboga. It is unlicensed but used in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. However, reports of ibogaine's toxicity are cause for concern. To review ibogaine's pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, mechanisms of action and reported toxicity. A search of the literature available on PubMed was done,...
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
2016
Mark A. Geyer, Adam L. Halberstadt
104 citations
Because of the ethical and regulatory hurdles associated with human studies, much of what is known about the psychopharmacology of hallucinogens has been derived from animal models. However, developing reliable animal models has proven to be a challenging task due to the complexity and variability of hallucinogen effects in humans. This chapter focuses on three animal models that are frequently...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2016
Petra Bokor, Ede Frecska, Michael Winkelman
Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychoactive brew of two main components. Its active agents are β-carboline and tryptamine derivatives. As a sacrament, ayahuasca is still a central element of many healing ceremonies in the Amazon Basin and its ritual consumption has become common among the mestizo populations of South America. Ayahuasca use amongst the indigenous people of the Amazon is a form of...