Abstract: 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a widely abused psychostimulant, which causes release of serotonin in various forebrain regions. Recently, we reported thatMDMAincreases extracellular glutamate concentrations in the dentate gyrus, via activation of 5HT2A receptors. We examined the role of prostaglandin signaling in mediating the effects of 5HT2A receptor activation on the...
IntroductionNovel psychoactive substances (NPS) use is progressively increasing year on year. A new group of phenethylamines sold as legal stimulants and hallucinogens is being reported increasingly since 2012. Within this group, 25I-NBOMe is an outstanding substance with powerful effects and high affinity with the serotonin 2a (5HT2a) receptor. Several toxicity cases have been reported so...
Rationale Piperazine-based designer drugs such as benzylpiperazine (BZP) and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP) have been marketed and sold as legal alternatives to dexamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) until 2008 in New Zealand. When administered in combination, BZP + TFMPP have been reported to produce drug-drug synergism in rodents by stimulating the release of...
IntroductionTwo serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have received FDA indication for treatment of PTSD, however the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for PTSD is limited. Psychotherapy, including several well established evidence based methods, is the mainstay of PTSD treatment. Despite advances in this area, a significant percentage of PTSD patients are refractory to existing treatments....
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a serotonin 5‐hydroxytryptamine‐2A (5‐HT 2A ) receptor agonist that is used recreationally worldwide. Interest in LSD research in humans waned after the 1970s, although the use of LSD in psychiatric research and practice has recently gained increasing attention. LSD produces pronounced acute psychedelic effects, although its influence on plasma steroid levels...
Background Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a potent serotonergic hallucinogen or psychedelic that modulates consciousness in a marked and novel way. This study sought to examine the acute and mid-term psychological effects of LSD in a controlled study. Method A total of 20 healthy volunteers participated in this within-subjects study. Participants received LSD (75 µ g, intravenously) on one...
In recent years, use of psychoactive synthetic stimulants has grown rapidly. 5-(2-Aminopropyl)indole (5-IT) is a synthetic drug associated with a number of fatalities, that appears to be one of the newest 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) replacements. Here, the monoamine-releasing properties of 5-IT, its structural isomer 6-(2-aminopropyl)indole (6-IT), and MDMA were compared using in...
N,N-Diallyltryptamine (DALT) and 5-methoxy-N,N-diallyltryptamine (5-MeO-DALT) are two tryptamines synthesized and tested by Alexander Shulgin. In self-experiments, 5-MeO-DALT was reported to be psychoactive in the 12-20mg range, while the unsubstituted compound DALT had few discernible effects in the 42-80 mg range. Recently, 5-MeO-DALT has been used in nonmedical settings for its psychoactive...
The drug MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, produces a specific and distinct open hearted mental state, which led to the creation of a new pharmacological class, "entactogens". Extensive literature on its mechanisms of action has come to characterize MDMA as a "messy" drug with multiple mechanisms, but the consensus is that the distinctive entactogenic effects arise from the release of...
Novel psychoactive substances include synthetic cannabinoids, cathinone derivatives, psychedelic phenethylamines, novel stimulants, synthetic opioids, tryptamine derivatives, phencyclidine-like dissociatives, piperazines, GABA-A/B receptor agonists, a range of prescribedmedications, psychoactive plants/herbs, and a large series of performance and image enhancing drugs. Users are typically...