Fast-acting psychedelic associated with improvements in depression/anxiety
March 18, 2019
Science Daily/Johns Hopkins Medicine
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that use of the synthetic psychedelic 5-methocy-N,-N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) appears to be associated with unintended improvements in self-reported depression and anxiety when given in a ceremonial group setting. 5-MeO-DMT is a psychedelic that is found in the venom of Bufo Alvarius toads, in a variety of plants species, and can be produced synthetically.
In a survey of 362 adults, approximately 80 percent of respondents reported improvements in anxiety and depression after use. These improvements were related to more intense acute mystical effects during the 5-MeO-DMT experience, as well as increases in rating of the personal meaning and spiritual significance of the experience. Improvements were also related to stronger beliefs that the experience contributed to enduring well-being and life satisfaction. These results were published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
One of the unique properties of 5-MeO-DMT is the fast action and short duration of the psychedelic effects when compared to other psychedelics. "Research has shown that psychedelics given alongside psychotherapy help people with depression and anxiety. However, psychedelic sessions usually require 7 -- 8 hours per session because psychedelics typically have a long duration of action," says Alan K. Davis, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow in the Behavioral Research Unit, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Because 5-MeO-DMT is short-acting and lasts approximately 30-90 minutes, it could be much easier to use as an adjunct to therapy because current therapies usually involve a 60 -- 90 minute session."
Last year, Davis published a study in Frontiers in Psychology that found that 5-MeO-DMT administered in a psychospiritual retreat setting produced comparable ratings of mystical experience as a high-dose psilocybin session in the laboratory setting. Another study by Davis that came out last year in The Journal of Psychopharmacology showed that 5-MeO-DMT had a safe profile of use and low risk for health and legal consequences.
"It is important to examine the short- and long-term effects of 5-MeO-DMT, which may enhance mood in general or may be particularly mood enhancing for those individuals experiencing clinically significant negative mood," says Davis. "Regardless, this research is in its infancy and further investigation is warranted in healthy volunteers."
The authors on this paper were Alan K. Davis, Sara So and Roland R. Griffiths of Johns Hopkins, Rafael Lancelotta of University of Wyoming and Joseph P. Barsuglia of New School Research.
The study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse (AA 007747) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (T32 DA007209, R01 DA003889).
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190318132628.htm
Human minibrains reveal effects of psychedelic substance
Study brings first evidence that psychedelics interfere with molecular signaling related to learning and memory in the human brain tissue. Minibrains, also known as cerebral organoids, have been considered a breakthrough in neuroscience studies
https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2017/10/171009084404_1_540x360.jpg
October 9, 2017
Science Daily/D'Or Institute for Research and Education
A Brazilian study, published in Scientific Reports on October 09, 2017, has identified changes in signaling pathways associated with neural plasticity, inflammation and neurodegeneration triggered by a compound from the family of dimethyltryptamine known as 5-MeO-DMT.
"For the first time we could describe psychedelic related changes in the molecular functioning of human neural tissue," states Stevens Rehen, study leader, Professor of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and Head of Research at D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR).
Though recent studies have demonstrated that psychedelic substances, such as LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide), MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and ayahuasca brew which contains DMT, hold therapeutic potential with possible anti-inflammatory and antidepressant effects, the lack of appropriate biological tools has been shown as a critical limitation for the identification of molecular pathways targeted by psychedelics in the brain.
In order to unveil the effects of 5-MeO-DMT, Vanja Dakic (IDOR) and Juliana Minardi Nascimento (IDOR and University of Campinas) have exposed cerebral organoids, which are 3D cultures of neural cells that mimic a developing human brain, to a single dose of the psychedelic.
By employing mass spectrometry-based proteomics to analyze cerebral organoids, they identified that 5-MeO-DMT altered the expression of nearly thousand proteins. Then, they mapped which proteins were impacted by the psychedelic substance and their role in the human brain.
Researchers found that proteins important for synaptic formation and maintenance were upregulated. Among them, proteins related to cellular mechanisms of learning and memory, key components of brain functioning.
On the other hand, proteins involved in inflammation, degeneration and brain lesion were downregulated, suggesting a potential neuroprotective role for the psychedelic substance.
"Results suggest that classic psychedelics are powerful inducers of neuroplasticity, a tool of psychobiological transformation that we know very little about," states Sidarta Ribeiro, Director of the Brain Institute of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and coauthor of the study.
According to Professor Draulio Araujo (UFRN) and coauthor of the study, ""The study suggests possible mechanisms by which these substances exert their antidepressant effects that we have been observing in our studies."
"Our study reinforces the hidden clinical potential of substances that are under legal restrictions, but which deserve attention of medical and scientific communities," Dr. Rehen said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171009084404.htm