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14 papers
The glymphatic system is a recently discovered pathway in the brain that uses perivascular tunnels made by astroglial cells to clear soluble proteins and waste and to move nutrients and signaling molecules around the brain. It works mainly during sleep and is much less active when we are awake, so…
Researchers found that the main kratom alkaloid, mitragynine, is turned by liver enzymes into a much more active compound called 7-hydroxymitragynine (7‑OH). In lab tests and in mice, 7‑OH acts more strongly at the mu-opioid receptor and reaches brain levels that can explain most or all of the pain relief…
This page describes ibogaine as a plant-derived psychedelic that some researchers are studying for addiction, depression, and PTSD. It says ibogaine can cause strong hallucinations that start within hours and may last up to 24 hours. The page reports some studies and a 2022 review that suggest ibogaine may reduce…
This 2022 review looks at the safety and harms of monoterpenes, a large group of plant chemicals used for their antioxidant, antibacterial, sedative and anti-inflammatory effects and for their smells in food and cosmetics. The paper summarizes lab and animal (in vitro and in vivo) studies on six selected monoterpenes—α-terpinene,…
This 2020 review looks at terpenoids in essential oils and how they might help with anxiety and depression. Animal studies reported that some essential oils and components like linalool reduce anxiety-like behavior. The authors suggest these effects likely come from changes in glutamate and GABA brain signaling. They also note…
This study in rodents and in neuronal cell cultures found that ketamine and its antidepressant metabolite (2R,6R)-HNK rapidly lower neuronally released glutamate in brain regions linked to depression. Using fast glutamate sensors (FAST), isolated synapses, and primary cortical neurons, the authors showed reduced depolarization-evoked glutamate release within 30 minutes after…
In this rat study, animals got a single injection of ibogaine at 20 mg/kg or 40 mg/kg and the researchers measured three neurotrophic factors (GDNF, BDNF, NGF) in four brain regions (VTA, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, substantia nigra) at 3 and 24 hours. The main changes appeared at 24 hours:…
Serotonin is a brain chemical that helps control many behaviors. This paper reviews research showing that the fats in the outer layer of nerve cells — the cell membrane — can change how the proteins that make, store, release, and detect serotonin work. Those fat–protein interactions are not fixed. They…
Researchers reviewing ibogaine and its chemical relatives say these drugs point to a new way to treat substance use disorders by blocking a brain receptor called α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). Animal studies found ibogaine and some derivatives reduced self-use of drugs like morphine, cocaine, alcohol, and nicotine. But ibogaine…
Researchers looked through past studies to see how drugs and poisons in a dead body change how insects grow. They followed a standard process for reviewing studies called PRISMA. Overall, they found that common drugs like morphine, heroin, other opiates, and cocaine usually do not change the time from a…
Researchers scanned the brain activity of one very experienced meditator (more than 23,000 hours of practice) while they entered deep concentration states called jhanas. They used two brain-measuring tools — fMRI, which shows which brain areas are communicating, and EEG, which records electrical rhythms — and also had the person…
