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Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.

Ibogaine Anxiety

7 papers

Psychedelic Treatments for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Patient Experiences in Qualitative Studies

Joost J. Breeksema, Alistair Niemeijer, Erwin Krediet, Eric Vermetten, Robert A. Schoevers
CNS Drugs Summary & key facts 2020 207 citations

Researchers collected and read 15 studies where patients described their own experiences with psychedelic treatments for mental disorders. These studies looked at about 180 patient accounts across different drugs and different illnesses. Even though the drugs and treatment settings were very different, many patients described similar helpful processes, such as…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies Ayahuasca Ibogaine

Psychedelic Commercialization: A Wide-Spanning Overview of the Emerging Psychedelic Industry

Jacob S. Aday, Brian S. Barnett, Dan Grossman, Kevin S. Murnane, Charles D. Nichols, Peter S. Hendricks
Psychedelic Medicine Summary & key facts 2023 49 citations

This article is a broad review of the new psychedelic industry. The authors look at how psychedelic drugs and clinics moved from decades-old research into a fast-growing business with hundreds of companies and big investment. They describe what companies are trying to sell, point out major scientific, legal, and ethical…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Diverse academic research themes Psychedelics and Drug Studies Ayahuasca Ibogaine

The Emerging Field of Psychedelic Psychotherapy

Gregory Barber, Scott T. Aaronson
Current Psychiatry Reports Summary & key facts 2022 48 citations

This review looks at recent research where drugs like MDMA and psilocybin are given inside carefully run therapy programs. People get hours of preparation, one or more drug sessions, and several follow-up therapy sessions to help make sense of the experience. Trials so far show big improvements for some people…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Diverse academic research themes Psychedelics and Drug Studies Ayahuasca Ibogaine

Psychedelic therapies reconsidered: compounds, clinical indications, and cautious optimism

Jennifer Mitchell, B. Anderson
Neuropsychopharmacology Summary & key facts 2023 44 citations

This review describes a rapid rise in medical research on psychedelic drugs over the past five years. Several later-stage clinical trials have been published, and many different drugs — including psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, ayahuasca, and ibogaine — are being tested for conditions such as depression, post‑traumatic stress, addiction, obsessive‑compulsive…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies Ayahuasca Ibogaine

Serotonergic Psychedelics in Neural Plasticity

Kacper Łukasiewicz, Jacob J. Baker, Yi Zuo, Ju Lu
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience Summary & key facts 2021 29 citations

This review explains that classical serotonergic psychedelics — drugs like psilocybin, DMT (in ayahuasca), LSD, and ibogaine — can change brain cells and connections in lab and animal studies. These drugs have been shown to help neurons grow new branches and form more synapses, which are the contact points where…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies Ayahuasca Ibogaine

Therapeutic (Sub)stance: Current practice and therapeutic conduct in preparatory sessions in substance-assisted psychotherapy—A systematized review

Sascha Thal, Michelle Wieberneit, Jason M. Sharbanee, Petra Skeffington, Paris Baker, Raimondo Bruno, et al.
Journal of Psychopharmacology Summary & key facts 2022 23 citations

The authors reviewed 83 papers and guides about how therapists prepare people for substance-assisted psychotherapy — therapy that uses drugs like psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, or ketamine together with psychological support. They found clear agreement that good preparation before a drug session is important for safety and for helping people get…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies Ibogaine Ketamine

Three Naturally-Occurring Psychedelics and Their Significance in the Treatment of Mental Health Disorders

Nataliya S. Vorobyeva, Alena A. Kozlova
Frontiers in Pharmacology Summary & key facts 2022 14 citations

This paper reviews research on three naturally occurring psychedelics: psilocybin, ibogaine, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (the active part of the brew ayahuasca). It explains that these drugs work on the brain's serotonin system and summarizes growing studies that suggest they might help with problems like post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety, and…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies Ayahuasca Ibogaine
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