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2 papers
Research on using LSD for sadness or low mood is promising but still early. Small clinical trials and older studies of LSD and other classic psychedelics have shown reductions in low mood for some people, often when the drug is given together with therapy and careful support (for example in patients with serious illness or treatment-resistant depression). However, most studies are small, many results come from different drugs and settings, and no classic psychedelic is yet an approved standard treatment for depression. Scientists have ideas about how LSD might help: it may make brain circuits more flexible and change how people think about themselves. But the exact biological signs in people are unclear, and safety depends a lot on medical screening, the setting, and the therapy used. Larger, better-controlled trials and longer follow-up are still needed to know how well LSD works, who it helps, and how safe it is over time.
This paper is a first look at whether the fast-acting psychedelic 5‑MeO‑DMT might help people with alcohol use disorder. The authors reviewed existing studies in humans and animals and found early signs that 5‑MeO‑DMT can cause intense mystical feelings and a loss of self-boundaries, and that it changes brain rhythms…
Researchers pooled results from 29 human studies that measured blood levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, after people received so-called psychoplastogen drugs such as ketamine or psychedelics. They found no clear change in blood BDNF after these drugs. The authors say this does not prove the…
