Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

A novel phytocannabinoid isolated from Cannabis sativa L. with an in vivo cannabimimetic activity higher than Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol: Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabiphorol

Cinzia Citti, Pasquale Linciano, Fabiana Russo, Livio Luongo, Monica Iannotta, Sabatino Maione, et al.

Scientific Reports • Summary & key facts • 2019 • 200 citations

Researchers isolated a new natural cannabis compound called Δ9-tetrahydrocannabiphorol (Δ9-THCP) and its CBD counterpart (CBDP). In lab tests, Δ9-THCP bound very strongly to the human CB1 receptor (Ki = 1.2 nM) and caused THC-like effects in mice (less movement, pain relief, catalepsy, and lower body temperature). The authors say Δ9-THCP…

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research GABA and Rice Research

Psychedelics alter metaphysical beliefs

Christopher Timmermann, Hannes Kettner, Chris Letheby, Leor Roseman, Fernando E. Rosas, Robin Carhart‐Harris

Scientific Reports • Summary & key facts • 2021 • 195 citations

Researchers used a large prospective online survey to test whether psychedelic drug use changes people’s metaphysical beliefs. After psychedelic use, people tended to move away from physicalist or materialist views and toward panpsychism and fatalism. Except for fatalism, these shifts lasted for at least 6 months. The shifts were linked…

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Psychedelics and Drug Studies

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of anxiety and other psychological distress related to life-threatening illnesses: a randomized pilot study

Philip E. Wolfson, Julane Andries, Allison A. Feduccia, Lisa Jerome, Julie B. Wang, Emily D. Williams, et al.

Scientific Reports • Summary & key facts • 2020 • 161 citations

This small, randomized, double-blind pilot study tested MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety tied to life‑threatening illness. Eighteen people were enrolled (13 got MDMA, 5 got placebo) and had two blinded 8‑hour therapy sessions, with later open‑label MDMA sessions and 6‑ and 12‑month follow-ups. The MDMA group showed a larger drop in…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Natural Compound Pharmacology Studies Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials

Guy W. Fincham, Clara Strauss, Jesús Montero‐Marín, Kate Cavanagh

Scientific Reports • Summary & key facts • 2023 • 158 citations

This meta-analysis looked at randomized trials to see if deliberate breathing practices (breathwork) reduce self-reported stress. Across 12 trials with 785 adults, breathwork was linked with a small-to-medium drop in stress compared with non-breathwork controls (g = -0.35). Similar small-to-medium effects were seen for anxiety and depression. Most included studies…

Health and Wellbeing Research Health, psychology, and well-being Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control

Benefits from one session of deep and slow breathing on vagal tone and anxiety in young and older adults

Valentin Magnon, Fréderic Dutheil, Guillaume T. Vallet

PubMed • Summary & key facts • 2021 • 124 citations

This clinical trial tested one session of deep and slow breathing (DSB) in 47 adults (22 older, 25 younger). After the single DSB session, high-frequency (HF) heart rate variability increased and self-reported state anxiety went down in both age groups. The rise in HF power was significantly larger in older…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Behavioral Health and Interventions Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control

Adults who microdose psychedelics report health related motivations and lower levels of anxiety and depression compared to non-microdosers

Joseph M. Rootman, Pamela Kryskow, Kalin Harvey, Paul Stamets, Eesmyal Santos-Brault, Kim P. C. Kuypers, et al.

Scientific Reports • Summary & key facts • 2021 • 75 citations

This study used a smartphone app to compare 4,050 people who said they microdose psychedelics with 4,653 people who did not. Psilocybin was the most common microdose substance, and people who microdosed often said they did so for health and wellness reasons. In people who reported past mental health concerns,…

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Psilocybin microdosers demonstrate greater observed improvements in mood and mental health at one month relative to non-microdosing controls

Joseph M. Rootman, Maggie Kiraga, Pamela Kryskow, Kalin Harvey, Paul Stamets, Eesmyal Santos-Brault, et al.

Scientific Reports • Summary & key facts • 2022 • 49 citations

Researchers followed 953 people who microdosed psilocybin and 180 non-microdosing controls for about 30 days. Microdosers showed small-to-medium improvements in mood and overall mental health at one month compared with controls. These improvements were seen across genders, age groups, and in people with and without prior mental health concerns. The…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Screen time, impulsivity, neuropsychological functions and their relationship to growth in adolescent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms

Jasmina Wallace, Elroy Boers, Julien Ouellet, Mohammad H. Afzali, Patricia Conrod

Scientific Reports • Summary & key facts • 2023 • 47 citations

Researchers followed 3,779 Canadian adolescents (mean age 12.8 years, 49% girls) for five years and found that when a teen’s screen time went up in a given year, their ADHD symptoms tended to increase that same year. Impulsivity was the strongest link between screen time and ADHD symptoms. Only social…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Child Development and Digital Technology Impact of Technology on Adolescents

Psychological flexibility as a mechanism of change in psilocybin-assisted therapy for major depression: results from an exploratory placebo-controlled trial

Sloshower, Jordan, Zeifman, Richard J., Guss, Jeffrey, et al.

Nature • Summary & key facts • 2024 • 46 citations

This small, exploratory study gave people with moderate to severe major depressive disorder placebo first (19 people) and then a single dose of psilocybin (0.3 mg/kg) to 15 people four weeks later, with all dosing embedded in therapy based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). After the psilocybin session, measures…

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

Validation of a new instrument for assessing attitudes on psychedelics in the general population

Marija Franka Žuljević, Ivan Buljan, Mia Leskur, Mariano Kaliterna, Darko Hren, Darko Duplančić

Scientific Reports • Summary & key facts • 2022 • 29 citations

Researchers built and tested a 20-question survey called the Attitudes on Psychedelics Questionnaire (APQ) with 1,153 people in Croatia to measure how the general public thinks about psychedelics. The questions fall into four parts: legal use, effects, risks, and openness. The survey gave very consistent results, matched well with another…

Cross-Cultural and Social Analysis Psychedelics and Drug Studies Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

Improvement in OCD symptoms associated with serotoninergic psychedelics: a retrospective online survey

Anne Buot, Cecile Pallares, A. P. Oganesyan, Charles Dauré, Valérie Bonnelle, Eric Burguière, et al.

Scientific Reports • Summary & key facts • 2023 • 27 citations

Researchers ran an online survey of about 174 people who had used psychoactive drugs to see how these drugs affected obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. Participants reported that classic psychedelics were the only drugs that helped reduce OCD symptoms, and bigger immediate effects (which were linked to higher doses) were tied…

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

The impact of trauma core dimensions on anxiety and depression: a latent regression model through the Post-Traumatic Symptom Questionnaire (PTSQ)

Alessandro Rossi, Anna Panzeri, Isabel Fernández, Roberta Invernizzi, Federica Taccini, Stefania Mannarini

Scientific Reports • Summary & key facts • 2024 • 14 citations

The study tested the Post-Traumatic Symptom Questionnaire (PTSQ) in 761 people who had experienced a traumatic event. The PTSQ showed strong psychometric results and good fit to the data, and the researchers identified clinical cut-off scores. Using a multiple multivariate latent regression model, they found that intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal…

Child Abuse and Trauma Migration, Health and Trauma Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research