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.

6 papers

A Randomized Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression

Carlos A. Zarate, Jaskaran Singh, Paul J. Carlson, Nancy E. Brutsché, Rezvan Ameli, David A. Luckenbaugh, et al.
Archives of General Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2006 3,698 citations

In a small, controlled study of 18 people with treatment-resistant major depression, a single intravenous dose of the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) produced rapid drops in depression scores. Improvement began within about 2 hours and remained statistically significant compared with placebo for up to 1 week. The study…

Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Single, Repeated, and Maintenance Ketamine Infusions for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Jennifer L. Phillips, Sandhaya Norris, Jeanne Talbot, Meagan Birmingham, Taylor Hatchard, Abigail Ortiz, et al.
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2019 396 citations

Repeated ketamine infusions have cumulative and sustained antidepressant effects. Reductions in depressive symptoms were maintained among responders through once-weekly infusions. These findings provide novel data on efficacious administration strategies for ketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Future studies should further expand on optimizing administration to better translate the use of…

Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

The effect of five day dosing with THCV on THC-induced cognitive, psychological and physiological effects in healthy male human volunteers: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover pilot trial

Amir Englund, Zerrin Atakan, Aleksandra Kralj, Nigel Tunstall, Robin Murray, Paul Morrison
Journal of Psychopharmacology Summary & key facts 2015 84 citations

In this small, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 10 healthy male, infrequent cannabis users took 10 mg oral THCV daily for five days and then received 1 mg IV THC on day five. THCV was safe and felt like placebo. Compared with placebo, THCV reduced some effects of THC (for example…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Ketamine for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: Double-blind active-controlled crossover study

Ben Beaglehole, Paul Glue, Shona Neehoff, Shabah M. Shadli, Neil McNaughton, Bridget Kimber, et al.
Journal of Psychopharmacology Summary & key facts 2024 8 citations

We provide further preliminary evidence for the efficacy and tolerability of IM ketamine in an outpatient cohort of OCD. Additional work is required to establish the optimal dosing regimen and longer-term role of ketamine for OCD. These findings are encouraging given the well-known limitations that exist for treatments in this…

Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders Treatment of Major Depression

Single, Repeated, and Maintenance Ketamine Infusions for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Jennifer L. Phillips, Sandhaya Norris, Jeanne Talbot, Meagan Birmingham, Taylor Hatchard, Abigail Ortiz, et al.

(Reprinted with permission from The American Journal of Psychiatry 2019; 176:401-409).

Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

A Two-Phase, Dose-Ranging, Placebo-Controlled Study of the Safety and Preliminary Test of Acute Effects of Oral Δ 8 -Tetrahydrocannabivarin in Healthy Participants

Erica N. Peters, Laura MacNair, Amy Harrison, Matthew T. Feldner, Graham M.L. Eglit, Shanna Babalonis, et al.

This small two-phase trial tested single oral doses of the Δ8 form of THCV (placebo and 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200 mg) in healthy adults and followed participants for up to 8 hours. Most side effects were mild, some doses showed a possible short-term improvement in a sustained-attention test, and…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
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