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.
5 papers
Pharmacodynamic Interactions Between Ketamine and Psychiatric Medications Used in the Treatment of Depression: A Systematic Review
Current literature shows that benzodiazepines and probably lamotrigine reduce ketamine's treatment outcome, which should be taken into account when considering ketamine treatment. There is evidence for an interaction between ketamine and clozapine, haloperidol, and risperidone. Due to small sample sizes, different subject groups and various outcome parameters, the evidence is…
Cannabidiol and brain function: current knowledge and future perspectives
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non‑intoxicating chemical from cannabis that affects brain signaling. It is used in one FDA‑approved medicine (Epidiolex) for some severe seizure disorders. Research suggests CBD may help with seizures, psychosis, anxiety, pain, inflammation, sleep, and some brain disorders, but the evidence is still incomplete. CBD taken by…
Efficacy of Phytocannabinoids in Epilepsy Treatment: Novel Approaches and Recent Advances
This 2021 review looks at plant-derived cannabinoids as possible treatments for epilepsy. It focuses on four compounds — CBD, CBDV, Δ9-THCV and CBG — and reviews what is known about how they might work in the brain and what animal and human studies have shown. The authors say there is…
Therapeutic potential of cannabidiol (CBD) in anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled eight clinical studies to examine cannabidiol (CBD) for anxiety. Across 316 participants, the analysis found a statistically significant and sizable effect on anxiety (Hedges' g = -0.92, 95% CI -1.80 to -0.04). The review covered generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and PTSD, but…
