depression – Page 4

Effects and safety of Psilocybe cubensis and Panaeolus cyanescens magic mushroom extracts on endothelin-1-induced hypertrophy and cell injury in cardiomyocytes

mycolabadmin

Researchers tested whether magic mushrooms containing psilocybin could be safely used by people with heart failure, especially those dealing with depression. Using laboratory rat heart cells, they found that extracts from Psilocybe cubensis and Panaeolus cyanescens mushrooms actually protected heart cells from damage and reduced harmful inflammation. The mushroom extracts worked similarly to standard heart medications at the tested concentrations, suggesting they may be safe for use under controlled medical supervision.

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

mycolabadmin

This large international study of over 8,700 people found that adults who microdose psychedelics report taking small doses for health and wellness reasons. Among people with anxiety or depression, microdosers showed lower symptom levels than non-microdosers. Most microdosers used psilocybin and combined it with other substances like Lion’s Mane mushrooms or niacin, practices they refer to as stacking.

Interactions between classic psychedelics and serotonergic antidepressants: Effects on the acute psychedelic subjective experience, well-being and depressive symptoms from a prospective survey study

mycolabadmin

This study examines how antidepressant medications (like SSRIs) affect the experience of classic psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD. Researchers found that people taking these antidepressants experienced less intense emotional and mystical effects from psychedelics, but surprisingly, both groups showed similar improvements in mood and well-being several weeks later. This raises important questions about whether patients need to stop their antidepressants before using psychedelics therapeutically.

Exploring Molecular Changes in the Extended Amygdala Induced by Chronic Corticosterone Administration

mycolabadmin

Researchers studied how prolonged stress hormone exposure affects the brain’s emotional center in mice. They found that chronic corticosterone treatment caused depression-like behaviors and specific molecular changes in different parts of the amygdala, a brain region crucial for processing emotions. These findings help explain how chronic stress disrupts the brain’s normal stress-regulation system and contributes to depression and other psychiatric conditions.

The effect of psilocybin on empathy and prosocial behavior: a proposed mechanism for enduring antidepressant effects

mycolabadmin

This review examines how psilocybin may help treat depression by increasing empathy and prosocial behavior. While psilocybin leaves the body within hours, its antidepressant effects can last months, and researchers believe empathy and helping others may explain this lasting benefit. The authors suggest psilocybin starts a positive cycle where increased empathy leads to helping others, which boosts mood and well-being, which further reinforces empathetic behavior.

Scalable Hybrid Synthetic/Biocatalytic Route to Psilocybin

mycolabadmin

Researchers developed a new method to manufacture psilocybin, a promising therapeutic compound from magic mushrooms being tested to treat depression. Instead of using toxic chemicals, they replaced a difficult chemical step with an enzyme from the mushroom itself called PsiK. This approach produced gram amounts of pure psilocybin efficiently and could eventually lower costs for future medical use.

Love (Drugs), Happiness, and Morality

mycolabadmin

This paper argues that love, happiness, and moral behavior create a self-reinforcing cycle: moral actions increase happiness, happiness promotes loving feelings, and love encourages more moral behavior. The author proposes that psilocybin and other love-enhancing drugs could strengthen this beneficial cycle, making them an ethical way for people to voluntarily improve themselves and society without requiring government mandates.

The Effectiveness of Microdosed Psilocybin in the Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease: A Case Study

mycolabadmin

A 70-year-old man suffering from severe depression and anxiety caused by chronic Lyme disease and related tick-borne infections found relief after taking small doses of psilocybin mushrooms three times a week. Within days of starting treatment, his mood improved dramatically, and he remained symptom-free for two years. This case suggests that psilocybin’s ability to reduce inflammation in the brain may help patients with infectious-caused psychiatric conditions who cannot tolerate standard medications.

Direct comparison of the acute effects of lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects

mycolabadmin

This study directly compared two popular psychedelic drugs, LSD and psilocybin (magic mushrooms), in 28 healthy volunteers. Researchers found that these substances produce very similar mental effects when given at equivalent doses, with the main difference being that LSD lasts longer. The study establishes that about 20 milligrams of psilocybin is roughly equivalent to 100 micrograms of LSD. These findings could help guide dosing for future psychiatric treatments using these psychedelics.

CORRECTION: Efficacy of psilocybin for treating symptoms of depression: systematic review and meta-analysis

mycolabadmin

A major research study examining psilocybin’s effectiveness for treating depression has been corrected due to mathematical and data handling errors. The researchers fixed these issues by recalculating statistics and removing duplicate data from their analysis. While the main conclusions remained similar after correction, the authors emphasize this research is still preliminary and should lead to further study before clinical use.

Research Keyword: depression