psychopharmacology – Page 2

Psychedelic Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy Reduces Depressive Symptoms in Adults with Cancer and Depression

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Researchers conducted a trial testing psilocybin-assisted therapy in cancer patients with depression. Participants received a single dose of psilocybin combined with therapy sessions. After eight weeks, most patients showed significant improvement in depression symptoms, with many achieving full remission. The treatment was generally safe with only mild side effects, and patients reported feeling more hopeful and better equipped to cope with their cancer diagnosis.

The therapeutic potential of microdosing psychedelics in depression

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This review examines whether taking very small doses of psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin might help treat depression. While users report benefits and some studies show subtle positive effects on mood and thinking, scientists have not yet confirmed whether microdosing actually works as a depression treatment. More research with depressed patients is needed to understand if this approach is truly helpful and safe for regular use.

Addressing blinding in classic psychedelic studies with innovative active placebos

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This research paper discusses how scientists can better test whether psychedelic drugs actually work by improving the way they conduct clinical trials. A major problem is that psychedelic drugs produce obvious effects that make it easy for patients and researchers to figure out who received the real drug versus a fake one. The authors recommend using different types of drugs as placebos that produce similar effects without being therapeutic themselves, such as certain existing medications. By using these better-designed placebos along with other strategies, future research can more definitively prove whether psychedelics truly help treat depression, chronic pain, and other conditions.

Psychedelic use in Poland: prevalence, correlates and social attitudes

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This study found that about 6% of Polish adults have tried psychedelic drugs like LSD or magic mushrooms, mostly young men in cities driven by curiosity. Most users took these substances at home and described mixed experiences. While negative attitudes toward psychedelics were common overall, people with meditation experience and previous psychedelic use had more positive views about their therapeutic potential.

Serotonin 5-HT2A receptor expression is chronically decreased in the anterior cerebral cortex of male rats following repetitive low-level blast exposure

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Military Veterans exposed to blast explosions often develop long-term problems with memory, anxiety, and PTSD. Researchers found that in rats exposed to blast, a brain receptor called 5-HT2A becomes less active, particularly in the front part of the brain involved in thinking and emotions. This decrease in the receptor correlates with anxiety-like behaviors in the animals. Since psychedelic substances like psilocybin activate this same receptor, the findings suggest that such substances might help treat PTSD and cognitive problems in blast-injured Veterans.

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

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This study followed nearly 1000 people who microdose psilocybin (small regular doses of psilocybin mushrooms) and compared them to 180 people who don’t microdose over one month. Microdosers showed greater improvements in mood, depression, anxiety, and stress compared to the control group. Interestingly, when older adults combined psilocybin with lion’s mane mushrooms and niacin, they showed better improvements in motor control and speed. The effects were fairly consistent across different ages and genders, suggesting psilocybin microdosing may have real benefits for mental health.

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

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This study examined how psilocybin mushroom therapy works for treating depression when combined with talk therapy. Participants received a placebo pill followed by psilocybin four weeks later, both times as part of psychological treatment. The research found that people who received psilocybin showed greater improvements in their ability to accept difficult thoughts and emotions and live according to their values, and these improvements were linked to feeling less depressed.

Effect of psilocybin on marble burying in ICR mice: role of 5-HT1A receptors and implications for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder

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Researchers tested whether psilocybin mushrooms could help treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using mice. They found that psilocybin reduced compulsive burying behavior in mice, similar to how approved OCD medications work. The study revealed that this anti-compulsive effect works through different brain mechanisms than previously thought, and that combining psilocybin with another drug called buspirone might block psychedelic effects while keeping therapeutic benefits.

Development of the Japanese version of the Challenging Experience Questionnaire

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Researchers have translated an important measurement tool called the Challenging Experience Questionnaire into Japanese. This tool helps doctors and researchers measure difficult feelings like fear and anxiety that people sometimes experience when taking psilocybin mushrooms as part of therapy. Having this questionnaire available in Japanese is important because it allows Japanese patients and researchers to participate in psychedelic research and understand these experiences better.

Psychedelics: Alternative and Potential Therapeutic Options for Treating Mood and Anxiety Disorders

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This comprehensive review explores how psychedelic drugs like psilocybin mushrooms, DMT, and LSD may offer new hope for treating depression, anxiety, and PTSD, especially for patients who don’t respond to conventional antidepressants. Historically used in spiritual ceremonies for thousands of years, these compounds are now being scientifically studied and show promise with fewer side effects than many traditional psychiatric medications. The authors emphasize that while results are encouraging, more research and regulatory approval are needed before these treatments become widely available in mainstream medicine.

Research Keyword: psychopharmacology