neuroplasticity promotion

If psychedelics heal, how do they do it?

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Psychedelic drugs like MDMA and magic mushrooms are showing remarkable promise in treating serious mental health conditions like PTSD and depression, with clinical trials demonstrating higher success rates than traditional therapy alone. However, scientists still don’t fully understand how these drugs work at the molecular and brain level, or whether the hallucinations they produce are necessary for healing. Researchers are investigating whether modified versions without hallucinations could provide the same benefits while being easier to administer, while also exploring how individual factors and treatment environment affect outcomes.

Comparative oral monotherapy of psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, ayahuasca, and escitalopram for depressive symptoms: systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis

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This study compared psychedelic drugs (psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, ayahuasca) with the antidepressant escitalopram for treating depression. Researchers analyzed 19 clinical trials and found that while psilocybin showed promise, its actual effectiveness was smaller than previously reported due to blinding issues in earlier studies. High-dose psilocybin performed better than escitalopram in some comparisons, but had a similar small effect size to current antidepressants.

Biological studies of clavine alkaloids targeting CNS receptors

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This paper reviews clavine alkaloids, a class of natural compounds from ergot fungi that show promise as psychiatric medications. Unlike well-known psychedelics like LSD, clavine alkaloids may provide therapeutic benefits for anxiety and depression without strong hallucinogenic effects. The authors highlight how these compounds interact with brain receptors in ways that could make them safer and more effective medications for treating mood and neurological disorders.

The collective lie in ketamine therapy: a call to realign clinical practice with neurobiology

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This article argues that ketamine therapy is commonly misunderstood as a consciousness-expanding psychedelic when it actually works through a completely different biological mechanism. The real therapeutic benefit comes from the brain’s natural reorganization in the days after treatment, not from the altered states people experience during the session itself. The authors call for medical practitioners to stop emphasizing the dissociative experience and instead focus on helping patients build healthy thought patterns during the recovery period when the brain is most ready to form new connections.

Rediscovering Psilocybin as an Antidepressive Treatment Strategy

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Scientists have renewed their investigation into psilocybin, a compound found in certain mushrooms, as a potential treatment for depression. Studies show promising results with patients experiencing significant improvements in depressive symptoms, sometimes sustained for months after a single treatment session. When administered in controlled therapeutic environments with professional support, psilocybin appears relatively safe, though it can cause temporary side effects like headaches and anxiety. This research represents an important shift in how we might treat severe depression, especially in patients who haven’t responded to conventional antidepressants.

Ethical Considerations Regarding Psychedelics for Clinical Pain Research

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This paper examines the ethical considerations necessary when conducting research on psychedelics like psilocybin for treating chronic pain. With chronic pain affecting millions of Americans and traditional treatments like opioids causing significant problems, researchers are exploring psychedelics as alternatives. The authors provide guidance on obtaining proper informed consent, protecting vulnerable patients, managing regulatory requirements, and ensuring research benefits participants while following four key ethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, justice, and avoiding harm.

Study protocol for ‘Psilocybin in patients with fibromyalgia: brain biomarkers of action’

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Researchers are testing whether psilocybin (the active compound in magic mushrooms) combined with therapeutic support can help people with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition. The study will measure brain activity using EEG and brain imaging to understand how psilocybin might reduce pain and improve mental health. Twenty patients will receive guided psilocybin sessions over eight weeks while researchers track changes in brain function and pain levels.

The Potential Role of Psilocybin in Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery: A Narrative Review

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This review examines how psilocybin, a compound found in certain mushrooms, may help people recover from traumatic brain injuries. The research suggests that psilocybin could reduce harmful inflammation in the brain, help the brain form new connections to compensate for damage, and improve mood and depression commonly experienced after brain injuries. While promising, the authors emphasize that more clinical trials are needed to confirm safety and effectiveness before psilocybin can be used to treat brain injury patients.

Psilocybin as Transformative Fast-Acting Antidepressant: Pharmacological Properties and Molecular Mechanisms

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Psilocybin, a compound from certain mushrooms, is being studied as a potential rapid-acting treatment for severe depression that doesn’t respond to standard antidepressants. Unlike conventional antidepressants that take weeks to work, psilocybin shows promise for producing mood improvements within days. The drug works by activating serotonin receptors in the brain and promoting the growth of new neural connections, though researchers are still working to fully understand how it achieves its antidepressant effects.

Chronic pain as an emergent property of a complex system and the potential roles of psychedelic therapies

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Chronic pain affects millions of people and is often resistant to current treatments. This paper suggests that chronic pain emerges from interconnected biological, psychological, and social factors working together as a complex system. The authors propose that psychedelic-assisted therapies could help by breaking rigid thought and behavior patterns that maintain pain, allowing the brain and mind to reorganize in healthier ways, similar to how mindfulness meditation works but potentially more dramatically.

therapeutic action: neuroplasticity promotion