Journal of addiction psychiatry
January 1, 2024
Gianni Martire, Daniel Sipple, David Baron et al.
341 citations
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) share overlapping neurobiological mechanisms, particularly reward deficiency and stress-like anti-reward processes. The authors propose reclassifying BPD as a "traumatic personality stress disorder" (TPSD) to unify therapeutic strategies that may stabilize dopaminergic reward function, such as psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT). They argue that PAT could treat trauma-induced personality disorders by addressing these shared mechanisms. Reframing BPD as TPSD may lead to more effective, personalized interventions, reduce stigma, and improve understanding of underlying mechanisms, benefiting conditions characterized by anhedonia, negative affect, hypervigilance, and dissociation.
Explore (New York, N.Y.)
January 1, 2016
Edward J Modestino
15 citations
A single participant who reported ecstatic Kundalini meditative experiences showed brain activation in the left prefrontal cortex, primarily in Brodmann areas 46 and 10 and extending into areas 11, 47, and 45, during functional magnetic resonance imaging. The Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory indicated an altered state of consciousness, and the Physio-Kundalini Syndrome Index strongly suggested the experience was Kundalini. The feelings of joy and happiness and the left prefrontal activation align with prior meditation studies. This case demonstrates that combining first-person subjective reports with neuroimaging can identify objective brain regions linked to such experiences, though larger group studies are needed to confirm the results.
Current psychopharmacology
February 15, 2021
Kenneth Blum, Thomas Mclaughlin, Edward J Modestino et al.
9 citations
Terrifying lucid dreams—where the dreamer is aware and may control the dream—can plague patients with Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS), including those with ADHD, Tourette's syndrome, and PTSD. In eight clinical cases with histories of substance abuse, childhood abuse, and PTSD, administration of the neuronutrient KB200Z eliminated unpleasant or terrifying lucid dreams in 87.5% of cases. Other published cases have since shown long-term elimination of terrifying dreams in PTSD and ADHD patients. The article proposes that inducing dopamine homeostasis through such neuronutrients may mitigate neurogenetic and epigenetic changes in neuroplasticity underlying these disorders, and that precision formulations guided by Genetic Addiction Risk Score (GARS) testing may repair inheritable brain reward circuitry deficiencies, improving cognitive recall and attenuating trauma's harmful epigenetic insults.
Substance use & misuse
February 1, 2026
Kai Uwe Lewandrowski, Kenneth Blum, Sergio Schmidt et al.
Since 2000, suicide and opioid overdose rates have risen sharply. About one-third of people with major depressive disorder have treatment-resistant depression, creating an urgent need for new therapies. This narrative review synthesizes key preclinical and clinical findings on low-dose ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects. Low-dose ketamine quickly alleviates depressive symptoms, even in refractory depression. Proposed mechanisms include modulation of dopamine signaling via epigenetic neuroadaptation, interactions with D1/D2 receptor systems, optogenetic activation of D1 pathways, and changes in D2/D3 receptor availability. No consensus exists on its definitive mechanism of action. Ketamine's psychoactive properties and abuse potential underscore the need for enhanced clinical oversight and regulation.