Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Clayton, VIC, Australia (Foldi, Oldfield); Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia (Liknaitzky); Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Psychedelic Research in Science and Medicine Inc., Melbourne, VIC, Australia (Williams).
2 papers in the library · 20 citations · publishing 1971-2024
Reed canarygrass genotypes that differ in palatability to lambs also differ in their alkaloid profiles. Unpalatable clones contained an average of 0.78% crude alkaloids on a dry-matter basis, about three times the 0.26% found in palatable clones. The compound 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) was on average 18 times more abundant in unpalatable clones. Other identified alkaloids included gramine, hordenine, and several tryptamine derivatives. The findings suggest that alkaloid concentration, particularly of 5-MeO-DMT, contributes to the palatability differences previously observed in grazing trials.
Anorexia nervosa has the highest death rate of any psychiatric illness, but current medications are largely ineffective partly because the neurobiological causes are poorly understood. Renewed research into psychedelic medicine, particularly psilocybin, suggests it may help symptoms related to serotonin signaling and cognitive inflexibility in anorexia nervosa. Clinical trials for treatment-resistant depression show promising results, though methodological biases remain. The first clinical trial of psilocybin in anorexia nervosa patients began in 2019, highlighting the need to understand the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Animal models, such as the activity-based anorexia rodent model, can provide detailed brain and behavior analysis without the confounds of patient expectancy and bias. The authors argue such studies are crucial for informing clinical applications and identifying which patient subpopulations might benefit most.