Biological Psychiatry
January 10, 2014
Robin Carhart‐Harris, Kevin Murphy, Robert Leech et al.
182 citations
The medial temporal lobes (MTLs) are specifically involved in how MDMA works in the brain, though more research is needed to understand how the drug's characteristic subjective effects emerge from its modulation of spontaneous brain activity.
American Journal of Psychiatry
January 11, 2022
Meryem Grabski, Amy Mcandrew, Will Lawn et al.
169 citations
Three weekly infusions of ketamine (0.8 mg/kg) helped people with severe alcohol use disorder stay abstinent more days over six months than placebo infusions did. The ketamine group averaged 10.1% more days abstinent than the placebo group. Combining ketamine with mindfulness-based relapse prevention therapy produced the largest improvement, with 15.9% more abstinent days compared with placebo plus alcohol education. No serious adverse events occurred. Relapse rates did not differ significantly between ketamine and placebo groups. The findings suggest ketamine is safe and may support abstinence, especially when paired with psychological therapy.
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
December 17, 2013
Robin Carhart‐Harris, Matthew B. Wall, David Erritzøe et al.
110 citations
MDMA (ecstasy) makes recalling favorite autobiographical memories feel more vivid, emotionally intense, and positive, while making recall of worst memories feel less negative. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled fMRI study with 19 participants who had prior MDMA experience, 100 mg of MDMA altered brain activity during memory recall: it increased activation in the fusiform gyrus and somatosensory cortex for favorite memories and decreased activation in the left anterior temporal cortex for worst memories. These neural changes suggest MDMA creates a positive emotional bias, which may explain why it helps patients revisit traumatic memories during psychotherapy for PTSD.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
August 5, 2020
Will Lawn, J. P. Hill, Chandni Hindocha et al.
23 citations
A single 600 mg oral dose of cannabidiol did not alter brain activity related to anticipating or receiving rewards in healthy adults. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a monetary incentive delay task, the expected reward-related brain regions—including the insula, caudate, nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortex—were activated, but no difference was observed between cannabidiol and placebo. Bayesian analyses confirmed that activity in these regions was similar under both conditions, and behavioral measures of motivation for reward also showed no significant difference. The findings suggest that acute cannabidiol does not affect the neural correlates of reward anticipation or feedback in healthy individuals.
Clinical Psychology Review
February 26, 2025
Eirini Aikaterini Melegkovits, Rui Tang, Olivia Pounds et al.
8 citations
A systematic review of 40 studies with 6941 participants found a moderate association between developmental trauma (abuse or neglect before age 18) and dissociation in people with psychosis. Sexual and emotional abuse showed the strongest links to dissociation. Dissociation partially explained the connection between developmental trauma and positive psychotic symptoms, especially hallucinations, and also contributed to paranoia and delusional ideas. Individuals with psychosis and developmental trauma reported more dissociation than those without trauma. The review recommends screening for psychotic and dissociative symptoms in trauma survivors and managing dissociation, while calling for more longitudinal, qualitative, and experimental research.
European journal of psychotraumatology
December 1, 2025
Eirini Aikaterini Melegkovits, Ava Mason, Jordan Reid et al.
2 citations
Among people with subclinical psychosis who have a history of developmental trauma, dissociative experiences are common, confusing, and often distressing. These experiences involve detachment and compartmentalization and are linked to emotions, past trauma, and psychotic-like phenomena. The findings underscore the need for better clinical recognition and tailored interventions for this group.