Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
2 papers in the library · 277 citations · publishing 2020-2022
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study using ultra-high field brain imaging found that psilocybin (0.17 mg/kg) caused region-dependent changes in glutamate levels in the human brain. Higher medial prefrontal cortical glutamate was linked to negatively experienced ego dissolution, while lower hippocampal glutamate was linked to positively experienced ego dissolution. These results suggest a neurochemical basis for the therapeutic effects of psychedelics on disorders involving distortions of self-experience, such as depression.
Novel psychedelics (NPs) are a growing group of compounds with unknown use profiles and subjective effects. A survey of 1,180 NP users examined usage patterns and adverse events for three structural families: phenethylamines, tryptamines, and lysergamides. Novel phenethylamines were most prevalent (61.5%), followed by tryptamines (43.8%) and lysergamides (42.9%). Compared to phenethylamines, tryptamine and lysergamide users had significantly fewer physical adverse events, but no significant differences in psychological adverse events appeared. A machine-learning classifier distinguished three specific compounds—2C-B, 1P-LSD, and 4-AcO-DMT—with moderate accuracy (AUC 0.79). The findings suggest NP classes may differ in adverse event rates and phenomenology, though subjective experience may blur distinctions.