Frontiers in Psychiatry
June 20, 2023
Johannes T Reckweg, Cees J van Leeuwen, Cécile Henquet et al.
86 citations
In a small clinical trial with 16 adults suffering from treatment-resistant depression, an inhaled form of the psychedelic drug 5-MeO-DMT (GH001) was well tolerated and produced rapid antidepressant effects. An individualized dosing regimen of up to three increasing doses within a single day led to 87.5% of patients achieving remission (a depression score of 10 or less on the MADRS scale) by day 7, compared to 50% and 25% for single doses of 12 mg and 18 mg, respectively. Remission occurred as early as two hours after dosing for some patients. The findings suggest that individualized dosing may be more effective than a single dose.
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
May 30, 2023
Pablo Mallaroni, Riccardo Paci, Sabrina Ritscher et al.
34 citations
2,5‐dimethoxy‐4‐bromophenethylamine (2C‐B), a hallucinogen derived from mescaline, produces psychedelic effects of moderate depth, shorter in duration than psilocybin. In a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study of 22 healthy participants with prior psychedelic experience, 20 mg of 2C‐B elicited alterations of waking consciousness, though psilocybin (15 mg) caused greater dysphoria, subjective impairment, auditory alterations, and ego dissolution. Both compounds equally slowed psychomotor performance and impaired spatial memory compared with placebo, and neither produced empathogenic effects on the Multifaceted Empathy Test. 2C‐B raised blood pressure transiently, similar to psilocybin, and its effects largely resolved within six hours.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
February 16, 2023
Pablo Mallaroni, Natasha L. Mason, Johannes T. Reckweg et al.
2 citations
preprint
2C-B, a hallucinogenic phenethylamine derived from mescaline, produces subjective psychedelic effects that are shorter in duration and milder than those of psilocybin. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 22 healthy participants experienced with psychedelics, 2C-B (20 mg) induced alterations of waking consciousness of a psychedelic nature, but dysphoria, subjective impairment, auditory alterations, and affective elements of ego dissolution were largest under psilocybin (15 mg). Both compounds caused equivalent psychomotor slowing and spatial memory impairments compared to placebo, and neither produced empathogenic effects on the Multifaceted Empathy Test. 2C-B also induced transient pressor effects similar to psilocybin, with self-reported effects largely resolving within 6 hours. These findings support categorizing 2C-B as a subjectively 'lighter' psychedelic.
Drug Science Policy and Law
January 1, 2023
Antonio Metastasio, Silvio Mignogna, Riccardo Paci et al.
LSD, when used under therapeutic guidance, enhanced the filmmaking creativity of Federico Fellini by altering his perception of time, space, body, and self. Time in his films flows irregularly with disorienting flashbacks; colors become supernaturally brilliant and detached from objects; sounds emerge independently from visible sources; and human bodies appear deformed, grotesque, and caricatural. The boundaries between dream and reality collapse. These changes made his films so distinctive that the adjective 'felliniesque' was coined.