The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
July 21, 2016
Matthew W. Johnson, Albert Garcia‐romeu, Roland R. Griffiths
702 citations
A follow-up of a small pilot study found that two to three moderate to high doses of psilocybin (20 and 30 mg/70 kg) combined with cognitive behavioral therapy for smoking cessation led to high long-term abstinence rates. At 12 months, 10 of 15 participants (67%) were confirmed abstinent; at a longer follow-up averaging 30 months, 9 participants (60%) remained abstinent. Most participants rated the psilocybin experiences among the five most personally meaningful and spiritually significant events of their lives. The results suggest psilocybin, within a structured treatment program, holds promise for promoting long-term smoking abstinence and warrants further research.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
January 1, 1992
John H. Krystal, Lawrence H. Price, Charles Opsahl et al.
171 citations
Chronic use of MDMA (ecstasy) is associated with mild-to-moderate impairments in memory, as measured by the Wechsler Memory Scale, even when no memory deficits are apparent on clinical examination. In a study of nine individuals with extensive MDMA use, eight showed at least mild impairment on one or more neuropsychological tests. Despite previous evidence suggesting serotonin deficits in this group, none reported depressed mood or met criteria for an affective disorder at the time of testing. These findings raise concern about potential detrimental effects of MDMA on cognitive function and highlight important issues regarding serotonin's role in cognition and mood regulation.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
January 1, 1993
Robert S. Gable
105 citations
A review of 20 abused psychoactive substances compared their dependence potential and acute toxicity. The margin of safety, or therapeutic index, varied dramatically across substances. Intravenous heroin had the greatest risk of dependence and acute lethality, while oral psilocybin had the least. The assessment did not include hazards from behavioral deficits, perceptual distortion, or chronic illness.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
January 1, 2007
F. Gerard Moeller, Joel L. Steinberg, Scott D. Lane et al.
39 citations
MDMA users showed reduced longitudinal diffusivity in the rostral body of the corpus callosum, indicating possible microstructural changes, while no differences were found in other diffusivity measures. MDMA users also reported higher impulsivity on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and made more disadvantageous choices on the Iowa Gambling Task. A positive correlation emerged between longitudinal diffusivity in the rostral corpus callosum and advantageous decision-making, suggesting a link between white matter integrity and cognitive performance. Further research is needed to understand the causes of these associations.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
June 5, 2021
David J. Cox, Albert Garcia-Romeu, Matthew W. Johnson
29 citations
People who quit or reduced using alcohol, cannabis, opioids, or stimulants after a psychedelic experience provided written narratives of that experience. Natural language processing extracted topic models from the narratives, and three machine learning algorithms predicted long-term drug reduction outcomes with about 65% accuracy. The quantitative descriptions of the experiences differed depending on which drug class was quit and whether the reduction was sustained. The findings suggest that analyzing written reports of psychedelic experiences with machine learning could help predict who will benefit from psychedelic therapy for substance use.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
January 2, 2018
Deborah C. Mash
29 citations
Ibogaine, an indole alkaloid from the West African shrub Tabernanthe iboga, has a long history of use in spiritual ceremonies, coming-of-age rituals, and healing practices. The abstract introduces the compound but does not present a specific finding or argument.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
August 24, 2016
Michael P. Bogenschutz
18 citations
A pilot study testing a treatment model that uses 2–3 doses of psilocybin for smoking cessation provides long-term outcome data. The results suggest the intervention may help maintain abstinence over an extended period, though the small sample size and lack of a control group limit the strength of the conclusions.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
March 4, 2019
Elias Dakwar
1 citation
The article reports that 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), when used in a naturalistic group setting, is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. The finding suggests potential therapeutic benefits of the substance beyond its primary use, though the report does not specify the magnitude of improvement or sample size.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
August 22, 2013
Brittany Vasae Burdick, Bryon Adinoff
Current treatments for addiction are often ineffective. Hallucinogenic therapy shows promise for substance use disorders, with single doses producing significant, long-term beneficial effects and a safety profile of low toxicity and non-addictiveness. However, if the same psychological insights and decreased drug use could be achieved without drugs, pharmacological interventions may be unnecessary. No clinical comparisons of drug-induced versus non-drug-induced altered states for addiction treatment exist. A proposed clinical trial would evaluate abstinence in prescription opioid abusers after psilocybin, hyperventilation (Holotropic Breathwork), or an active placebo with niacin, aiming to distinguish hallucinogen-specific effects from those of altered states generally.