bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
June 17, 2019
Tetiana Kardash, Dmitry Rodin, Michael Kirby et al.
preprint
Mice bred for stress resilience (socially dominant) or stress sensitivity (socially submissive) responded differently to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). At a high dose (15 mg/kg), submissive mice developed a place aversion, while dominant mice showed no preference or aversion. After a six-week washout, the low dose (1.5 mg/kg) reduced depressive-like behavior in submissive mice, but the high dose increased it in dominant mice. High-dose THC raised serum corticosterone in both groups. The findings suggest that individual differences in stress vulnerability and dominance influence cannabis responses and should be considered when prescribing THC-containing medications.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
February 13, 2017
Vanja Dakic, Juliana Nascimento, Rafaela Sartore et al.
preprint
5-MeO-DMT, a hallucinogenic molecule found in traditional Amerindian medicine, alters the proteome of human cerebral organoids. Of 6,728 identified proteins, 934 were differentially expressed after treatment. Systems biology analyses indicate anti-inflammatory effects and modulation of proteins linked to long-term potentiation, dendritic spine formation, cellular protrusion, microtubule dynamics, and cytoskeletal reorganization. These findings provide mechanistic insights into the neuropsychological changes associated with dimethyltryptamine ingestion.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
M. A. Taffe
preprint
Sustained physical activity worsens the hyperthermic (overheating) response to MDMA (Ecstasy) and increases the risk of death, according to experiments with rats. Male Wistar rats given MDMA (1.0, 5.6, or 10.0 mg/kg) were monitored with radiotelemetry in low (23-25°C) or high (27°C) ambient temperatures, with or without access to an activity wheel. The highest dose (10 mg/kg) combined with high temperature and wheel access produced the greatest rise in body temperature and more deaths than the no-wheel condition. This provides direct experimental evidence that physical activity is a risk factor for severe reactions to MDMA in humans.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Scott A. Ford, Rob W. Ness, Moonhyuk Kwon et al.
preprint
A chromosome-level genome assembly of the diviners sage plant, which produces the hallucinogen salvinorin A, has been produced. The genome is about 541 million base pairs, diploid, and comparable to other sage species. Two gene clusters involved in diterpene biosynthesis were identified, including a gene that forms the dihydrofuran ring early in the salvinorin A pathway. Other enzyme classes likely involved in later steps are scattered across the genome. Most of these genes are not activated by methyl jasmonate treatment. This high-quality genome sequence will help uncover the remaining steps in salvinorin A biosynthesis and support exploration of its medical potential for chronic pain, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder.