Adenosine signalling is identified as the central mechanism of action of the antidepressant effects of ketamine and electroconvulsive therapy, and newly developed analogues of ketamine exhibit improve...

This morning, Compass Pathways announced that it is preparing to launch its psilocybin therapy (COMP360) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) at least nine months earlier than previously planned…

Internal Family Systems is a widely popular trauma treatment. Some patients say it’s destroyed their lives.

To feed America’s hungry through food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger

The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

Mental illness is often characterised by a maladaptive sense of self . The neurobiological basis of Self-Other distinction may provide targets for therapeutic interventions. Psychedelics alter the exp...

Psychedelic Alpha’s Josh Hardman speaks with clinical psychologist and trauma researcher Dr. Samuli Kangaslampi about how psychedelics affect autobiographical memory. They discuss the historical…

Nabarun Dasgupta was recognized with a MacArthur "genius" award for work studying the deadly overdose crisis. He's also a front-line organizer, helping people survive.

Rationale Stimulant drugs such as methamphetamine (MA) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) can impact neurobiological systems implicated in stress, reward processing, and drug use. Although recent preclinical evidence implicates the endocannabinoid (eCB) system in these processes, little is known about the acute effects of stimulants on eCB levels in humans. Objectives The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of acute administration of the prototypical psychostimulant MA and the psychostimulant-empathogen MDMA on circulating eCB levels in healthy adults. Methods Using a within-subject, double-blind design, this study assessed the acute effects of MA (20 mg), MDMA (100 mg), and placebo on plasma eCB levels in healthy human participants (N = 22) during three separate sessions. Blood samples assessing concentrations of the eCBs anandamide (AEA) and 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) were collected between 150- and 180-minutes post-drug administration, and subjective measures of drug effects were collected at regular intervals. Results MA, but not MDMA, was associated with significantly lower 2-AG plasma concentrations compared to placebo. Neither drug impacted AEA concentrations. However, during the placebo condition, higher AEA concentrations were correlated with disliking the ‘drug effects’, suggesting a possible relationship between AEA levels and negative expectations of subjective drug effects. Conclusions These findings provide novel insights into how stimulant drugs act on the eCB system and may help to develop treatments for SUDs.

The New York socialite said she had recovered buried trauma during MDMA therapy about being abused by a teacher. Psychologists have doubts about the practice

The traditional mechanistic framework must give way to a richer understanding of how brains actually generate behavior over time.