Jump to content

Psilocybin study


Recommended Posts

Drugs, Science and Politics: a recipe for disaster?

Lecture from Professor David Nutt on 18 January 2012.

http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/psychiatry/lecture-videos/drugs-science-politics

In this lecture he discusses the risks associated with drug use, and how the relative risks influence drug classification and national drug policy.

shocked

edit

This informative and often amusing talk has many highlights.

For me - Dave’s reference to “defence of necessity” is most heartening and liberating.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 65
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Recent research suggesting potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin focuses attention on the need to reform drug laws

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/feb/06/magic-mushrooms-law-war-drugs

“The newly published results are exciting enough to have generated funding for a major study into psilocybin and depression, which will begin shortly”. Amanda Feilding

shocked

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In French about a French Alzheimer research group on non hallucinogenic psilocybin for Alzheimer

http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2011/10/28/une-rehabilitation-difficile_15...

Anybody know how to get an english translation of this page?

Ron

Enhanced Google Translate translation of:

http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2011/10/28/une-rehabilitation-difficile_1595139_3244.html

Hallucinogenic mushrooms: a difficult rehabilitation

| 28.10.11 | 4:52 p.m. • Updated 24.01.12 | 3:47 p.m.

Roland Griffiths is not the only one to work for the rehabilitation of psilocybin. But teams looking to test their medical effects are rare, despite initial success. In 2006, Francisco Moreno and colleagues at the University of Arizona have published the results of a pilot study that showed a significant reduction in OCD psilocybin. But this trial included only nine subjects, and Francisco Moreno said to have been there to end "because of the cost and difficulty in finding funding for such research. "

Still in 2006, a team of Harvard published the results of the effect of the molecule on cluster headaches, a form of migraine among the most painful. Of 26 psilocybin users, 22 had reported their current CH attack being stopped.. A large proportion indicated that this decision marked the end of these migraines or an extension of the period of remission, whereas the doses used were too low to cause hallucinogenic effects.

At Centre for Neuroscience Zurich, Franz Vollenweider notes ''a little come back of psilocybin, not a great return''. He resumed the study in the institute where the first doses of LSD were tested. Compared with ketamine, an anesthetic with psychotropic properties and that improves mood, psilocybin appears promising to this researcher: "It has fewer side effects. But it is more difficult to study because it taboo and runs into more stringent regulatory barriers" So he will be testing both compounds on patients with severe depression.

Eliminate the effects hallucinogenic

He points out that small pharmaceutical companies have shown signs of interest not for psilocybin itself, but for possible derivatives that could be extracted from it. In fact, the appeal for its biological action may be revived - indirectly - to the extent where it seems to act on brain pathways important to fight against impairment of memory, as in Alzheimer's disease.

Thus, at the University of Caen, the team of Valerie Collot, professor of pharmacognosy (the study of medicines derived from animal or vegetable), is working on the development of analogs of psilocybin that would allow to set free from the hallucinogenic effects while improving memory. She says: "Our interest goes back in 2009, when an article by a Japanese team had shown that activation of certain serotonin receptors enhanced the memory." It so happens that these receptors, type 5-HT2C , have a strong affinity with psilocybin. The art of the Lower Normandy team will now be to synthesize compounds that mimic this affinity without presenting yet another one for the 5-HT2A receptor, which appears to be involved in the "a little more embarrassing."  hallucinogenic effects.

This type of chemistry is complex, because you have to find ligands both potent and selective, which do not interfere with other, and numerous, serotonin receptors,. "In mice, early results are quite encouraging, says the researcher. But to pass to humans, it will take several years of study. "

Test compounds are not derived from psilocybin. "We synthesize them in five or six steps, then we optimize them." Is there a risk of falling on a hallucinogenic compound? "It is always possible, but I have not seen any particular effects on people who handle them. "All operations are done under vacuumed hood, so for one to expose oneself to the products like didn't hesitate to do Albert Hofmann - the creator of LSD, who also isolated psilocybin in the late 1950s - it should be wanting . "Early in my career I have experienced supervisors who tasted their prod ucts," said Valerie Collot. But she assures this "is ancient history."

Hervé Morin

Le Monde

http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2011/10/28/une-rehabilitation-difficile_1595139_3244.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the translation, Purp. Sorry for the delay - I've been on a time-out.

Wow! That a non-hallucinogenic derivative of Psilocybin could prove effective against the memory loss of Alzheimer's leads me to believe that maybe a whole bunch of researchers are investigating the properties of non-hallucinogenic derivatives of psychedelic drugs. We may end up with several BOL-like compounds to choose from. This could be a good thing from several standpoints, not least of which is our current understanding that drugs found beneficial for one CH patient don't work for another.

Ron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...Alzheimer's leads me to believe that maybe a whole bunch of researchers are investigating the properties of non-hallucinogenic derivatives of psychedelic drugs

Yes, well maybe not ''are'', but ''will be'', since Alzheimer affects many people.

My guess is actually that psychedelics can probably heal many ills but there is a big wall to jump:

Bad news is Le Monde removed this article from their Web site, and any search for it now leads to a few esoteric sites... and here. Le Monde's search engine returns 0 result when searching ''psilocybine'' ... they had at least 2 articles just last week.:-(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although I have never heard of a non-hallucinogenic analog of Psilocybin, there are at least 2 pretty well known analogs, CEY-19 and CZ-74.  Seems like the biggest difference is the length of the trip--these analogs seem to last a bit shorter, more like 3-6 hours.  If we can ever convince the feds to let us have a real psychedelic substance (very doubtful)--these are what I would put my money on.

http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/4_acetoxy_det/4_acetoxy_det_primer.shtml

-Ricardo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your brain on 'shrooms'

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-brain-shrooms-fmri-elucidates-neural.html

there are other research and applications that might benefit from the team’s findings. “Those suffering from cluster headaches,” he notes, “report excruciating pain that is difficult to treat, sometimes describing it as worse than the pain childbirth. During such headaches, they show an increase in hypothalamic activity to date has only been ameliorated by deep brain stimulation. However,” he concludes, “when administered psilocybin, they display a decrease in hypothalamic activity and a corresponding suspension of cluster headaches.” Carhart-Harris.

shocked

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Looks like I've some reading to do mate.

Been thinking/dreaming about it, ever since.

Been trying to persuade Peter to come along too.

It might happen

Make it happen mate!!!  I'd love to see you again and finally meet Peter face to face!

Bob

Been dreaming about it too 8-)

-Lee

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness lecture series, in association with the Scientific and Medical Network presents:

Dr Robin Carhart-Harris

Psychedelics and Brain Imaging

Tuesday, 24th April, 2012

http://www.octobergallery.co.uk/homepage.shtml

This talk will describe the research Robin has been carrying out over the last few years involving brain imaging and psychedelics. This work has been motivated by Amanda Feilding and the Beckley Foundation and done under the mentorship of Prof David Nutt and with the support of Imperial College London and the Universities of Bristol and Cardiff. Robin will describe the rationale, results and implications of their imaging work with psilocybin.

shocked

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Do Psychedelics Expand the Mind by Reducing Brain Activity?

New evidence suggests drugs like LSD open the doors of perception by inhibiting parts of the brain

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=do-psychedelics-expand-mind-reducing-brain-activity

Halberstadt / Geyer. Scientific American

"Clinical trials are currently being conducted to investigate whether hallucinogens can be used to relieve stress and anxiety in terminal cancer patients, to attenuate the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and to reduce the frequency of cluster headaches, so it is important to determine the mechanism for the therapeutic effects of hallucinogens."

shocked

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Psychedelic drugs can unlock mysteries of brain

Professor David Nutt speaking to the Guardian ahead of a lecture he will give at a University College London neuroscience symposium on Friday

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jun/28/psychedelic-drugs-mysteries-brain-government-adviser

"In collaboration with Robin Carhart-Harris at Imperial College London, Nutt also wants to further his research into more psychedelic drugs such as LSD"shocked

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Science Weekly podcast: David Nutt reveals the truth about drugs

Professor David Nutt discusses his book Drugs – Without the Hot Air, and argues that society's prohibition of psychedelic substances is preventing groundbreaking science

He is a psychiatrist and neuropsychopharmacologist who has dedicated his career to deepening understanding of how drugs affect the brain and how they can be used for clinical benefit

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/audio/2012/jul/02/science-weekly-podcast-david-nutt-drugs

shocked

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...