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Mushrooms / Psilocybin

Horizontal gene cluster transfer increased hallucinogenic mushroom diversity

August 16, 2017 / Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Papers, Publications / By / , , , , ,

Abstract

Secondary metabolites are heterogeneous natural products that often mediate interactions between species. The tryptophan-derived secondary metabolite, psilocin, is a serotonin receptor agonist that induces altered states of consciousness. A phylogenetically disjunct group of mushroom-forming fungi in the Agaricales produce the psilocin prodrug, psilocybin. Spotty phylogenetic distributions of fungal compounds are sometimes explained by horizontal transfer of metabolic gene clusters among unrelated fungi with overlapping niches. We report the discovery of a psilocybin gene cluster in three hallucinogenic mushroom genomes, and evidence for its horizontal transfer between fungal lineages. Patterns of gene distribution and transmission suggest that psilocybin provides a fitness advantage in the dung and late wood-decay niches, which may be reservoirs of fungal indole-based metabolites that alter behavior of mycophagous and wood-eating invertebrates. These hallucinogenic mushroom genomes will serve as models in neurochemical ecology, advancing the prospecting and synthetic biology of novel neuropharmaceuticals.

Reynolds, H. T., Vijayakumar, V., Gluck-Thaler, E., Korotkin, H. B., Matheny, P. B., & Slot, J. C. (2017). Horizontal gene cluster transfer increased hallucinogenic mushroom diversity. bioRxiv, 176347. 10.1101/176347
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Psychedelics and connectedness

August 10, 2017 / LSD, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Papers, Psychology, Publications / By / , , , ,

Abstract

Psychedelic drugs are creating ripples in psychiatry as evidence accumulates of their therapeutic potential. An important question remains unresolved however: how are psychedelics effective? We propose that a sense of connectedness is key, provide some preliminary evidence to support this, and suggest a roadmap for testing it further.
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Erritzoe, D., Haijen, E., Kaelen, M., & Watts, R. (2017). Psychedelics and connectedness. Psychopharmacology, 1-4. 10.1007/s00213-017-4701-y
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Psychotherapy with Adjuvant use of Serotonergic Psychoactive Substances: Possibilities and Challenges

August 2, 2017 / Anxiety Disorders / PTSD, Depressive Disorders, LSD, MDMA, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Papers, Psychology, Substance Use Disorder / By / , , , , ,

Abstract

Background Recently, scientific interest in the therapeutic potential of serotonergic and psilocybin hallucinogens (psychedelics) such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and entactogens like 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) within the framework of psychotherapy has resumed. The present article provides an overview on the current evidence on substance-assisted psychotherapy with these substances.
Method A selective search was carried out in the PubMed and Cochrane Library including studies investigating the clinical use of serotonergic psychoactive substances since 2000.
Results Studies were found investigating the following indications: alcohol (LSD and psilocybin) and tobacco addiction (psilocybin), anxiety and depression in patients suffering from life-threatening somatic illness (LSD and psilocybin), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (psilocybin), treatment-resistant major depression (psilocybin), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (MDMA).
Discussion Substance use disorders, PTSD and anxiety and depression in patients suffering from life-threatening somatic illness belong to the indications with the best evidence for substance-assisted psychotherapy with serotonergic psychoactive agents. To date, studies indicate efficacy and relatively good tolerability. Further studies are needed to determine whether these substances may represent suitable and effective treatment options for some treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders in the future.
Majić, T., Jungaberle, H., Schmidt, T. T., Zeuch, A., Hermle, L., & Gallinat, J. (2017). Psychotherapy with Adjuvant use of Serotonergic Psychoactive Substances: Possibilities and Challenges. Fortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie, 85(7), 383. 10.1055/s-0043-103085
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Psychedelic drug use in healthy individuals: A review of benefits, costs, and implications for drug policy

July 26, 2017 / Ayahuasca, DMT, LSD, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Papers, Psychology, Publications / By /

Abstract

The potential of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of mental health problems is increasingly being recognized. However, relatively little thrust has been given to the suggestion that individuals without any mental health problems may benefit from using psychedelic drugs, and that they may have a right to do so. This review considers contemporary research into the use of psychedelic drugs in healthy individuals, including neurobiological and subjective effects. In line with findings suggesting positive effects in the treatment of mental health problems, such research highlights the potential of psychedelic drugs for the enhancement of wellbeing even in healthy individuals. The relatively low risk associated with usage does not appear to align with stringent drug laws that impose heavy penalties for their use. Some policy implications, and suggestions for future research, are considered.
Elsey, J. W. (2017). Psychedelic drug use in healthy individuals: A review of benefits, costs, and implications for drug policy. Drug Science, Policy and Law, 3, 2050324517723232.
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Qualitative and Quantitative Features of Music Reported to Support Peak Mystical Experiences during Psychedelic Therapy Sessions

July 25, 2017 / Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Papers, Psychology / By / , , , ,

Abstract

Psilocybin is a classic (serotonergic) hallucinogen (“psychedelic” drug) that may occasion mystical experiences (characterized by a profound feeling of oneness or unity) during acute effects. Such experiences may have therapeutic value. Research and clinical applications of psychedelics usually include music listening during acute drug effects, based on the expectation that music will provide psychological support during the acute effects of psychedelic drugs, and may even facilitate the occurrence of mystical experiences. However, the features of music chosen to support the different phases of drug effects are not well-specified. As a result, there is currently neither real guidance for the selection of music nor standardization of the music used to support clinical trials with psychedelic drugs across various research groups or therapists. A description of the features of music found to be supportive of mystical experience will allow for the standardization and optimization of the delivery of psychedelic drugs in both research trials and therapeutic contexts. To this end, we conducted an anonymous survey of individuals with extensive experience administering psilocybin or psilocybin-containing mushrooms under research or therapeutic conditions, in order to identify the features of commonly used musical selections that have been found by therapists and research staff to be supportive of mystical experiences within a psilocybin session. Ten respondents yielded 24 unique recommendations of musical stimuli supportive of peak effects with psilocybin, and 24 unique recommendations of musical stimuli supportive of the period leading up to a peak experience. Qualitative analysis (expert rating of musical and music-theoretic features of the recommended stimuli) and quantitative analysis (using signal processing and music-information retrieval methods) of 22 of these stimuli yielded a description of peak period music that was characterized by regular, predictable, formulaic phrase structure and orchestration, a feeling of continuous movement and forward motion that slowly builds over time, and lower perceptual brightness when compared to pre peak music. These results provide a description of music that may be optimally supportive of peak psychedelic experiences. This description can be used to guide the selection and composition of music for future psychedelic research and therapy sessions.
Barrett, F. S., Robbins, H., Smooke, D., Brown, J. L., & Griffiths, R. R. (2017). Qualitative and quantitative features of music reported to support peak mystical experiences during psychedelic therapy sessions. Frontiers in psychology, 8. 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01238
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Mushroom-Derived Indole Alkaloids

July 19, 2017 / Biology & Ethnobotany, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Papers / By / ,

Abstract

Mushrooms are known to produce over 140 natural products bearing an indole heterocycle. In this review, the isolation of these mushroom-derived indole alkaloids is discussed, along with their associated biological activities.
Homer, J. A., & Sperry, J. (2017). Mushroom-Derived Indole Alkaloids. Journal of Natural Products, 80(7), 2178-2187. 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.7b00390
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Two dose investigation of the 5-HT-agonist psilocybin on relative and global cerebral blood flow

July 12, 2017 / Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Neuroscience, Papers / By / , , , , ,

Abstract

Psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms, is an agonist of various serotonin receptors. Seminal psilocybin positron emission tomography (PET) research suggested regional increases in glucose metabolism in frontal cortex (hyperfrontality). However, a recent arterial spin labeling (ASL) study suggests psilocybin may lead to hypo-perfusion in various brain regions. In this placebo-controlled, double-blind study we used pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) to measure perfusion changes, with and without adjustment for global brain perfusion, after two doses of oral psilocybin (low dose: 0.160 mg/kg; high dose: 0.215 mg/kg) in two groups of healthy controls (n = 29 in both groups, total N = 58) during rest. We controlled for sex and age and used family-wise error corrected p values in all neuroimaging analyses. Both dose groups reported profound subjective drug effects as measured by the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (5D-ASC) with the high dose inducing significantly larger effects in four out of the 11 scales. After adjusting for global brain perfusion, psilocybin increased relative perfusion in distinct right hemispheric frontal and temporal regions and bilaterally in the anterior insula and decreased perfusion in left hemispheric parietal and temporal cortices and left subcortical regions. Whereas, psilocybin significantly reduced absolute perfusion in frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, and bilateral amygdalae, anterior cingulate, insula, striatal regions, and hippocampi. Our analyses demonstrate consistency with both the hyperfrontal hypothesis of psilocybin and the more recent study demonstrating decreased perfusion, depending on analysis method. Importantly, our data illustrate that relative changes in perfusion should be understood and interpreted in relation to absolute signal variations.
Lewis, C. R., Preller, K. H., Kraehenmann, R., Michels, L., Stämpfli, P., & Vollenweider, F. X. (2017). Two dose investigation of the 5-HT-agonist psilocybin on relative and global cerebral blood flow. NeuroImage. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.07.020
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Hallucinogens and Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor-Mediated Signaling Pathways

July 5, 2017 / LSD, Mescaline / Cacti, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Neuroscience, Papers / By / ,

Abstract

The neuropsychological effects of naturally occurring psychoactive chemicals have been recognized for millennia. Hallucinogens, which include naturally occurring chemicals such as mescaline and psilocybin, as well as synthetic compounds, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), induce profound alterations of human consciousness, emotion, and cognition. The discovery of the hallucinogenic effects of LSD and the observations that LSD and the endogenous ligand serotonin share chemical and pharmacological profiles led to the suggestion that biogenic amines like serotonin were involved in the psychosis of mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Although they bind other G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) subtypes, studies indicate that several effects of hallucinogens involve agonist activity at the serotonin 5-HT2Areceptor. In this chapter, we review recent advances in understanding hallucinogen drug action through characterization of structure, neuroanatomical location, and function of the 5-HT2A receptor.
López-Giménez, J. F., & González-Maeso, J. (2017). Hallucinogens and Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor-Mediated Signaling Pathways. 10.1007/7854_2017_478
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Self unbound: ego dissolution in psychedelic experience

June 30, 2017 / LSD, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Papers, Philosophy & Religious Studies, Psychology, Publications / By / ,

Abstract

Users of psychedelic drugs often report that their sense of being a self or ‘I’ distinct from the rest of the world has diminished or altogether dissolved. Neuroscientific study of such ‘ego dissolution’ experiences offers a window onto the nature of self-awareness. We argue that ego dissolution is best explained by an account that explains self-awareness as resulting from the integrated functioning of hierarchical predictive models which posit the existence of a stable and unchanging entity to which representations are bound. Combining recent work on the ‘integrative self’ and the phenomenon of self-binding with predictive processing principles yields an explanation of ego dissolution according to which self-representation is a useful Cartesian fiction: an ultimately false representation of a simple and enduring substance to which attributes are bound which serves to integrate and unify cognitive processing across levels and domains. The self-model is not a mere narrative posit, as some have suggested; it has a more robust and ubiquitous cognitive function than that. But this does not mean, as others have claimed, that the self-model has the right attributes to qualify as a self. It performs some of the right kinds of functions, but it is not the right kind of entity. Ego dissolution experiences reveal that the self-model plays an important binding function in cognitive processing, but the self does not exist.
Letheby, C., & Gerrans, P. (2017). Self unbound: ego dissolution in psychedelic experience. Neuroscience of Consciousness, 3(1). 10.1093/nc/nix016
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