http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/psychedelic_drugs/ Medical research on LSD and related psychedelic drugs. From mystical experiences induced by "sacred mushrooms" to the potential use of LSD to treat alcoholism, read it all here. en-us Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:05:01 EST Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/psychedelic_drugs/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152043.htm Brain scans of people under the influence of the psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, have given scientists the most detailed picture to date of how psychedelic drugs work. The findings of two new studies identify areas of the brain where activity is suppressed by psilocybin and suggest that it helps people to experience memories more vividly. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152043.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111123133133.htm Researchers have identified the pattern of cell signaling induced by antipsychotic drugs in a complex composed of two brain receptors linked to schizophrenia. The discovery should allow researchers to predict the effectiveness of novel compounds for the treatment of schizophrenia and other serious mental disorders and may accelerate the development of better antipsychotic drugs. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111123133133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929074205.htm A single high dose of the hallucinogen psilocybin, the active ingredient in so-called "magic mushrooms," was enough to bring about a measurable personality change lasting at least a year in nearly 60 percent of the participants in a new study, according to researchers. Thu, 29 Sep 2011 07:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929074205.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101005171034.htm Scientists have shown for the first time that the neurotransmitter serotonin uses a specialized signaling pathway to mediate biological functions that are distinct from the signaling pathways used by hallucinogenic substances. The new findings could have a profound effect on the development of new therapies for a number of disorders, including schizophrenia and depression. Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:10:10 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101005171034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100909074009.htm Health and social services are facing a new challenge, as many illicit drug users get older and face chronic health problems and a reduced quality of life. UK researchers interviewed people aged 49 to 61 in contact with voluntary sector drug treatment services. The study, plus wider research, suggest that older people who continue to use problematic or illegal drugs are emerging as an important, but relatively under-researched, international population. The problem is international, with US and European figures suggesting the number of people with addiction problems will at least double by 2020. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:40:40 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100909074009.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100906202905.htm In the first human study of its kind to be published in more than 35 years, researchers found psilocybin, an hallucinogen which occurs naturally in "magic mushrooms," can safely improve the moods of patients with advanced-stage cancer and anxiety. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100906202905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091206184438.htm Recent research into the availability of 'Spice' drugs online raises new concerns about its mood altering effects. Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:44:44 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091206184438.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124204318.htm Drug users are well informed about the harms associated with the drugs they use, and perceive alcohol and tobacco to be amongst the most dangerous substances, according to a new survey. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:43:43 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124204318.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918101724.htm Researchers in the UK will release new evidence about the dangers of 'Spice' drugs -- herbal mixes widely sold as an ‘incense’ or legal substitute for cannabis. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918101724.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709072911.htm A clinical report from Dresden supports the impression that the street drug "Spice Gold" is strongly addictive. Researchers describe a young man who developed physical withdrawal symptoms after regular consumption of this designer drug, accompanied by a dependence syndrome. Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709072911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212141158.htm A hallucinogenic compound found in a plant indigenous to South America and used in shamanic rituals regulates a mysterious protein that is abundant throughout the body, researchers have discovered. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212141158.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701083522.htm In a follow-up to research showing that psilocybin, a substance contained in "sacred mushrooms," produces substantial spiritual effects, scientists report that those beneficial effects appear to last more than a year. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701083522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520110415.htm Burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. This suggests that an entirely new class of depression and anxiety drugs might be right under our noses. Tue, 20 May 2008 11:04:04 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520110415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428120701.htm Brain-imaging studies performed in animals provide researchers with clues about why an increasingly popular recreational drug that causes hallucinations and motor-function impairment in humans is abused. Using trace amounts of Salvia divinorum -- also known as "salvia," a Mexican mint plant -- scientists found that the drug's behavior in the brains of primates mimics the extremely fast and brief "high" observed in humans. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:07:07 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428120701.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226193113.htm Researchers have identified a new receptor complex in the brain that responds to several types of antipsychotic drugs used to treat schizophrenia and also reacts to hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD. The receptor complex could help provide new treatments for schizophrenia and other diseases associated with psychosis. Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226193113.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080112181400.htm A new study reveals more than 3 million adolescents and young adults have used non-prescription cough and cold medicines to get high at least once in their lifetimes. The level is comparable to LSD, and more than the reported use of methamphetamines, among those aged 12 to 25. White youths were more than three times as likely as Black youths to have misused these drugs during the past year. Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080112181400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101093900.htm Drugs that treat depression and schizophrenia might not be triggering the most appropriate response in brain cells, new research suggests. This study examined the early chemical events that happen when a particular serotonin receptor on brain cells is stimulated by serotonin and by a hallucinogenic agent thought to mimic serotonin. The findings show that although both compounds activate this receptor, they trigger different chemical pathways inside the cell. Tue, 01 Jan 2008 09:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101093900.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112172158.htm Scientists have identified genes that produce the poison of the death cap mushroom -- a unique pathway previously unknown in fungi. Reported in today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The work not only solves a mystery of how some mushrooms make the toxin -- but also sheds light on the underlying biochemical machinery. It might be possible one day to harness the mushroom genes to make novel chemicals that would be useful as new drugs. Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112172158.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070302082810.htm Scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered why some individuals may be predisposed to drug addiction and believe it may lead to better treatments for this brain disorder. Fri, 02 Mar 2007 08:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070302082810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070131135536.htm The brain mechanism underlying the mind-bending effects of hallucinogens such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin has been discovered by neuroscientists. They said their discoveries not only shed light on the longtime mystery of how hallucinogens work, but that the findings also offer a pathway to understanding the function of drugs used to treat neuropsychiatric disorders, which are now being used largely without an understanding of their fundamental mechanism. Wed, 31 Jan 2007 13:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070131135536.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061007111350.htm For the past five years, Dr. Erika Dyck has been unearthing some intriguing facts related to a group of pioneering psychiatrists who worked in Saskatchewan, Canada in the '50s and '60s. Among other things, the University of Alberta history of medicine professor has found records of the psychiatrists' research that indicate a single dose of the hallucinogenic drug LSD can be an effective treatment for alcoholism. Her findings are published this month in the journal Social History of Medicine. Sat, 07 Oct 2006 11:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061007111350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060711084914.htm Using unusually rigorous scientific conditions and measures, Johns Hopkins researchers have shown that the active agent in "sacred mushrooms" can induce mystical/spiritual experiences descriptively identical to spontaneous ones people have reported for centuries. Tue, 11 Jul 2006 08:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060711084914.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060705172034.htm Researchers have found that genetic factors may play an important role in a person's use, misuse or dependence of illicit drugs like marijuana, stimulants, opiates, cocaine and psychedelics. Wed, 05 Jul 2006 17:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060705172034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050901073759.htm It was the drug of choice on university campuses, the drug that spawned psychedelic culture as well as countless jail sentences and fines, but LSD actually has respectable roots -- roots that a McMaster University researcher is uncovering. "Far from being fringe medical research, trials of LSD were once a legitimate branch of psychiatric research," explains Erika Dyck, a doctoral researcher in the Department of History at McMaster. Thu, 01 Sep 2005 07:37:37 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050901073759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050121110300.htm A naturally occurring hallucinogen advocated by some clinicians as a potent anti-addiction drug has been rigorously studied for the first time, confirming its ability to block alcohol craving in rodents, and clarifying how it works in the brain. Fri, 21 Jan 2005 11:03:03 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050121110300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031121072123.htm A mouse study reported in this week's Science magazine shows that three drugs, each acting on a different chemical transmitter in the brain, all produce the same schizophrenia-like symptoms by acting on a single "master molecule" in the brain. Fri, 21 Nov 2003 07:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031121072123.htm