Collection
Therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs in emotional regulation and psychiatric disorders
Recent research has unveiled the intriguing therapeutic potential and significant impact of psychedelic drugs on the brain, leading to exciting advancements in mental health treatments. These substances offer promise in aiding emotional regulation, providing newfound hope for those dealing with anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and addiction. The potential these substances hold could potentially reshape the approach to mental health care in the future.
While clinical trials continue to show positive outcomes, our grasp of the precise pharmacological, molecular, and biochemical mechanisms at play remains limited. This Topical Collection aims to compile our current understanding of how psychedelic drugs influence the mind, body, and soul in relation to mental health.
We are seeking submissions of reviews, touching on the mechanistic nature of psychedelic drugs. Defined here in the broadest sense, including but not limited to serotonergic psychedelics, ketamine, and ibogaine, as well as non-psychedelic drugs with similar mechanisms. Clinical and psychological reviews may be considered if they contain mechanistic explanations for the effects.
This collection supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3: Good Health & Well-BeingEditors
-
Anahita Bassir Nia
Anahita Bassir Nia is an Addiction Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, Connecticut, USA. Dr. Bassir Nia’s research is focused on developing novel treatment for substance use disorders, by identifying novel targets. Dr. Bassir Nia is currently investigating the endocannabinoid system alterations in opioid use disorder (OUD) by positron emission tomography (PET) studies to assess the availability of cannabinoid receptors. Moreover, Dr. Bassir Nia is conducting clinical trials to assess the effects of psychedelic N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD).
-
Mikael Palner
Dr. Palner is Associate Professor and head of the Preclinical Imaging Core Facility at the Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Southern Denmark (SDU). His research team focuses on preclinical behavioral research and functional neuroimaging, to try and understand what malfunctions in the connectivity of neuronal circuits lead to specific psychiatric phenotypes. This leads the team to try and figure out how different modulations of these circuits lead to recession. Serotonergic agonists (including psychedelics) are major modulators of these brain circuits and therefore form a pivotal part of Dr. Palner's research.
