Category Archives: Psychedelics

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.

In this weeks episode, we discuss:

Interest in psychedelics has hit a new high as researchers and investors explore the therapeutic uses of hallucinogens. So will the next generation of treatments for conditions including depression and addiction blow our minds? Or could the potential risks and legal complications prove too much of a downer?

In her new book, The Frontlines of Peace, researcher and self-described peacebuilder Severine Autesserre proposes a whole new approach to preventing wars. Instead of trying to solve conflict from the top down, she says aid workers and UN peacekeepers must throw away their current practices wholesale and engage in bottom-up peacebuilding.

Googles sofa-and-beanbag-strewn offices have come to define the forward-looking office space, but the company now seems to be setting off in a new direction. When offices begin to open after the pandemic, there will be less space for table football and socialising - but more outdoor work spaces, flexible meeting rooms and robotic dividing walls that can give hot-desking workers privacy and a sense of safety. Will other companies follow suit.

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Psychedelics, peacekeeping and office productivity - The Week UK

Stateside for Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Today on Stateside, whats ahead for Michigan now that its getting harder to find arms for vaccine doses. The head of a Dearborn based Arab community organization talks about mobilizing for that very purpose. We also dig into Michigan foraging. Plus, an advocate for psilocybin makes the case for legal microdosing in Michigan.

[Get Stateside on your phone: subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts today.]

Listen to the full show above or find individual segments below.

Is herd immunity possible? Its complicated, says MSU public health expert

Statesides conversation with Debra Furr-Holden

ACCESS pivots to deliver vaccines to Arab communities

Statesides conversation with Hassan Jaber

Finders keepers: wild Michigan offers a bounty of foraged treats

Statesides conversation with Rachel Coale

Psychedelics as therapy? West Michigan author advocates for further research and acceptance

Statesides conversation with Paul Austin

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Stateside: Rethinking herd immunity; COVID-19 in the Arab American community; psychedelics therapy - Michigan Radio

This article was originally published onThe Bluntnessand appears here with permission.

By Shawn Gold, FounderPilgrimSoul.com

For decades, popular assumptions painted psychedelics in a bad and dangerous light.

Not even research from a leading UK government scientist ranking LSD and psilocybin 20 positions below alcohol ona list of the most dangerous drugscould sway public opinion or policy.

Still,artistsandmusiciansand even Nobel Prize winning scientists like Richard Feynman have persisted with the idea that psychedelics can be instrumental in unlocking their creativity and influencing their subsequent work.

Psychedelics have continually sparked subversive, unconventional, and innovativepieces of creative workthat still leave a lasting impression today.

Music is one of the easiest examples. For instance, The BeatlesRevolver, dubbed their acid album, provided a breakthrough in music composition through the use of tape looping, modified speeds, and reversed vocals and instrumentals.

Since then, the idea of psychedelic use for work has found its way toSilicon Valley, where the act of ingesting small amounts of psychedelics is a known productivity hack.

After comments byBill GatesandSteve Jobsabout their use of psychedelics, the stigma began to fade. In its place we are seeing new research aimed at proving the positive benefits of these substances such as cannabis, psilocybin, and mescaline on creativity and productivity.

While the concept of creativity is abstract, it is ultimately the use of imagination and original ideas to make something out of nothing, or to add new ideas to old things.

Mostly everything, if not everything, on this earth (and in space) is a direct result of somebodys creativity.

Everyone is filled with infinite ideas, all of which are sparked by some form of creativity. And as elusive as creativity may be, science has found a way to quantify and measure it.

The stories rumoring the benefits of psychedelics on creativity may no longer just be stories.Scientific researchmay soon be able to definitively say that psychedelics can result in a direct increase of creativity.

Psychedelics, when commonly ingested, either over-stimulate or suppress the neurotransmitters they most resemble, causing a range of sensations from euphoria to hallucinations. It is in part due to this temporary chemical imbalance that scientists believe psychedelics help enhance creative output.

Astudyon psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms, found that the psychedelic not just disrupted but enhanced participants associative thinking skills, allowing their brains to free associate.

Participants found connections between objects or ideas they normally would have not made, a phenomenon otherwise known as lateral thinking.

The increase in lateral thinking is in part why people often feel that they are thinking outside of the box when on psychedelics.

The link of lateral thinking to psychedelics was further solidified whenanother studyfound an increase in divergent idea generation.

In a short period of time, participants were able to come up with more original ideas and specific solutions to problems.

This seems to suggest that psychedelics may aid in thereduction of self-doubt and inhibitionswhich allows for a sense of openness with the self, promoting the flow of ideas.

The use of psilocybin also increases ideas through thecreation of new synapses. The creation of new synapses allows for new connections to be made between sections of your brain that normally would not interact, boosting creativity and idea generation.

The creation of new synapses is commonly accredited to the flood of visuals and ideas that users get on psychedelics.

However, it is important to note that using psychedelics for creativity does not mean all your ideas will be good, as there are instances ofbad trips, but that's not the point. The point is to produce ideas. It is better to have ten ideas than two really inhibited ones.

Psychedelics are proving to offer many benefits, but consumers must continue to be responsible with their usage.

It is particularly important to be mindful of the immediate environment as well as the amount being taken. Whats more,it is important to experimentto understand ones own comfortability and limits.

Micro-dosing is quickly becoming a popular method of psychedelic usage, especially in Silicon Valley, as it promotes productivity throughout the day.

By micro-dosing, userstake just enoughto reap the creative benefits of psychedelics, but not enough to fully hallucinate, see visuals, or impair their day.

So, if youre a professional whos worried about functionality while at work, micro-dosing might be the route for you.

Another method is commonly known as self-dosing, which is when users begin at a lower dosage and work their way up, depending on their level of comfort.

Self-dosing usually results in a larger dosage intake and as a result, more intense visuals and hallucinations. This technique is primarily used by artists and other creative people as it may be a way of further boosting their creative work.

Regardless of your preferred method, when used safely and properly, psychedelics can be the key to unleashinga wide range of creativity.

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2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Why People Are Taking Psychedelics To Enhance Creativity Thinking - Benzinga

PALM BEACH, Fla., April 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Psychedelic medicine is having a moment. Once dismissed as a "party drug" for its hallucinogenic effects, ketamine is emerging as a novel alternative treatment for depression. For most, psychedelic drugs conjure up images of the 1960's, hippies tripping out on LSD or magic mushrooms. However, early studies are finding that psilocybin the active agent in magic mushrooms could treat addiction, depression, anxiety and mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Similarly, cancer patients with painful anxiety over their illness have found more peaceful acceptance after participating in a study that involved intensive therapy and being given a drug that was once a symbol of the 60's counterculture. Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved esketamine to treat depression, making it the first-ever psychedelic drug to receive the regulatory green light in the US, withUK authorities also givingtheir approval for the ketamine-like druga few months later. Active companies in the markets this week include: COMPASS Pathways plc (NASDAQ: CMPS), Silo Pharma, Inc. (OTCQB: SILO),Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc.(NASDAQ: MNMD) (NEO: MMED), Red Light Holland Corp.(OTCPK: TRUFF) (CSE: TRIP), Champignon Brands Inc.(OTCQB: SHRMF) (CSE: SHRM).

MDMA, commonly known as ecstasymeanwhile,has been given breakthrough therapy designation by the US regulatorfor post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Against this backdrop, a flourishing new sub-sector of the life sciences industry is emerging. While there are many parallels with the development of the cannabis industry, the trailblazers in the field of psychedelics are keen to stress the differences, particularly with reference to the recreational element of the former. An articlein Proactive Investors said that: "Psychedelics weren't born of the counterculture. They were killed by it," says a report by investment bank Canaccord Genuity, authored by Tania Gonsalves and Scott McFarland, which provides some of the first in-depth analysis of the sector."

Silo Pharma, Inc. (OTCQB: SILO) BREAKING NEWS: SiloPharma(SILO)andZyloTherapeutics,Inc.(ZTI)enterintoJointVentureAgreementtofocusontheclinicaldevelopmentofketamineusingZTI'sZ-podtechnologyforthetransdermaltimereleaseddeliveryoftherapeutics - Silo Pharma, Inc., a developmental stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the use of psychedelics as a therapeutic, today announced that it has entered into a Joint Venture with Zylo Therapeutics. This Joint Venture will utilize Zylo's innovative sustained release topical delivery system that was originally developed at Albert Einstein College of Medicine using Silo Pharma's expertise in the use of psychedelics. The joint venture will initially explore the clinical development of ketamine using ZTI's Z-pod technology, but also provides for Silo Pharma to obtain an exclusive option for the clinical development of psilocybin using ZTI's Z-pod technology as well.

Eric Weisblum, CEO of Silo Pharma stated "This Joint Venture is part of Silo Pharma's vision of bringing ground breaking therapeutics to patients in need. The ability to deliver Ketamine or Psilocybin in a time released manner will allow us to explore both the safety and efficacy of our therapeutics while hopefully diminishing the hallucinogenic effects of psychedelics. We believe that Zylo's patented technology will allow us to reach potential patients that suffer with dysphagia, such as both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients."

JayBlankenship,MD,VicePresidentofBusinessDevelopmentforZylTherapeutics,stated"Weareextremelyexcitedtobeenteringintothis partnership with Silo Pharma, a company with broad-ranging expertise in psychedelics. Ketamine is an incredibly versatile drug thatcontinues to show promise with new therapeutic indications. We look forward to leveraging our proprietary topical delivery technology todevelopalow-dose,sustained-releaseketamineformulationthatisbothsafeandconvenientforpatients." Formoreinformation,visit http://www.silopharma.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDUSTRY AND SILO, PLEASE ALSO VISIT: https://psychedelicstox.com/2021/04/26/unique-double-play-biotech-company-offers-investors-true-upside-potential-in-the-psychedelic-space/

Other recent developments in the markets include:

MindMed(NASDAQ: MNMD) (NEO: MMED), a leading clinical-stage psychedelic medicine biotech company, recently announced the publication of the first study on MDMA dosing optimization using personalized medicine. The study took place at the University Hospital Basel Liechti Lab, inBasel, Switzerland. This study provides the first scientific data for predicting responses to MDMA and optimizing dosing. This may maximize the potential beneficial therapeutic effects while reducing adverse responses when treating medical conditions. The study used data from 194 MDMA administrations in ten randomized placebo-controlled studies in healthy subjects conducted by the Liechti Lab at the University HospitalBasel, Switzerland.

Key findings of the study suggest: The dose of MDMA can be optimized using predictors known before dosing including body weight, sex, age, genetics, personality trait measures, and mood before drug administration; The dose of MDMA per kg body weight of the treated person best predicted the MDMA concentrations in the body and also mainly determined the acute subjective response to MDMA; Additionally, genetic testing of the drug metabolizing enzyme CYP2D6 is useful to adjust the dose of MDMA; Persons with low levels of CYP2D6 activity have higher MDMA plasma concentrations and may experience greater subjective MDMA effects and may benefit from a moderate dose reduction; Persons with a greater personality trait of "openness to a new experience" showed greater feelings of closeness and positive drug effects acutely induced by MDMA; In contrast, persons with personality traits of increased neuroticism or anxiety were both more likely to experience fear of ego dissolution and losing control. Similarly, more feelings of anxiety and depression in a person just before MDMA administration predicted more anxiety after MDMA administration; Women and men showed comparable MDMA effects if differences in body weight are considered in the dosing of MDMA; Previous minimal MDMA use, defined as previously using MDMA up to five times, did not influence the MDMA effect; and In summary, personalizing MDMA dosing may help optimize the acute MDMA experience including more positive subjective effects of MDMA and reducing adverse effects of MDMA.

COMPASS Pathways plc(NASDAQ: CMPS), a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health, welcomed a study publishedin the New England Journal of Medicine(NEJM) yesterday, which showed signals of positive activity in COMP360 psilocybin compared with the standard antidepressant escitalopram, for major depressive disorder (MDD).

The study was designed and conducted by a research team at Imperial College London, using COMPASS's COMP360 psilocybin. This was an exploratory, randomized, double-blind clinical study. Its aim was to compare the efficacy and mechanisms of action of psilocybin with a six-week course of escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), for MDD.

Halo Collective Inc. ("Halo") and Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP) (OTC Pink: TRUFF) ("Red Light Holland") recently announcedthat Articles of Incorporation have been filed with the Oregon Secretary of State to form Red Light Oregon, Inc., a 50/50 JV between Halo and Red Light Holland. The JV will be capitalized with US$50,000 from each party and its initial directors will be Todd Shapiro, Red Light Holland Director and CEO, Sarah Hashkes, Red Light Holland Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Kiran Sidhu, Halo CEO and Director, and Katie Field, Halo President. The JV will monitor ongoing regulatory updates regarding Oregon's Measure 109, appoint a management team, and develop a commercialization strategy in due course.

"We are delighted to take this next step with Halo. We now have the entity and team in place to begin laying the groundwork for potential future participation in the Oregon Psychedelic Magic Mushroom market," said Todd Shapiro, CEO and Director of Red Light Holland. "Kiran and his team have extensive experience working with Oregon regulators and we could not be more excited to have them as a partner! We also plan on continually monitoring other future markets opening in the USA as the movement, both socially and from a therapeutic/medicinal level promoting the acceptance of psilocybin via legal, policy and regulatory measures rapidly progresses."

Champignon Brands Inc.(CSE: SHRM) (OTCQB: SHRMF) recently announcedthe publication of an article led by Dr.Roger McIntyre, CEO of Champignon Brands Inc. The article The Rapid Mood Screener (RMS): a novel and pragmatic screener for bipolar I disorder - is published in Taylor and Francis.com.

Depressive episodes and symptoms of bipolar I disorder are commonly misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder (MDD) in primary care. The novel and pragmatic Rapid Mood Screener (RMS) was developed to screen for manic symptoms and bipolar I disorder features (e.g., age of depression onset) to address this unmet clinical need.

DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated twenty six hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by Silo Pharma, Inc. by a non-affiliated third party. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

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Why Companies Are Betting Big On Psychedelic Drugs To Treat Mental Health Epidemic - PRNewswire

Mental illness is the 21st centurys leading cause of disability, affecting an estimated billion people across the world. Depression is the number one contributor: more than 250 million people have this condition globally. The number of people prescribed antidepressant medications, the first-line treatment for depression, increases each year, and the market for them is valued at approximately $15bn (11bn). Yet depression prevalence rates have not decreased since accurate record-keeping began. One reason for this paradox is the failure of science to adequately explain how and why depression occurs.

Psychiatry has long sought and failed to find a compelling biomedical explanation for depression. One popular idea, the serotonin hypothesis, was inspired by the observation that drugs that increase the activity of this naturally occurring brain chemical have antidepressant effects. First produced in the mid-1980s, Prozac (chemical name fluoxetine) is the most famous selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant. Of these, Cipralex (escitalopram) is one of the newest and best performing.

While the serotonin hypothesis has some scientific foundation, it has been massively oversold by the pharmaceutical industry. This has stoked scepticism about one-sided, neurochemical explanations for depression, which suggest, for instance, that people are depressed because their serotonin levels are too low. The latest evidence indicates that SSRIs such as escitalopram are only marginally more effective at treating depression than a placebo, with response rates tending to average around 50-60%. Other limitations of SSRIs include poor compliance, symptoms when people stop taking them, unpleasant side-effects and a sluggish onset of antidepressant effects.

I began investigating an alternative to antidepressant medicines about 15 years ago as part of my PhD. Psilocybin, a constituent of magic mushrooms, is a classic psychedelic. When taken in high doses, it profoundly alters the quality of ones conscious awareness, producing complex visions and releasing suppressed memories and feelings. After completing a series of studies involving psilocybin, including an earlier trial of its effects among people with treatment-resistant depression, I set out to design a more rigorous test that might help to contextualise the drugs therapeutic promise. The resulting trial was completed last year, and its findings have now been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

It was a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial involving 59 people with moderate to severe depression. They were randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups: one in which the main treatment was a six-week course of the conventional SSRI antidepressant, escitalopram, and another in which the main treatment was two high-dose psilocybin therapy sessions.

Those in the escitalopram group did about as well as one would expect, based on previous SSRI trial data and the relatively short, six-week course. Across four different measures of depressive symptoms, the average response rate to escitalopram at the end of the trial was 33%. In comparison, psilocybin worked more rapidly, decreasing depression scores as early as one day after the first dosing session. At the end of the trial, the average response rate to psilocybin therapy was more than 70%.

While we suspected that psilocybin might perform well compared to the SSRI, we had not expected it to perform as well as it did. In fact, the initial main hypothesis for this trial was that the psilocybin therapy would have superior effects on psychological wellbeing, but not on depression severity scores. This prediction was generally supported, but people in the psilocybin group also showed evidence of greater improvements across most depression measures, as well as anxiety symptoms, work and social functioning, suicidal feelings and the ability to feel emotion and pleasure.

Both groups experienced similar levels of side-effects, but the escitalopram group experienced worse drowsiness, dry mouth, sexual dysfunction and anxiety. In the psilocybin group, the most prevalent side-effect was a mild to moderate headache one day after dosing. Six-month follow-up work is now under way to test our prediction that the positive effects seen in the psilocybin group will be longer lasting.

So why does psilocybin appear to be a more successful treatment for depression than a typical antidepressant? Brain imaging data from the trial, alongside the psychological data we collected, appears to show that while SSRIs dampen emotional depth by reducing the responsiveness of the brains stress circuitry, helping to take the edge off depressive symptoms, psilocybin seems to liberate thought and feeling. It does this by dysregulating the most evolutionarily developed aspect of our brain, the neocortex. When this liberation occurs alongside professional psychological support, the most common outcome is a renewed breadth of perspective. Psychedelic therapy seems to catalyse a type of psychological growth that is conducive to mental health, overlapping in many respects with spiritual growth.

The most exciting aspect of this trial is a sense that we are on the verge of a paradigm shift in mental healthcare linked to an improved understanding of the origins of depression, and how we can most effectively treat it. In my view, this shift will take us away from an outdated and myopic drug-alone perspective that has dominated psychiatry for several decades, and towards a multi-level biopsychosocial model. This model sees the symptoms of depression as an adaptive response to adversity, with decipherable albeit complex psychosocial causes. Psychedelics can treat depression by activating powerful brain states that have evolved in humans to catalyse deep psychological change. When these hyper-plastic states are combined with a nurturing environmental context, defensive habits of mind and behaviour can undergo a healthy, potentially enduring revision.

These ideas arent confined to the academy. Since I wrote about developments in psychedelic medicine for the Guardian last year, the US state of Oregon has voted in favour of legalising psilocybin therapy, a senate bill has been introduced to decriminalise psychedelic drugs in California, and policies are also being reviewed in New York, Washington DC, New Jersey, Florida, Canada, Australia and the UK. The Australian government has pledged A$15m (8.5m) to psychedelic research, while two new research centres dedicated to studying psychedelic medicine have been announced at major US universities. Of course, our study certainly isnt a licence for people to self-medicate. But these are exciting developments and show that governments are recognising the benefits of psychedelic therapies.

Many obstacles have already slowed the progress of psychedelic medicine, and there will doubtless be more, from litigation issues to moral objections. If were to achieve a population-level improvement in psychological wellbeing, this road wont be easy. Despite the recent landmark trial, I do sometimes wonder if we will make it at all. One thing I am more certain of, however, is that we must try.

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Psychedelics are transforming the way we understand depression and its treatment - The Guardian

Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal Inc.

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ATAI Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company aiming to make psychedelic drugs to treat mental health disorders, announced that it is planning to raise $100 million in an initial public offering.

The Berlin-headquartered company, which counts billionaire investor Peter Thiel as one of its main backers, submitted an S-1 filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday.

The filing shows that ATAI has raised an aggregate of $362.3 million from private investors so far.

It is planning to sell its shares on New York's tech-focused Nasdaq market under the symbol ATAI. A date for the IPO has not been set.

Underwriters for the IPO include Credit Suisse, Citigroup, Cowen, and Berenberg.

ATAI, which describes itself as a drug development platform, was set up to acquire, incubate and develop psychedelics and other drugs that can be used to treat depression, anxiety, addiction and other mental health conditions.

The company, which has roughly 50 staff in offices across Berlin, New York and San Diego, is currently partnered with 14 companies focusing on drug development and other technologies. In exchange for a majority stake in the drugs and technologies they're developing, ATAI helps the scientists to raise money, work with the regulators, and conduct clinical trials. None of ATAI's drugs have been formally approved by regulators to date.

Thiel made a 10 million euro ($12 million) investment in ATAI through his venture firm, Thiel Capital, in November.

"ATAI's great virtue is to take mental illness as seriously as we should have been taking all illness all along," Thiel, who co-founded Palantir and PayPal, said in a statement shared with CNBC at the time. "The company's most valuable asset is its sense of urgency."

The company was founded in 2018 by entrepreneurs Christian Angermayer, Florian Brand, Lars Wilde and Srinivas Rao. It has invested in Compass Pathways, which has developed a synthetic version of the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, psilocybin.

Compass Pathways, which Thiel has also invested in, listed on the New York's NASDAQ stock exchange in September and now has a valuation of around $1.3 billion.

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Peter Thiel-backed psychedelics start-up plans to raise $100 million in IPO - CNBC

In recent years, there has been a re-emergence in the study of psychedelic drugs as a form of therapeutic treatment. After their height in popularity during the 1950s to early 1970s, psychedelics are now re-entering the medical field. Currently, psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA among others are being studied for their effectiveness in treating patients diagnosed with anxiety, depression, addiction, PTSD, and traumatic brain injuries.

While recent research on psychedelics as a form of therapeutic treatment is still under development, research centers such as the NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine and Johns Hopkins Medicine (alongside multiple others) are allocating resources towards the study of psychedelics in medicine.

For example, the NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine is currently studying the use of psilocybin to treat alcohol use disorder as well as major depressive disorder, and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD.However, looking particularly at psychedelics potential to treat traumatic brain injuries, multiple therapeutic and psychedelics companies such as Mind Cure Health Inc (OTCQB: MCURF), Revive Therapeutics Ltd (OTC: RVVTF) and Champignon Brands Inc (OTC: SHRMF) are currently dedicating resources towards this research effort.

What Is A TBI?A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a disruption in the normal function of the brain, typically caused by a jolt, bump or blow to the head. The severity of a TBI ranges from a mild case such as a concussion to severe, a coma.

For milder cases, side effects from a TBI-related injury can last up to a few days or for the rest of a patients life. Some of these side effects include issues related to emotional functioning and impairments related to memory, vision or hearing.

Some of the leading causes for traumatic brain injuries include falls, motor vehicle accidents, being struck by or against an object, and intentional self-harm.

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According to the CDC, traumatic brain injuries are currently one of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. as an estimated 1.5 million Americans sustain a TBI every year and this number is only expected to rise.

The CDC found that the number of TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the U.S. increased by 53% from 2006 to 2014. In the last reported year, an average of 155 people died each day from a TBI-related injury.

A Potential Treatment OpportunityMental health and wellness company MINDCURE recently announced its efforts towards researching psychedelics for the treatment of TBIs.The company will be using its bioinformatics platform, Psycollage, to help aid them in their research.

Through Psycollage, the company identified opportunities for the treatment of traumatic brain injuries using a psychoactive substance called ibogaine.

MINDCURE believes that ibogaine could be crucial for the treatment of brain trauma and neuropathic pain, noting that the substance has been thought to stimulate the growth of new dopamine neurons and repair and reset the brain's reward system.

Ibogaine, which is extracted from the iboga shrub, has been used by West African communities for centuries in both rituals and healing ceremonies. Yet, this psychedelic did not make its way into the western world until 1864.

In 1970, the FDA classified ibogaine as a Schedule I drug alongside other psychoactive drugs such as psilocybin and LSD. However, in recent years with the resurgence of psychedelics in therapeutic research the regulatory landscape is once again becoming more favorable.

To help facilitate this research, the company has brought on Dr. Dan Engle who is Board Certified in Psychiatry and Neurology, as the companys Primary Investigator Consultant.

"MINDCURE is fortunate that Dr. Engle has chosen to bring his expertise and clinical experience with trauma and head injury to lead MINCURE's research efforts," said President and CEO Kelsey Ramsden. "Dr. Engle is a trusted resource whose guidance will be pivotal in leading this transformative research program. TBI issues not only affect individuals but also can have lasting effects on families and communities."

For additional national statistics and to learn more about traumatic brain injuries, visit https://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury/index.html.

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2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Psychedelics As A Potential Form Of Treatment For Traumatic Brain Injuries - Yahoo Finance

PALM BEACH, Fla., April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The psychedelics industry has entered the spotlight! The rapidly increasing acceptance of psychedelic treatments is creating a strong demand from therapists and patients for access to the new products and therapies. Industry reports for rise in revenues all seem to be higher than the previous report. A recent report from Data Bridge Market Research said that the psychedelic drugs market is expected to gain market growth in the forecast period of 2020 to 2027. Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the market is growing with a CAGR of 16.3% in the forecast period of 2020 to 2027 and expected to reach USD $6,859.95million by 2027 from USD 2,077.90 million in 2019. Growing acceptance of psychedelic drugs for treating depression and increasing prevalence of depression and mental disorders are the factors for the market growth. Another report from Research And Markets upped the projection saying that the Psychedelic Drugs Market size is projected to reach USD $10.75 Billion by 2027, from USD 4.75 Bn in 2020 growing at a CAGR of 12.36% during 2021-2027. Active companies in the markets this week include: Mind Cure Health Inc. (OTCQB: MCURF) (CSE: MCUR),Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc.(OTCQB: MMEDF) (NEO: MMED), Numinus Wellness Inc. (OTCPK: LKYSF)(TSXV: NUMI), Field Trip Health Ltd. (OTCQX: FTRPF) (CSE: FTRP), Cybin, Inc. (OTCQB: CLXPF) (NEO: CYBN).

The Data Bridge report also said that: "The psychedelic drugs are used to enhance or change sensory perceptions, energy levels, thought processes, and to facilitate spiritual experiences. Psychedelic drugs can be categorized into dissociative drugs (such as PCP), empathogens and serotonergic (classic hallucinogens) (such as LSD). These drugs are used in the treatment of major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and opiate addiction among others. Psychedelic drugs market has increased with increased number of psychedelic drugs as compared to the past few years and increasing prevalence of depression and mental disorders in the U.S. Growing acceptance of psychedelic drugs for treating depression is also increasing market value as the psychedelic drugs has repetitively proven its high rates of effectiveness for treatment for nicotine dependence, alcohol dependence, anxiety associated terminal illness and chronic PTSD as compared to other antidepressants. Currently, different research studies are taking place that are expected to provide a competitive advantage for new and innovative therapeutic manufacturers with competitive psychedelic drugs and methods to develop, define psychedelic drugs, and various other opportunities in the U.S. psychedelic market."

Mind Cure Health Inc. (CSE: MCUR.CNQ) (OTCQB: MCURF) BREAKING NEWS: MINDCURE Partners its iSTRYM Technology with LUCID to Discover and Create Proprietary Music Experiences for Use During Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Sessions - Mind Cure Health Inc,a leader in advanced proprietary technology for psychedelic therapy, is pleased to announce a partnership with LUCID Inc. ("LUCID"). LUCID's mission is to help people optimize their mental wellness through music, and they will be designing custom psychedelic music experiences for iSTRYM.

After announcing its data partnership with Speak Ai last week, MINDCURE continues to integrate world-class technologies into and create proprietary experiences within iSTRYM, its psychedelics digital therapeutics platform. LUCID's platform is a key differentiator for iSTRYM as therapists and patients seek out scientifically validated tools to enhance the effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted therapies. It will enable the therapist to alter the music within a therapy session based on real-time feedback and data collected from the patient, all within iSTRYM.

"We look forward to working with MINDCURE's team and bringing our expertise to psychedelic-assisted therapies," said Zach McMahon, LUCID CEO and Co-Founder. "Our team will be researching and taking into consideration the therapeutic targets and mechanisms of action associated with each psychedelic while leveraging our machine learning systems to optimize the music experiences in iSTRYM for personalization and efficacy."

Music has been shown to be effective as a stress and anxiety management tool and also has shown efficacy for diverse outcomes, including chronic and acute pain. Listening to music evokes a wide range of emotions, and because of this, music listening has been a component of several psychological interventions in the area of anxiety and depression, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. With this integration, therapists will have access to music designed for psychedelic-assisted therapies and specific psychedelic compounds that is changing in real-time based on patient feedback, AI and collected data to deepen or alter the experience.

"We are building first-of-its-kind functionality by pairing AI-driven music scapes with a therapist's art of directing the experience for patients in psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions," said Kelsey Ramsden, MINDCURE President and CEO. "Integrating LUCID will further enhance iSTRYM's capabilities and its potential as the validated backbone of the roll-out of psychedelic therapy and trusted wingman for therapists and patients who want a digital therapeutic partner that allows for quantified medicine with personalization at scale." CONTINUED To read this and more news for Mind Cure Health, please visit https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-mcur/

Other recent developments in the markets include:

MindMed (OTCQB: MMEDF) (NEO: MMED), a leading clinical-stage psychedelic medicine biotech company, recently announced the publication of the first study on MDMA dosing optimization using personalized medicine. The study took place at the University Hospital Basel Liechti Lab, inBasel, Switzerland. This study provides the first scientific data for predicting responses to MDMA and optimizing dosing. This may maximize the potential beneficial therapeutic effects while reducing adverse responses when treating medical conditions.

The study used data from 194 MDMA administrations in ten randomized placebo-controlled studies in healthy subjects conducted by the Liechti Lab at the University HospitalBasel, Switzerland. Key findings of the study suggest: The dose of MDMA can be optimized using predictors known before dosing including body weight, sex, age, genetics, personality trait measures, and mood before drug administration; The dose of MDMA per kg body weight of the treated person best predicted the MDMA concentrations in the body and also mainly determined the acute subjective response to MDMA.

Numinus Wellness Inc. (OTCPK: LKYSF)(TSXV: NUMI) provides solutions to develop and deliver psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and transform the mental health landscape. The company operates in two divisions, Salvation Botanicals and Numinus Health. The Salvation Botanicals division offers laboratory services, such as cultivation, analytical testing, product research and development, and ancillary services in the area of psychedelics; and full suite testing and custom testing of cannabis. The Numinus Health division provides supportive therapies and technologies to heal, connect, and grow with a focus on treating mental health and substance abuse; and services for psychotherapy, counselling, neurofeedback, physiotherapy, and other therapies. This division also offers training, facilities, and other operational resources to practitioners. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Field Trip Health Ltd. (OTCQX: FTRPF) (CSE: FTRP), a leader in the development and delivery of psychedelic therapies, recently reported its third fiscal quarter results for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2020. All results are reported under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise specified.

Joseph del Moral, Field Trip's CEO, said, "We are making rapid progress maximizing value for shareholders by building out Field Trip's complementary business lines that focus on both the development and the delivery of psychedelic therapies. Our deeply integrated platform combines drug and product developments, psychedelic-enhanced therapy and technology-enabled virtual care solutions. All the components work in concert with each other to increase our understanding of the therapeutic value of psychedelics and to deliver them to patients that need them most. With our early-mover advantage, a strong cash position, and a strong and growing reputation as thought leaders in the industry, we are well-positioned to propel our growth in the emerging market of psychedelic therapy."

Cybin Inc.(OTCQB: CLXPF) (NEO: CYBN), a biotechnology company focused on progressing psychedelic therapeutics, recently announced plans to advance the pre-clinical work for its orally dissolving tablet ("ODT") formulation of CYB003 and its inhaled formulation of CYB004, two of the Company's deuterated tryptamine development candidates. These studies are part of the required U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") enabling trials for investigational new drug applications ("INDs").

Upon successful completion, the results of the IND-enabling studies will be included in the submissions to the FDA, as well as to other regulatory bodies, such as Health Canada and European Medical Association ("EMA"). The candidates would then advance into Phase 1 human clinical trials for specified psychiatric conditions. Labcorp Drug Development will serve as the pre-clinical research organization for Cybin.

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Psychedelic Drugs Market Size Is Projected To Reach $10.75 Billion By 2027 - PRNewswire

Due to stigma, their illegal status and difficulty in finding control groups, research with psychedelics has been a challenge. But research increasingly shows that this class of drug has legitimate medicinal uses, and they may be just as good or even better than more traditional therapies.

Now, the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London reports in the New England Journal of Medicine that when pitted against escitalopram (brand name: Lexapro), psilocybin was as effective as the popular SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) in treating moderate to severe depression. Perhaps most significantly, these results were obtained when comparing 6 weeks of daily doses of escitalopram to just two administrations of psilocybin.

Robin Carhart-Harris, head of the center who has published over 100 papers on psychedelics, is confident this study represents another step forward in applying psychedelics to mental health treatment protocols while also reducing fears a lot of citizens have around these substances. In a press release, he said:

"One of the most important aspects of this work is that people can clearly see the promise of properly delivered psilocybin therapy by viewing it compared with a more familiar, established treatment in the same study. Psilocybin performed very favorably in this head-to-head."

Credit: Robin Carhart-Harris et al, NEJM, 2021.

As depicted above, the phase 2 clinical trial included 59 volunteers. The escitalopram (control) group received six weeks of daily escitalopram in addition to two tiny (1-mg) doses of psilocybin a dose so low that it is unlikely to produce hallucinogenic effects. The psilocybin (experimental) group received two 25-mg doses of psilocybin three weeks apart with placebo given on all the other days.

At the end of the study, both groups saw a decrease in depressive symptoms, though the results were not statistically significant. (That isn't necessarily bad because if the two drugs have similar effects, then they would not produce statistically significant results. Still, a larger study is needed to confirm that psilocybin is "just as good as" escitalopram.)

Additionally, several other outcomes favored psilocybin over escitalopram. For instance, 57 percent in the psilocybin group saw a remission of symptoms compared to 28 percent in the escitalopram group. This result was significant.

As psychedelics become decriminalized and potentially legalized for therapeutic use, however, a large population of people might desire the antidepressant effects without the hallucinations. For example, the psychedelic ibogaine may be useful for treating addiction, so the company Mindmed is developing an analog that works without producing the unwanted hallucinogenic side effects.

A new research article, published in the journal PNAS, investigated the antidepressant effects of psilocybin on a group of chronically stressed mice. (Under immense stress, mice develop something resembling human depression.) As with humans, depressed mice lose a sense of joy, which can be assessed by determining their preference for sugar water over tap water. Normal mice prefer sugar water, but depressed mice simply don't care.

Once the mice were no longer juicing up on the sweetened water, the team dosed them with psilocybin alongside a drug called ketanserin, a 5-HT2A serotonin receptor antagonist that eliminates psychedelic effects. Within 24 hours of receiving the dose, the mice were rushing back to the sugar water, indicating that tripping is not necessary for psilocybin to work as an antidepressant.

While the team is excited about these results, they realize it needs to be replicated in a different population.

"The possibility of combining psychedelic compounds and a 5-HT2AR antagonist offers a potential means to increase their acceptance and clinical utility and should be studied in human depression."

Photo: Cannabis_Pic / Adobe Stock

Psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD have a long track record of efficacy in clinical trials and anecdotal experiences. Almost all volunteers of the famous Marsh Chapel experiment claimed their experience on Good Friday in 1962 was one of the most significant events of their lives and this was a quarter-century after the fact. A more recent, controlled study found that a single dose of psilocybin showed antidepressant effects six months later.

Proponents of macrodosing and ritualistic experiences sometimes argue that the full-blown mystical trip is the therapy, though this is anecdotal, not clinical research. As the Maryland team noted, a number of people are contraindicated for psychedelics, whether through a family history of schizophrenia or current antidepressant treatments.

Senior author Scott Thompson is excited for future research on this topic. As he said of his team's findings:

"The psychedelic experience is incredibly powerful and can be life-changing, but that could be too much for some people or not appropriate These findings show that activation of the receptor causing the psychedelic effect isn't absolutely required for the antidepressant benefits, at least in mice."

Hopefully, with more research occurring in psychedelics than even in the 1950s (when studies predominantly relied on anecdotal evidence and little government support), the longstanding stigmatization of psychedelics is beginning to recede. This could open up new possibilities for both clinical research and, for those curious about the ritual effects, a continuation of introspective experiences.

--

Stay in touch with Derek on Twitter and Facebook. His most recent book is "Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy."

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Study: Tripping might not be required for psychedelic therapy - Big Think

Psychedelic drug or psychedelics hallucinogenic drugs in a 3D illustration style.

Healing intergenerational trauma through psychedelics is a key theme that will be explored in the inaugural Jewish Psychedelic Summit to be held virtually, May 2 and May 3. Among the speakers at this two-day confab are rabbis, therapists, mystics and scholars. The brainchild of Madison Margolin, editor and co-founder of DoubleBlind Magazine, a psychedelics-focused publication, Rabbi Zac Kamenetz, who received his rabbinic ordination in 2012 and Natalie Lyla Ginsberg, the director of policy and advocacy at the nonprofit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, the conference will encapsulate discussion of the past, present and future of psychedelic Judaism.

Recently, the event's three co-founders talked about its conception and planning. They also weighed in on why you do not need to be Jewish to attend the summit.

This Q&A has been edited for conciseness and clarity.

Iris Dorbian: How did the idea for the conference come about?

Madison Margolin: To me, this conference represents a movement that has been brewing for a long time. While there is evidence of entheogenic use in Biblical times, the concept of Jewish psychedelia really began to take off around the 1960s and 1970s, and today has mushroomed a movement that is helping people from secular to Orthodox backgrounds rekindle their relationship to Judaism.

Zac Kamenetz: Madison and I were asked to speak at a conference about psilocybin and we chose to speak about how Jewish time could be a powerful vehicle for psychedelic experience. A few weeks later, we reached out to each other with the same idea a summit to broadcast some of the big questions and conversations happening in the Jewish psychedelic world and to catalyze a growing community and movement of Jews who are curious, interested, or excited about weaving sacred entheogenic use into the rich fabric of Jewish spiritual consciousness and practice. After sharing a few ideas about what could be possible and seeing how big this could be, we asked Natalie to help us make it a reality. The confluence of creative passion and personal connections, dreams and resources came together to create what felt like the next obvious step in the psychedelic Jewish movement.

Madison Margoline, co-founder of DoubleBlind Magazine and Jewish Psychedelic Summit

Dorbian: How did you find the speakers and develop the programming?

Margolin: We put a lot of work into making sure that people of all different backgrounds were represented. That means including people with Jewish backgrounds ranging from Europe to North Africa to the Middle East; from secular to ultra-orthodox; from underground lived experience with psychedelics to academics who have taken a more bookish approach.

Natalie Ginsberg: We had a hard time cutting it down to two days of content. We intentionally made each panel topic a question, to embody the Jewish tradition of questioning and to reflect that each topic is an ongoing exploration and discussion.

Kamenetz: This feels like the best kept secret of the global Jewish community. Having already started an online community called the Jewish Entheogenic Society to capture all the wisdom and wonder about the intersection between Judaism and psychedelics, it was very easy to reach out to speakers and say, You see this happening; its getting bigger [and] we are creating the container for more community conversations and deepening the conversation.

Rabbi Zac Kamenetz, co-founder of Jewish Psychedelic Summit

Dorbian: If I am interested in psychedelics and healing but I am not Jewish, should I still attend this conference?

Margolin: Of course! The summit platforms Jewish wisdom, mysticism and healing modalities in a psychedelic context, but I think that non-Jews could find value in the content as well. Perhaps they would resonate with ways that they could combine their own religion with the psychedelic experience, too, such as even in say Hindu contexts, which can be very grounding and provide a ritualistic framework to something that at times can be so intangible and otherwise difficult to grasp.

Kamenetz: The Jewish Psychedelic Summit is for everyone. We are creating a model for religious or spiritual tradition communities that can work through major questions of theology, spiritual practice, social justice, culturally specific spiritual and respectful care, and processing individual and collective trauma.

Natalie Ginsberg, director of policy and advocacy at the Multidisciplinary Association for ... [+] Psychedelic Studies and co-founder of Jewish Psychedelic Summit

Dorbian: What is your aim for this conference? Do you see it as a one-off or an annual event?

Margolin: I see this conference as a means of gathering an already existent and fast-growing community. I hope that the Jewish Psychedelic Summit can honor those who have been doing both spiritual and healing work in this space for decades prior to the existence of an online conference, while also platforming newcomers to the space who can add to the conversation as academics, rabbis, community builders, mystics, and so forth.

Ginsberg: Judaism encourages us to question and dialogue, and we are hopeful this conference amplifies the growing conversation around psychedelic Judaism and perhaps inspires some Jewish psychonauts to consider integrating some of their ancestral traditions into their modern spiritual and healing practices.

Kamenetz: Since the Jewish counterculture movement, there has been a deep and growing desire by many Jews to experience their traditions directly and on their own terms, without barriers or institutional filters. I hope we can reawaken a sense of the mystery of being and inspiring conscious activism, which is grounded in inner wisdom. We are excited to see where this takes us in the long-term.

Regular registration is $72. For students and lower-income attendees, it's $32 and for those who wish to make a donation to further "community building and research," it's $108. For more information, click here.

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Why You Dont Need To Be Jewish To Attend The Upcoming Jewish Psychedelic Summit - Forbes