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Psilocybin Research

Impairments in Prepulse Inhibition (PPI) of the startle response is commonly experienced with people with Schizophrenia. 5-HT2A is a receptor that is agonistic with psilocybin. It has been shown that when psilocybin binds to the receptor, it can increase the PPI in long interstimulus intervals (ISI) and decrease PPI in short ISI asscessed by the Altered States of Conciousness Rating scale and Frankfurt Attention inventory. Psilocybin also impaired sustained and increased all Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale besides Auditory Alterations.

Psilocybin can be safely used in people with Obsessive compulsiveness disorder. Originally SRIs and SSRIs have tried to treat OCD becuase of the 5-HT agonist. This study tested the safety and tolerability of psilocybin in subjects with OCD. Subjects were tested by the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders to be cleared to go through the experiment. Out of the 9 subjects that had taken psilocybin, only 1 person showed hypertension problems, where no other adverse effects were reported. There was also an acute reduction of OCD symptoms across the subjects who had any of the dose sizes given. This is based on the mean score Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive scale.

Psilocybin has been used for mediating the attribution of personal meaning. In a study, 36 religious, hallucinogen-naïve subjects took oral psilocybin or methylphenidate where they were asked to focus on their inner self and close their eyes with 14 month follow up. 58% of the subjects said the experience was among the best 5 most personally meaningful experiences and 67% of the subjected said the experience is among the best 5 most spiritually significant experienced. 64% of the subjects said the experience increased well-being or life satisfaction and 58% had a complete mystical experience. There was also a statistically significant difference in behavior where the psilocybin users had higher positive behavioral change than the methylphenidate users.

Psilocybin, which have a 5-HT1 and 5 HT2 agonist, was studied in subjects in order to detect regional cerebral glucose metabolism in different parts of the brain. 10 healthy volunteers took a PET scan and a [F-18]-flurodeoxyglucose test before and after a 15 or 20 mg dose of psilocybin. Psychotomimetic doses of psilocybin were found to increase the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose. The most significant increases were in frontomedial and frontolateral cortex by 24.3%, the anterior cingulate by 25.3% and the temporomedial cortex by 25.3%. This suggests the excessive activation of the 5-HT2 receptor will lead to a hyperfrontal metabolic pattern similar to those experiencing a schizophrenic psychotic episode.

Rationale binocular rivalry happens when different images are shown to both eyes at the same time. In a study, changes in the psychological state via 5-HTA2 receptor activation by ingesting psilocybin and binocular rivalry switch state were looked at in correlation to each other. 10 subjects took a pretreatment selective 5-HT2 antagonist ketanserin (50 mg) and then took psilocybin (215 ug/kg). The results show that psilocybin lowered the rate of binocular rivalry switching and increased the proportion of transitional/mixed percept experience. The data in this study suggests that psilocybin’s effect on binocular rivalry isn’t likely mediated by the 5-HTA2 receptor.