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Psychedelic Medicines in Major Depression: Progress and Future Challenges

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Major Depressive Disorder

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1305))

Abstract

The volume of research on the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs has been increasing during the last decades. Partly because of the need of innovative treatments in psychiatry, several studies have assessed the safety and efficacy of drugs like psilocybin or ayahuasca for a wide range of mental disorders, including major depression. The first section of this chapter will offer an introduction to psychedelic research, including a brief historical overview and discussions about appropriate terminology. In the second section, the recently published clinical trials in which psychedelic drugs were administered to patients will be analysed in detail. Then, in the third section, the main neurobiological mechanisms of these drugs will be described, noting that while some of these mechanisms could be potentially associated with their therapeutic properties, they are commonly used as adjuvants in psychotherapeutic processes. The last section suggests future challenges for this groundbreaking field of research and therapy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service), Barcelona, Spain

    Jose Carlos Bouso, Genís Ona, Rafael G. Dos Santos & Jaime E. C. Hallak

  2. Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Rafael G. Dos Santos & Jaime E. C. Hallak

  3. National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), CNPq, Riberão Preto, SP, Brazil

    Rafael G. Dos Santos

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  1. Jose Carlos Bouso
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  2. Genís Ona
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  3. Rafael G. Dos Santos
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  4. Jaime E. C. Hallak
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Correspondence to Jose Carlos Bouso .

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  1. Department of Psychiatry, Korea University Ansan Hospital, College of Medicine, Ansan, Korea (Republic of)

    Yong-Ku Kim

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Bouso, J.C., Ona, G., Dos Santos, R.G., Hallak, J.E.C. (2021). Psychedelic Medicines in Major Depression: Progress and Future Challenges. In: Kim, YK. (eds) Major Depressive Disorder. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1305. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6044-0_26

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