Psychedelic Journal Watch

I. 2C-B vs MDMA vs Psilocybin

2C-B is a synthetic drug often described as a hybrid between psilocybin and MDMA. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study of healthy participants, effects of 2C-B were compared to MDMA and psilocybin.

30mg of 2C-B induced psychedelic-like altered states of consciousness as well as increased emotional empathy similar to MDMA. Unlike psilocybin, 2C-B did not lead to any “bad drug effects.”

According to the authors, “MDMA is more cardiostimulant than psilocybin and 2C-B. At the tested dose-level, psilocybin is more distressing than MDMA and 2C-B. These results may assist with dose-finding for future 2C-B research and provide a direct comparison with standard doses of the prototypical compounds MDMA and psilocybin.”

Read the full article here.

II. How does Blocking the Serotonin 1a Receptor Affect the Psychedelic Experience?

Classic psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, and DMT activate the serotonin 2a brain receptor. In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 12 participants received DMT along with either placebo or pindolol (a serotonin 1a receptor blocker). Subjective psychedelic effects were measured.

Blockade of the serotonin 1a receptor combined with activation of the serotonin 2a receptor causes enhanced psychedelic effects.

According to the authors, serotonin 1a receptor blockade “results in a global intensification of DMT-induced subjective effects, suggesting a functional role of [serotonin 1a] receptor action in the mechanism of psychedelic-induced subjective effects.

Read the full article here.

In this scoping review of 53 studies, information was gathered on study-design, psychedelic substance, definitions of repressed memory, results, and potential mechanisms.

The current literature does not adequately explain how psychedelics could recover repressed memories, nor is there consistent evidence that psychedelics do so reliably.

According to the authors, “future work should provide clear definitions of repressed memory in the context of psychedelics, test proposed effects of psychedelics on memory and executive control across multiple psychedelic substances, include placebo-controlled designs, and account for the potential occurrence of false memories.”

Read the full article here.

2C-B was originally synthesized by Alexander Shulgin, aka "The Godfather of Ecstasy", a biochemist who synthesized and personally tested over 200 psychoactive drugs.

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