Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39321788›Full record

ReviewEuropean addiction research2024

Psychedelics: From Cave Art to 21st-Century Medicine for Addiction.

Ioanna A Vamvakopoulou, David J Nutt

Abstract readReviewHistorical Article
In one paragraph

Review in European addiction research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. The psychedelic-peptide paradox: a hormetic hypothesis.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Ioanna A VamvakopoulouDivision of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Campus, London, UK, joanna.vamvakopoulou20@imperial.ac.uk.
David J NuttDivision of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Campus, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPsychedelic substance use in ritualistic and ceremonial settings dates back as early as 8,500 BCE. Only in recent years, from the mid-20th century, we have seen the re-emergence of psychedelics in a therapeutic setting and more specifically for the treatment of addiction. This article aims to review research over the past 40 years using classic (psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD], dimethyltryptamine [DMT], mescaline) and atypical (ketamine, ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) psychedelics for the treatment of addiction. SUMMARY: We will start with an overview of the pharmacology and physiological and psychological properties of psychedelic substances from pre-clinical and clinical research. We will then provide an overview of evidence gathered by studies conducted in controlled research environments and naturalistic and ceremonial settings, while we identify the proposed therapeutic mechanisms of each psychedelic substance. KEY MESSAGES: Classic and atypical psychedelics show promise as therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of addiction, through the improvement of psychological and physiological symptoms of dependence. A more comprehensive understanding of the ancient and present-day knowledge of the therapeutic potential of psychedelics can facilitate hope for psychedelic therapeutics in the treatment of addiction, especially for individuals who have failed other conventional treatment methods.

Indexed as

HallucinogensLysergic Acid DiethylamideSubstance-Related DisordersAnimalsBehavior, AddictiveHistory, 20th CenturyHistory, 21st CenturyHistory, AncientHumansKetamineMescalineN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineN,N-DimethyltryptaminePsilocybinHallucinogensKetamineLysergic Acid DiethylamideMescalineN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineN,N-DimethyltryptaminePsilocybinAddictionAtypical psychedelicsCeremonial useClassic psychedelicsPsychedelic therapy

Identifiers

PMID39321788
PMCPMC11527458

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.