Acute effects of combined Bacopa, American ginseng and whole coffee fruit on working memory and cerebral haemodynamic response of the prefrontal cortex: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talitha Best ◽  
Chantelle Clarke ◽  
Nathan Nuzum ◽  
Wei-Peng Teo
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
American Ginseng ◽  
Haemodynamic Response ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Acute Effects ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Double Blind Placebo

scholarly journals Microevidence for microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study of subjective effects, behavior, creativity, perception, cognition, and brain activity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Cavanna ◽  
Stephanie Muller ◽  
Laura Alethia de la Fuente ◽  
Federico Zamberlan ◽  
Matías Palmucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Spectral Power ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Subjective Effects ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Acute Effects ◽  
Theta Band ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Double Blind Placebo ◽  
Active Dose

AbstractThe use of low sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelics (“microdosing”) has gained popularity in recent years. Although anecdotal reports claim multiple benefits associated with this practice, the lack of placebo-controlled studies limits our knowledge of microdosing and its effects. Moreover, research conducted in laboratory settings might fail to capture the motivation of individuals engaged in microdosing protocols. We recruited 34 individuals planning to microdose with psilocybin mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis), one of the materials most frequently used for this purpose. Following a double-blind placebo-controlled design, we investigated the effects of 0.5 g dried mushrooms on subjective experience, behavior, creativity, perception, cognition, and brain activity. The reported acute effects were significantly more intense for the active dose compared to the placebo, which could be explained by unblinding. For the other measurements, we observed either null effects or a trend towards cognitive impairment and, in the case of EEG, towards reduced theta band spectral power. Our findings support the possibility that expectation effects underlie at least some of the anecdotal benefits attributed to microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms.

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