Psychopharmacology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Acute subjective effects after smoking joints containing up to 69 mg Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in recreational users: a randomized, crossover clinical trial.
An increase in the potency of the cannabis cigarettes has been observed over the past three decades. ⋯ This study shows a strong effect of cannabis containing high percentages of THC on the rating of subjective effects. Regular users and forensic toxicologists should be aware that the THC-induced increase in 'feeling sedated' continues longer with a 69 mg THC dose than with a 29 mg THC dose.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Lithium carbonate in the management of cannabis withdrawal: a randomized placebo-controlled trial in an inpatient setting.
Preclinical studies suggest that lithium carbonate (lithium) can reduce precipitated cannabinoid withdrawal in rats by stimulating release of the neuropeptide oxytocin, while two open-label studies indicate lithium may ameliorate cannabis withdrawal symptoms in humans. ⋯ Despite the strong rationale for the present study, the efficacy of lithium over placebo in the management of cannabis withdrawal was not demonstrated.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized trial of riluzole as an adjunct to risperidone for treatment of negative symptoms in patients with chronic schizophrenia.
Several recent studies have focused on glutamate modulating agents for symptoms relief in schizophrenia, especially negative symptoms which are resistant to conventional therapies. ⋯ These preliminary findings suggest that riluzole may be a safe and effective medication for the treatment of negative symptoms in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Further research and replication of study findings is warranted. Clinical trial registry name and registration number: Iranian registry of clinical trials www.irct.ir , IRCT201107281556N26
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The effect of intranasal oxytocin treatment on conditioned fear extinction and recall in a healthy human sample.
To improve outcomes for patients undergoing extinction-based therapies (e.g., exposure therapy) for anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there has been interest in identifying pharmaceutical compounds that might facilitate fear extinction learning and recall. Oxytocin (OT) is a mammalian neuropeptide that modulates activation of fear extinction-based neural circuits and fear responses. Little is known, however, about the effects of OT treatment on conditioned fear responding and extinction in humans. ⋯ The current study provides preliminary evidence that OT may facilitate fear extinction recall in humans. These results support further study of OT as a potential adjunctive treatment for extinction-based therapies in fear-related disorders.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A placebo-controlled study of tropisetron added to risperidone for the treatment of negative symptoms in chronic and stable schizophrenia.
A growing body of evidence illustrates that 5-HT3 receptor antagonist drugs may be of benefit in the treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. ⋯ Tropisetron add-on to risperidone improves the primary negative symptoms of patients with chronic stable schizophrenia.