AIM: Psilocin is an active metabolite form of psilocybin and exerts psychoactive effects. Recent studies suggest that psilocin may have regulatory effects on abuse drugs, but the mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we want to explore the effects of psilocin on methamphetamine (METH)-induced alterations of behavior in mice and its molecular mechanisms. ...
Psilocybin is a serotonergic psychedelic that has gained prominent attention recently as a potential therapeutic for neuropsychiatric disorders including Major Depressive Disorder. Pre-clinical and initial studies in humans suggest that serotonin 2A receptor agonists, including serotonergic psychedelics, have anti-inflammatory effects. This may contribute to...
IntroductionMescaline (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine) is one of the oldest hallucinogens, with evidence of use dating back 5700 years. Mescaline is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in cacti, mainly in the peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) and in the cacti of the Echinopsis genus. Since the prohibition of psychoactive substances in the early 70s, res...
Clinical studies provide evidence that ketamine and psilocybin could be used as fast-acting antidepressants, though their mechanisms and toxicity are still not fully understood. To address this issue, we have examined the effect of a single administration of ketamine and psilocybin on the extracellular levels of neurotransmitters in the rat frontal cortex an...
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle is a sensorimotor gating phenomenon perturbed in a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions. Psychedelics disrupt PPI in rats and humans, but their effects and involvement of the serotonin 5-HT receptor (5-HTR) in mice remain unexplored. We tested the effect of the psychedelic 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (...
4-phosphorloxy- N,N -dimethyltryptamine (psilocybin) is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound that is being investigated in clinical studies in conjunction with psychotherapy for treatment of several psychiatric disorders. It is well established that 4-hydroxy- N,N -dimethyltryptamine (psilocin) is the bioactive metabolite of psilocybin which mediates i...
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic psychiatric anxiety disorder distinguished by obsessive thoughts and repetitious actions. Current therapies for OCD are not very effective and have many possible side-effects. Psychedelics are a class of Schedule I substances that are re-emerging as novel therapeutics for a variety of psychiatric conditions. T...
Introduction Recently there has been renewal in interest of psychedelic research. Classic psychedelics such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin and mescaline act pharmacologically as agonists at the 5-HT2A receptor. The entactogens like methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), acts as a serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline agonist. All of these dru...
Hallucinogens constitute a unique class of substances that cause changes in the user's thoughts, perceptions, and mood through various mechanisms of action. Although the serotonergic hallucinogens such as lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine have been termed the classical hallucinogens, many hallucinogens elicit their actions th...
Hallucinogens comprise of a vast amount of substances such as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Phenylcyclidine PCP, naturally occurring alkaloid like Belladona and even mushrooms such as psylocybins. Usage of these substances can be traced back to antiquity, serving various purpose such as spiritual rites or even recreational purposes. However, in the modern era,...
The heteroreceptor complexes present a novel biological principle for signal integration. These complexes and their allosteric receptor-receptor interactions are bidirectional and novel targets for treatment of CNS diseases including mental diseases. The existence of D2R-5-HT2AR heterocomplexes can help explain the anti-schizophrenic effects of atypical anti...
It has been reported that serotonergic hallucinogens like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) induce decreases in functional connectivity within various resting-state networks. These alterations were seen as reflecting specific neuronal effects of hallucinogens and it was speculated that these shifts in connectivity underlie the characteristic subjective drug e...
The concept of self and self-referential processing has a growing explanatory value in psychiatry and neuroscience, referring to the cognitive organization and perceptual differentiation of self-stimuli in health and disease. Conditions in which selfhood loses its natural coherence offer a unique opportunity for elucidating the mechanisms underlying self-dis...
One among four people in the world are affected by mental or neurological illness at some point of their lives. An estimated number of 450 million people suffers from neurological disorders of one or the other type making mental disorders as the leading cause for disability across the globe. Under psychosis and depression maintenance therapy drug acting on D...
Hallucinogenic agents have been proposed as potent antidepressants; this includes the serotonin (5-HT) receptor 2A agonist psilocybin. In human subjects, psilocybin alters functional connectivity (FC) within the default-mode network (DMN), a constellation of inter-connected regions that is involved in self-reference and displays altered FC in depressive diso...
Sleep paralysis is a state of involuntary immobility occurring at sleep onset or offset, often accompanied by uncanny "ghost-like" hallucinations and extreme fear reactions. I provide here a neuropharmacological account for these hallucinatory experiences by evoking the role of the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR). Research has shown that 5-HT2AR activation c...
Serotonin is a key neuromodulator known to be involved in brain development, perception, cognition, and mood. However, unlike as with dopamine for example, a compelling unified theory of brain serotonin function has not yet been established. This is likely due to the exceptional complexity of the serotonin system, with its 14+ receptors, over twice the numbe...
After decades of opposition, a resurgence of interest in the psychotherapeutic potential of LSD is gaining acceptance in the medical community. Future acceptance of LSD as a psychotherapeutic adjuvant may be predicated on knowledge about its neural mechanisms of action. Preclinical drug discrimination assay offers an invaluable model to determine the neural ...
