Psychedelic Drugs in Biomedicine
This review (2017) summarizes pre/clinical data pertaining to the effects of psychedelics and their pharmacological mechanisms of action and outlines future areas of translational research to investigate how synapse-related gene expression influences the disruption of established neural connectivity patterns, underlying therapeutic effects.
Authors
- David Nichols
- Charles Nichols
Published
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin, exert profound effects on brain and behavior. After decades of difficulties in studying these compounds, psychedelics are again being tested as potential treatments for intractable biomedical disorders. Preclinical research of psychedelics complements human neuroimaging studies and pilot clinical trials, suggesting these compounds as promising treatments for addiction, depression, anxiety, and other conditions. However, many questions regarding the mechanisms of action, safety, and efficacy of psychedelics remain. Here, we summarize recent preclinical and clinical data in this field, discuss their pharmacological mechanisms of action, and outline critical areas for future studies of psychedelic drugs, with the goal of maximizing the potential benefits of translational psychedelic biomedicine to patients.
Research Summary of 'Psychedelic Drugs in Biomedicine'
Introduction
Psychedelic drugs such as LSD, mescaline and psilocybin produce profound alterations in perception, cognition and behaviour and were first studied in humans before animal models. Kyzar and colleagues describe a history in which early clinical and experimental work in the 1950s–60s suggested therapeutic potential, but legal restrictions from the 1970s halted most research for decades. A resurgence of preclinical and human studies in recent years has rekindled interest in the biology and potential clinical uses of these compounds. This paper sets out to summarise contemporary preclinical and clinical findings, evaluate the therapeutic promise of classic serotonergic psychedelics, discuss pharmacological mechanisms (with emphasis on the 5-HT2A receptor), and identify critical questions for future translational research. The authors limit their scope to classic psychedelics whose principal neural effects are mediated via 5-HT2A, and they aim to integrate molecular, cellular, circuit-level and human-imaging data to frame how these drugs might produce sustained changes in mood, addiction and other disorders.
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Kyzar, E. J., Nichols, C. D., Gainetdinov, R. R., Nichols, D. E., & Kalueff, A. V. (2017). Psychedelic Drugs in Biomedicine. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 38(11), 992-1005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2017.08.003
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