Women’s Health and Psychedelics – New Insights
Using validated behavior models and known standards, studies are finding significant differences between male and female rodents given psychedelic drugs.
Neuroscience
Study of Norpsilocin Derivatives Reveals the Potential Importance of Monoalkyl Tryptamines
Norpsilocin is not psychoactive but minor changes to its chemical structure translate into major changes in its pharmacology.
Many Trips, Diminishing Returns: Cross-Tolerance Between LSD and DOI
Psychedelic drugs like LSD powerfully alter consciousness and promote neural plasticity, but drug tolerance occurs rapidly following the first dose. Although the mechanisms that underlie psychedelic tolerance may overlap with those that confer a therapeutic effect, until recently these mechanisms were unknown.
Psychedelic Brains In A Dish
Lab grown brains help to shed insight on 5-MeO-DMT mechanisms.
5-HT2A Virtual Chemical Screen Produces New Candidate Antidepressants
The serotonin receptor subtype 5-HT2A is key for the effects of many psychedelic substances in humans, but it is also a major drug target for new antidepressants. However, large challenges have prevented this therapeutic promise from being realised. Overcoming the early bottlenecks, innovative drug discovery methods have produced two new compounds with potential for therapeutic development.
From Dendrites to Drug Discovery: An Interview with Dr. Alex Kwan
Dr. Alex Kwan shares his insight on the field of preclinical psychedelic research and where he thinks things are headed in the future - in his lab, in drug discovery, and beyond.
New Psychedelic Entactogens: Designer Drugs Produce Designer Effects
Entactogenic drugs like MDMA and psychedelics like psilocybin may be beneficial for a range of psychiatric disorders. Though the pharmacology and subjective effects of entactogens and psychedelics differ, drugs that display qualities of both have received little attention to date.
MDMA Enhances Fear Extinction Learning: From Models to Mechanisms
A slew of contemporary research suggests MDMA’s efficacy as an adjunct in the treatment of PTSD, while little is known concerning the mechanisms at work. Recent investigation into the behavioral neurobiology of MDMA’s ability to facilitate the cessation of fear responses may offer a mechanistic explanation regarding its psychiatric utility.
Can Psilocybin Treat Obesity? New Evidence, Future Directions
The potential use of serotonergic psychedelic drugs has yet to be explored for treatment of multimodal health issues such as obesity. A new preclinical study aims to explore the effects of psilocybin in rodent food consumption and weight gain.
The Doors of Expression: LSD Alters Epigenetics and Protein Induction
Psychedelics have demonstrated the potential for rapid, dramatic, and enduring therapeutic effects in people with psychiatric disorders as well as in animal models of these conditions. However, the molecular adaptations in the brain that underlie these profound psychedelic-induced behavioral changes have yet to be defined.