Abuse Potential: Considerations for Rescheduling MDMA and Psychedelics
Can the meteoric rise of psychedelics and entactogens clear the legal hurdles of abuse potential assessment and rescheduling?
Other Science
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.
Variants in 5-HT2A Receptor Gene Alter Psychedelic Pharmacology
A recent study found that Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5-HT2AR gene may impact the effects of clinically relevant psychedelics. This research implies that patients carrying certain polymorphisms may respond differentially to psychedelic-assisted interventions, an important consideration for the design and interpretation of future clinical trials.
Whole-Body Effects of Psychedelics Part 3 – The Heart
What is known about the divergent roles of the microscopic targets within the cardiovascular system and the cardiac risks versus benefits of psychedelics?
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.
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.
Buried Treasure: How Does Psilocybin Reduce Compulsivity?
Prior studies in clinical populations with OCD as well as animal models of this disorder indicate that psilocybin may suppress compulsive behavior. Although efforts to identify the mechanism of psilocybin’s effects are underway, the pharmacological targets underlying its anti-compulsive potential remain elusive.
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.
Digging Up Druggable Targets: Psilocybin Efficacy in a Model of OCD
Previous research in both people with OCD and animal models of the disorder indicate that psilocybin and related compounds may rapidly reduce compulsive behavior. However, the mechanism of action underlying the anti-compulsive effects of psilocybin remains unknown.