Psychedelics: A review of their effects on recalled aversive memories and fear/anxiety expression in rodents
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews – September 20, 2024
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Psychedelics show significant potential for treating anxiety and maladaptive memories from aversive stimuli. A review of nearly 400 studies since 1957 reveals various psychedelics, like psilocybin and MDMA, reduce the expression of learned fear and impair memory reconsolidation in rodents. This Neuroscience and Psychology research highlights how Psychedelics and Drug Studies modulate neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior. Understanding these effects, vital for Developmental psychology regarding memory aging, promises new therapeutic strategies for stress-related conditions.
Abstract
Threatening events and stressful experiences can lead to maladaptive memories and related behaviors. Existing treatments often fail to address these issues linked to anxiety/stress-related disorders effectively. This review identifies dose ranges associated with specific actions across various psychedelics. We examined psilocybin/psilocin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), mescaline, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), serotonin 2 A/2 C agonists (e.g., DOI) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on aversive memory extinction and reconsolidation, learned fear, anxiety, and locomotion in rodents. Nearly 400 studies published since 1957 were reviewed. Psychedelics often show biphasic effects on locomotion at doses that enhance extinction learning/retention, impair memory reconsolidation, or reduce learned fear and anxiety. Emerging evidence suggests a dissociation between their prospective benefits and locomotor effects. Under-explored aspects include sex differences, susceptibility to interference as memories age and generalize, repeated treatments, and immediate vs. delayed changes. Validating findings in traumatic-like memory and maladaptive fear/anxiety models is essential. Understanding how psychedelics modulate threat responses and post-retrieval memory processes in rodents may inform drug development and human studies, improving therapeutic approaches for related psychiatric conditions.