Animal Models of Serotonergic Psychedelics
ACS Chemical Neuroscience – September 24, 2012
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Neuroscience reveals that even rodent models exhibit behavioral changes mirroring human responses to Serotonergic hallucinogens like Psilocybin, Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and Mescaline. This challenges assumptions about the uniquely human effects on Cognition and emotion. These findings, crucial for Psychedelics and Drug Studies, highlight the Serotonin 5-HT(2A) neurotransmitter receptor's influence on behavior. Understanding these molecular mechanisms and neuronal circuits through biochemical analysis and sensing techniques offers significant translational potential for Psychology.
Abstract
The serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptor is the major target of psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin. Serotonergic psychedelics induce profound effects on cognition, emotion, and sensory processing that often seem uniquely human. This raises questions about the validity of animal models of psychedelic drug action. Nonetheless, recent findings suggest behavioral abnormalities elicited by psychedelics in rodents that predict such effects in humans. Here we review the behavioral effects induced by psychedelic drugs in rodent models, discuss the translational potential of these findings, and define areas where further research is needed to better understand the molecular mechanisms and neuronal circuits underlying their neuropsychological effects.