Advances and Pathophysiological Models of Hallucinogenic Drug Actions in Humans: A Preamble to Schizophrenia Research
Pharmacopsychiatry – July 01, 1998
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
The pharmacology of hallucinogens like Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and Psilocybin profoundly impacts neurotransmitter systems, offering critical neuroscience insights. Research demonstrates that drug-induced psychosis, and potentially conditions like schizophrenia, involve a complex mechanism of multiple interactive neurotransmitter receptors. Specifically, a dysbalance among three key neurotransmitters—serotonin, glutamate, and dopamine—influences behavior. These psychedelics and dissociative drug studies provide powerful tools for psychology, elucidating neuropsychiatric disorder pathophysiology. Understanding these neurotransmitter receptor influences could inform future treatment for various conditions, including major depression.
Abstract
Recent research into the pharmacological mechanism of hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin) and dissociative anesthetics (PCP, ketamine) suggest that multiple neurotransmitter systems are involved in drug-induced and possibly also in naturally occurring psychoses. Specifically, animal models suggest that a dysbalance between serotonin, glutamate, and dopamine in the limbic cortico-striato-thalamic circuitry may be critical to psychotic symptom formation. To test this hypothesis, psychometric measures and metabolic PET investigations were performed (1) with FDG to elucidate the common neuronal substrates of different hallucinogens, (2) with specific receptor ligands before and after pretreatment with specific receptor antagonists to explore the putative interactions of hallucinogens with various neurotransmitter systems. Our data demonstrate that the neuronal substrate of normal and abnormal thought and behavior is associated with a distributed neuronal network and with multiple interactive neurotransmitter systems. The data also support the view that the hallucinogen challenge paradigm constitutes a powerful tool for elucidating the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders.