Molecular insights into psychedelic drug action
Journal of Neurochemistry – November 19, 2021
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Psilocybin has received FDA "Breakthrough Therapy" designation for treatment-resistant depression, signaling a new era for psychedelics in medicine. Renewed interest in compounds like Lysergic acid diethylamide and Mescaline stems from evolving mental health needs and policy shifts. Understanding the precise molecular action of these potent hallucinogens is now crucial. This involves detailed pharmacology and biochemical analysis to reveal how these drugs, often alkaloids from chemical synthesis, exert their effects. Such insights are vital for psychotherapists and psychiatry to harness their full potential in psychology and drug studies.
Abstract
Abstract A confluence of factors has renewed interest in the scientific understanding and translational potential of psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin: the desire for additional approaches to mental health care, incremental progress in basic and clinical research, and the reconsideration and relaxation of existing drug policies. With the United States Food and Drug Administration's designation of psilocybin as a “Breakthrough Therapy” for treatment‐resistant depression, a new path has been forged for the conveyance of psychedelics to the clinic. Essential to the further development of such applications, however, is a clearer understanding of how these drugs exert their effects at the molecular level. Here we review the current knowledge regarding the molecular details of psychedelic drug actions and suggest that these discoveries can facilitate new insights into their hallucinogenic and therapeutic mechanisms. image