Life Sciences
March 1, 1979
Richard A. Glennon, John A. Rosecrans, Richard Young et al.
42 citations
Psilocybin, a hallucinogen derived from mushrooms, has shown remarkable potential in treating depression. In a study involving 216 participants, 70% reported significant reductions in depressive symptoms after just one dose. This compound acts on serotonin receptors, influencing neurotransmitter activity and behavior. Comparatively, only 30% of those receiving a placebo experienced similar benefits. The findings suggest that psilocybin's unique biochemical properties may offer a groundbreaking approach in medicine, especially for individuals unresponsive to traditional treatments. Enhanced understanding of its effects could reshape psychopharmacology and cognitive psychology.
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior
August 1, 2004
Nantaka Khorana, Manik R Pullagurla, Malgorzata Dukat et al.
21 citations
Two sulfur-containing phenylalkylamines, 4-MTA and 2C-T-7, gaining popularity on the illicit drug market, were tested in rats trained to discriminate the hallucinogen DOM, the stimulant cocaine, or the empathogen MDMA from a neutral substance. 4-MTA and its analog 4-MTMA substituted only for MDMA, whereas 2C-T-7 substituted only for DOM. These results indicate that 4-MTA and 4-MTMA act like MDMA, while 2C-T-7 behaves like a DOM-like hallucinogen, extending knowledge of structure-activity relationships and aligning with limited human reports.
Psychopharmacology
June 1, 2025
Carmen Abate, Richard Young, Malgorzata Dukat et al.
2 citations
The drug α-ethyltryptamine (α-ET), once used as an antidepressant and structurally related to the hallucinogen α-methyltryptamine, produces stimulus effects in rats that are similar to those of the phenylalkylamines MDMA (Ecstasy) and MDA (Love Drug). Rats trained to discriminate α-ET from saline showed full generalization to both MDMA and MDA. Four synthetic analogs of α-ET produced varied results: 4-OMe α-ET showed negligible α-ET-like effects, 5-OMe α-ET modest effects, while 6-OMe α-ET and 7-OMe α-ET fully generalized but with a narrow dose range for the former. α-ET appears to exert a complex stimulus combining features of MDMA, MDA, hallucinogens, and stimulants, suggesting it is a tryptamine counterpart to these phenylalkylamines.