CNRS ERL 3649 « Neuroplasticité et thérapies des addictions », UMR-S 1124, Université Paris Descartes, 4, avenue de l'Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France.
2 papers in the library · 11 citations · publishing 2019-2025
Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, LSD, and ketamine show therapeutic potential for depression and addiction with effects lasting beyond drug elimination, suggesting neuroplastic changes. Ketamine and serotonergic psychedelics, despite targeting different receptors (NMDA and 5-HT2A), initiate similar plastic adaptations in the prefrontal cortex via brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). MDMA's effect on BDNF appears paradoxical, while ibogaine may exert anti-addictive properties through glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). Whether benefits can be obtained without psychotomimetic effects or toxicity remains unknown.
Psychedelic treatments produce therapeutic effects within hours that persist beyond the drug's elimination, suggesting neuroplasticity-related mechanisms. Serotonergic psychedelics and ketamine recruit glutamatergic neurons to stimulate BDNF-trKB signaling, promoting synaptogenesis via the mTOR pathway, which may explain their efficacy in depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction. Ibogaine exerts effects through GDF-mediated mechanisms underlying its benefit in addiction. MDMA, used for PTSD, influences synaptogenesis via 5-HT2A-dependent effects on BDNF but appears to have deleterious effects on neurotrophic signaling in the hippocampus, impacting plasticity differently. The modulation of the neurotrophic system contributes to reducing depressive symptoms, but its role in PTSD and addiction remains less understood.