Disentangling the acute subjective effects of classic psychedelics from their enduring therapeutic properties.
Psychopharmacology May 14, 2024 Mazen A Atiq, Matthew R Baker, Jennifer L Vande Voort et al. 12 citations
Classic psychedelics show therapeutic promise for neuropsychiatric disorders, partly through acute subjective effects (ASE) like mystical-type insights that correlate with long-term benefits. However, barriers such as high resource demands and exclusion of at-risk patients drive a search for compounds that retain therapeutic effects without ASE. Recognizing that psychedelics promote neuroplastic changes correcting aberrant neural circuitry, researchers are developing 'non-psychedelic' psychoplastogens that lack hallucinogenic activity yet show efficacy in preclinical models. This review examines clinical and preclinical evidence on whether ASE can be dissociated from sustained therapeutic properties and proposes clinical scenarios to clarify this question.