Psychedelic drugs that activate the 5-HT2A receptor, such as psilocybin and DMT, produce dose-related psychological effects including hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, emotional breakthroughs, and mystical-type experiences. When combined with psychological support, these substances can rapidly improve mood in people with depression, with benefits lasting months. The therapeutic effects may stem from increased brain entropy that disrupts fixed negative thinking, enhanced cognitive flexibility after treatment, and changes in self-referential psychological processes. The brain mechanisms underlying serotonergic psychedelics likely differ from those of classical serotonin reuptake-blocking antidepressants.
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25) is known to enter the brain, but how it produces psychotic patterns in humans remains unknown. Experiments on intact animals may help uncover chemical processes related to schizophrenia. Researchers studied the effects of respiration inhibitors such as potassium cyanide, sodium azide, hydrazine, and oxygen lack, as well as oxidation-reduction indicators like methylene blue and Bindschedler's green, on Siamese fighting fish. It was previously shown that small doses of LSD-25 in the surrounding water markedly change the fish's behavior. The current report adds that potassium cyanide and sodium azide also act on the Siamese fighting fish.