ACS Chemical Neuroscience
September 25, 2018
Andrey D. Volgin, Oleg A. Yakovlev, Konstantin A. Demin et al.
38 citations
Deliriant hallucinogens, such as atropine and scopolamine, are a distinct class of drugs that induce hyperactivity and dream-like hallucinations by blocking muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. Despite their long history of use and being well-studied in cholinergic physiology, they are the least-studied class of hallucinogens regarding their behavioral and neurological effects. This review comprehensively evaluates the preclinical effects of these drugs in various animal models, detailing their mechanisms of action and potential interactions with other signaling pathways. It parallels experimental and clinical findings to outline future directions for translational research, emphasizing the need for novel approaches and new model organisms to investigate their central nervous system effects.
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
June 7, 2022
Konstantin A. Demin, Olga V. Kupriyanova, Вадим А. Шевырин et al.
20 citations
Novel N-benzyl-2-phenylethylamine (NBPEA) derivatives, with specific substitutions in the N-benzyl and phenethylamine moieties, alter locomotion and anxiety-like behavior in adult zebrafish. Substitutions in the N-benzyl moiety modulate locomotion, while those in the phenethylamine moiety affect anxiety-like behavior and brain serotonin or dopamine turnover. The 24H–NBOMe(F) and 34H–NBOMe(F) treatments reduced despair-like behavior. Computational analyses classified the agents into anxiogenic/hypolocomotor, behaviorally inert, anxiogenic/hallucinogenic-like, and anxiolytic/hallucinogenic-like clusters, with some NBPEAs showing behavioral similarity to conventional serotonergic and antiglutamatergic hallucinogens. These findings suggest potent neuroactive properties of several NBPEAs, indicating potential clinical use or abuse.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
January 21, 2022
Konstantin A. Demin, Olga V. Kupriyanova, Вадим А. Шевырин et al.
preprint
Certain synthetic N-Benzyl-2-phenylethylamine (NBPEA) derivatives, related to hallucinogens like mescaline and MDMA, produce distinct behavioral and neurochemical effects in adult zebrafish. Substitutions on the N-benzyl fragment primarily affected locomotion, while those on the phenethylamine moiety influenced anxiety-like behavior. The compounds also modulated brain serotonin and/or dopamine turnover. Several behavioral clusters emerged: anxiogenic/hypolocomotor, behaviorally inert, anxiogenic/hallucinogenic-like, and anxiolytic/hallucinogenic-like. Two compounds reduced despair-like behavior. Artificial intelligence-driven phenotyping linked multiple compounds to NMDA antagonists and/or MDMA, suggesting hallucinogenic-like properties. In silico modeling indicated similarities between these NBPEAs, MDMA, and ketamine, implicating serotonin release, calcium channel activity, and serotonin receptor involvement.