Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
October 1, 2025
Brandon Richardson, Antonio Inserra, Michael Pileggi et al.
2 citations
Psilocybin and lisuride are 5-HT2A receptor agonists, but only psilocybin elicits the head twitch response (HTR) in rodents, a behavior commonly used as a proxy for hallucinogenic activity. This study aimed to compare their effects on serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) neuronal activity, as well as related behavioral outcomes, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying their divergent effects....
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
August 1, 2025
B. D. Richardson, Marco Pileggi, Thomas Prudhomme et al.
Abstract Background Psychedelics hold potential as therapeutics in psychological disorders. Even if they primarily act on 5-HT2A receptors, their mechanisms and effects on the brain are not well understood. Simply activating 5-HT2A receptors does not induce psychedelic effects. For example, psilocybin and lisuride both bind to 5-HT2A receptors, but only psilocybin induces hallucinogenic...
Cellular signalling
March 1, 2025
Etienne Billard, Alexandre Torbey, Antonio Inserra et al.
10 citations
Promising clinical evidence suggests that psychedelic compounds, like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), have therapeutic value for treatment of psychiatric disorders. However, they often produce hallucinations and dissociative states, likely mediated by the serotonin (5-HT) receptor 5-HT2A, raising challenges regarding therapeutic scalability. Given the reported antipsychotic effects of...
Molecular Psychiatry
February 1, 2025
Jacopo Sapienza, Francesca Martini, Stefano Comai et al.
11 citations
Psychedelics have shown promising effects in several psychiatric diseases as demonstrated by multiple clinical trials. However, no clinical experiments on patients with schizophrenia have been conducted up to date, except for some old semi-anecdotal studies mainly performed in the time-span '50s-'60s. Notably, these studies reported interesting findings, particularly on the improvement of...
Front Hum Neurosci
June 19, 2024
Giuseppe Pasculli, Pierpaolo Busan, Eric S. Jackson et al.
5 citations
Developmental stuttering (DS) is a neurodevelopmental speech-motor disorder characterized by symptoms such as blocks, repetitions, and prolongations. Persistent DS often has a significant negative impact on quality of life, and interventions for it have limited efficacy. Herein, we briefly review existing research on the neurophysiological underpinnings of DS -specifically, brain metabolic and...
Transl Psychiatry
December 13, 2023
Marco Onofrj, Mirella Russo, Stefano Delli Pizzi et al.
42 citations
The PD-DLB psychosis complex found in Parkinson's disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) includes hallucinations, Somatic Symptom/Functional Disorders, and delusions. These disorders exhibit similar presentation patterns and progression. Mechanisms at the root of these symptoms also share similarities with processes promoting altered states of consciousness found in Rapid Eye Movement...
CNS Drugs
September 1, 2023
Antonio Inserra, Alexandre Piot, Danilo de Gregorio et al.
17 citations
Anxiety disorders (ADs) represent the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide, resulting in a significant global economic burden. Over 50% of individuals with ADs do not respond to standard therapies, making the identification of more effective anxiolytic drugs an ongoing research priority. In this work, we review the preclinical literature concerning the effects of lysergic acid...
British Journal of Pharmacology
March 1, 2023
Antonio Inserra, Giada Giorgini, Sebastien Lacroix et al.
38 citations
Psychedelics elicit prosocial, antidepressant and anxiolytic effects via neuroplasticity, neurotransmission and neuro-immunomodulatory mechanisms. Whether psychedelics affect the brain endocannabinoid system and its extended version, the endocannabinoidome (eCBome) or the gut microbiome, remains unknown. Adult C57BL/6N male mice were administered lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or saline for 7...
European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
November 1, 2022
Marco Solmi, Chaomei Chen, Charles Dauré et al.
55 citations
A scientometric analysis was realized to outline clinical research on psychedelics over the last century. Web of Science Core Collection was searched up to March 18, 2022, for publications on psychedelics. Network analyses and bibliometrics were combined, to identify research themes and trends with Bibliometrix and CiteSpace. The primary aim was to measure research trends evolution over time,...
Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
June 28, 2022
Antonio Inserra, Antonella Campanale, David Cheishvili et al.
39 citations
AimPsychedelic compounds elicit relief from mental disorders. However, the underpinnings of therapeutic improvement remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of repeated lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on whole-genome DNA methylation and protein expression in the mouse prefrontal cortex (PFC).MethodsWhole genome bisulphite sequencing (WGBS) and proteomics profiling of the...
Neuropsychopharmacology
March 17, 2022
Danilo de Gregorio, Antonio Inserra, Justine P. Enns et al.
89 citations
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a serotonergic psychedelic compound receiving increasing interest due to putative anxiolytic and antidepressant properties. However, the potential neurobiological mechanisms mediating these effects remain elusive. Employing in vivo electrophysiology, microionthophoresis, behavioral paradigms and morphology assays, we assessed the impact of acute and chronic...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
January 27, 2022
Athanasios Markopoulos, Antonio Inserra, Danilo de Gregorio et al.
44 citations
Recent clinical and preclinical evidence points towards empathogenic and prosocial effects elicited by psychedelic compounds, notably the serotonin 5-HT 2A agonists lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and their derivatives. These findings suggest a therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds for some of the behavioural traits associated with autism...
European Psychiatry
April 1, 2021
Athanasios Markopoulos, Antonio Inserra, Danilo de Gregorio et al.
5 citations
Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder are mental illnesses characterized by a dysfunction in social behavior (SB); a phenomenon largely mediated by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Clinical studies have demonstrated that lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), a partial agonist of the 5-HT 2A receptor, can promote SB. However, its mechanism of action on SB is unknown....
Journal of Psychopharmacology
March 1, 2021
Antonio Inserra, Danilo de Gregorio, Tamim Rezai et al.
42 citations
Background: The reticular thalamus gates thalamocortical information flow via finely tuned inhibition of thalamocortical cells in the mediodorsal thalamus. Brain imaging studies in humans show that the psychedelic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) modulates activity and connectivity within the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit, altering consciousness. However, the...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
January 25, 2021
Danilo de Gregorio, Jelena Popić, Justine P. Enns et al.
137 citations
Clinical studies have reported that the psychedelic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) enhances empathy and social behavior (SB) in humans, but its mechanism of action remains elusive. Using a multidisciplinary approach including in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics, behavioral paradigms, and molecular biology, the effects of LSD on SB and glutamatergic neurotransmission in the medial...
Pharmacological Reviews
December 16, 2020
Antonio Inserra, Danilo de Gregorio, Gabriella Gobbi
227 citations
Mounting evidence suggests safety and efficacy of psychedelic compounds as potential novel therapeutics in psychiatry. Ketamine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in a new class of antidepressants, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is undergoing phase III clinical trials for post-traumatic stress disorder. Psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are being...
Journal of Neuroscience
November 30, 2020
Danilo de Gregorio, Argel Aguilar-Valles, Katrin H. Preller et al.
258 citations
A revamped interest in the study of hallucinogens has recently emerged, especially with regard to their potential application in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In the last decade, a plethora of preclinical and clinical studies have confirmed the efficacy of ketamine in the treatment of depression. More recently, emerging evidence has pointed out the potential therapeutic properties of...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
July 23, 2020
Danilo de Gregorio, Joshua Dean Conway, Martha López-canul et al.
39 citations
BACKGROUND: Chronic exposure to the Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main cannabis pharmacological component, during adolescence has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of depression and suicidality in humans. AIMS: Little is known about the impact of the long-term effects of chronic exposure to low doses of THC in adolescent compared to adult rodents. METHODS: THC (1mg/kg...
Progress in Brain Research
2018
Danilo de Gregorio, Justine P. Enns, Nicolas A. Nunez et al.
95 citations
Depression and anxiety are psychiatric diagnoses commonly associated with low quality of life and low percentage of responsiveness by patients treated with currently available drugs. Thus, research into alternative compounds to treat these disorders is essential to guarantee a patient's remission. The last decade has witnessed a revamped interest for the application of psychedelic medicine for...
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
November 23, 2016
Danilo de Gregorio, Stefano Comai, Luca Posa et al.
125 citations
d-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) is known for its hallucinogenic properties and psychotic-like symptoms, especially at high doses. It is indeed used as a pharmacological model of psychosis in preclinical research. The goal of this review was to understand the mechanism of action of psychotic-like effects of LSD. We searched Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and articles’...