The Schizophrenia Exome Sequencing Meta-Analysis (SCHEMA) Consortium found that truncation of one copy of the SP4 gene has an odds ratio of 9.37 (3.38-29.7) for schizophrenia (SCZ). Human SP4 gene is also one of the 69 schizophrenia-risk genes prioritized by parallel genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and one of the two schizophrenia-risk genes shared between the SCHEMA and the GWAS,...
Methoxetamine (MXE) is a ketamine analog sold online that has been subject to widespread abuse for its dissociative and hallucinogenic effects. Previous studies have shown that MXE has high affinity for the phencyclidine (PCP) binding site located within the channel pore of the NMDA receptor (NMDAR), but little is known about its behavioral effects. Dissociative anesthetics such as ketamine and...
The hallucinogenic tea known as ayahuasca is made from a combination of psychoactive plants that contribute the active components N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and 5-methoxy-DMT (5-MeO-DMT), as well as the monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors (MAOIs) harmine and harmaline for oral activity. The present study examined the effects of 5-MeO-DMT in combination with MAOIs in rats using the behavioral...
The hallucinogen 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is structurally similar to other indoleamine hallucinogens such as LSD. The present study examined the effects of 5-MeO-DMT in rats using the Behavioral Pattern Monitor (BPM), which enables analyses of patterns of locomotor activity and exploration, and the prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI) paradigm. A series of interaction...