British Journal of Pharmacology - The Consciousness Library

Comprehensive in vitro profiling of traditional and emerging stimulants at monoamine transporters and the 5-HT2A receptor.

British Journal of Pharmacology July 14, 2026 Darta Stalberga, Robert Kronstrand, Bianca Schranz et al.

New psychoactive substances (NPSs) often emerge on the illicit drug market with limited pharmacological or toxicological data. Synthetic cathinones are the second largest NPS group, often mimicking the effects of classical stimulants such as cocaine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Such stimulants primarily target dopamine (DAT), norepinephrine (NET) and serotonin (SERT) transporters,...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70587 Full text 5‐ht2a receptor Monoamine transporters Neurotransmitter uptake inhibitors New psychoactive substances +1

5-HT2A receptors in the prelimbic cortex VIP-expressing interneurons: A mechanism for psychedelic-induced innate fear attenuation.

British Journal of Pharmacology July 1, 2026 Yuanyuan Wang, Yishan Yao, Ruibin Su et al. 1 citation

Fear-related psychiatric disorders such as phobias and anxiety are insufficiently treated by current therapies. Psychedelics targeting 5-HT₂A receptors show promise in modulating fear circuits, but their specific neurobiological substrates remain unclear. This study investigates the effects of 4-acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (4-AcO-DMT), a psychedelic compound, on innate fear responses and...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70307 Full text 4‐Aco‐DMT Innate fear Psychedelics Trimethylthiazoline +1

Emerging therapeutic opportunities for psychedelic and related drugs.

British Journal of Pharmacology July 1, 2026 Susan Wonnacott, Gary J. Stephens, Trevor Sharp

Increasing interest in psychedelic and related drugs as potential therapies for a wide spectrum of difficult-to-treat conditions, that extend beyond neuropsychiatric disorders, provided the impetus for this themed issue. This collection of reviews and original articles includes the mechanistic basis of how these drugs act, the current status of preclinical research and progress in clinical...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70485 Full text

Differential effects of ketamine enantiomers on EEG parameters including the gamma-delta shift phenomenon.

British Journal of Pharmacology June 1, 2026 Szabolcs Koncz, Dóra Pothorszki, Noémi Papp et al. 2 citations

Ketamine consists of two enantiomers, (R)-ketamine and (S)-ketamine, which exhibit distinct pharmacological properties. Currently, only the (S)-enantiomer has been approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder, whereas recent clinical studies have failed to demonstrate an antidepressant effect for (R)-ketamine. The quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) gamma-enhancing effect of...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70399 Full text Arketamine Esketamine Arousal Biomarker +3

5‐HT 2A receptor agonism by tert ‐leucinamide and valinamide synthetic cannabinoids: In vitro and in vivo evidence

British Journal of Pharmacology May 5, 2026 Giorgia Corli, Deborah Rudin, Dino Luethi et al.

Abstract Background and Purpose New synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) are associated with severe adverse effects, including unexpected psychiatric symptoms. These compounds are mainly active through their potent agonism on the cannabinoid receptors CB 1 and CB 2 . Recently, evidence of the direct interaction of some SCRAs with the serotonergic 5‐HT receptors has emerged....

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70457 Serotonergic In vivo In vitro Agonism +6

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) does not induce robust psychomotor activation and 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalisations in tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2)-deficient rats lacking serotonin in the central nervous system.

British Journal of Pharmacology November 23, 2025 Tianhua Wang, Rainer K.W. Schwarting, Markus Wöhr 1 citation

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy, is a psychostimulant with entactogenic properties and known to induce arousal and euphoria. As an amphetamine derivate, MDMA acts on the monoamine systems in the brain and stimulates release of dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5-HT), yet their individual contributions in driving arousal and euphoria remain...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70226 Full text Locomotor activity Psychostimulant Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 Ecstasy effects: ecstasy +13

Novel approaches for drug development against chronic primary pain: A systematic review.

British Journal of Pharmacology November 14, 2025 Valéria Tékus, Éva Borbély, Andreas Goebel et al. 5 citations

Chronic primary pain (CPP) persisting for more than 3 months, associated with significant emotional distress without any known underlying cause, is an unmet medical need. Traditional or adjuvant analgesics do not provide satisfactory pain relief for a great proportion of these patients. Therefore, identifying novel therapeutic targets and determining new treatments is important. In the present...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70228 Full text Fibromyalgia Chronic pain management Novel pain treatments Pain mechanisms +1

Chronic Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure during adolescence is associated with persistent behavioural tolerance in adult nonhuman primates.

British Journal of Pharmacology November 1, 2025 Yasaman Razavi, Stephen J Kohut, Jack Bergman et al. 1 citation

Legalisation of Cannabis use has led to considerable increases in the availability and potency of Cannabis products, as well as evolving patterns in methods of their consumption. Adolescent Cannabis use has increased, which can impair cognitive function during this critical developmental stage. The persistence of such effects into adulthood, however, is unclear. The present study examined...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70179 Full text Adolescence Attentional processes Nonhuman primates Touchscreen cognition +1

History, pharmacology and therapeutic mechanisms of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)

British Journal of Pharmacology October 21, 2025 Austen B Casey, Boris D. Heifets 3 citations

The illicit drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has recently shown promising efficacy as an adjunct to psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although the underlying mechanisms are poorly defined. In this review, we contextualize the emergence of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AT) within 20th century psychiatry and trace its journey from assisting with military...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70225 Full text Mechanism biology Drugs of abuse Clinical practice Therapeutic approach +2

Psychedelics as pharmacotherapeutics for substance use disorders: A scoping review on clinical trials and perspectives on underlying neurobiology

British Journal of Pharmacology September 2, 2025 Lucas M Wittenkeller, Gary A. Gudelsky, Theresa Winhusen et al. 3 citations

Abstract Psychedelics have garnered great attention in recent years as treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment‐resistant depression because of their ability to alter consciousness and afflicted cognitive processes with lasting effects. We aimed to characterise how psychedelics are currently being investigated to treat substance use disorders (SUDs). Additionally, we aimed...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70181 Full text Psilocybin MDMA Addiction Hallucinogen +4

Are we hallucinating or can psychedelic drugs modulate the immune system to control inflammation?

British Journal of Pharmacology July 28, 2025 Omar Qureshi, Jamie Cowley, Ashley Pegg et al. 5 citations

Psychedelic drugs that activate 5-HT2A receptors have been long used for cultural, medicinal and recreational purposes. Interest in psychedelics for treating psychiatric disorders has resurged recently and is well documented; less well recognised are their anti-inflammatory properties. Growing evidence now demonstrates that psychedelics modulate immune responses, including inhibiting...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70138 Full text 5-ht2a receptor 5‐ht2a receptor Immune system Neuroinflammation +4

Evidence that 5-HT2A receptor signalling efficacy and not biased agonism differentiates serotonergic psychedelic from non-psychedelic drugs.

British Journal of Pharmacology June 22, 2025 Aurelija Ippolito, Sridhar Vasudevan, Shaun Hurley et al. 9 citations

Serotonergic psychedelic drugs are under investigation as therapies for various psychiatric disorders, including major depression. Although serotonergic psychedelic drugs are 5-HT2A receptor agonists, some such agonists are not psychedelic, potentially due to differences in 5-HT2A receptor ligand bias or signalling efficacy. Here, we investigated 5-HT2A receptor signalling properties of...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70109 Full text 5‐ht2a receptor Biased agonism Psychedelic drugs 5-ht2a receptor pharmacology +15

Psychedelics, entactogens and psychoplastogens for depression and related disorders

British Journal of Pharmacology June 15, 2025 Daniël Hoyer 9 citations

Currently, the most actively investigated rapidly acting antidepressants, anxiolytics and/or anti PTSD agents, include psychedelics e.g. psilocybin, LSD, N , N ‐dimethyltryptamine, ayahuasca; non‐hallucinogenic entactogens, e.g. MDMA; psychoplastogens which rapidly promote neuroplasticity, e.g. ibogaine, ketamine and esketamine; and other atypicals e.g. dextromorphan/bupropion, esmethadone....

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70088 Psilocybin MDMA Major depressive disorder Anxiety +3

Neuropsychopharmacology of hallucinogenic and non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2A receptor agonists.

British Journal of Pharmacology May 23, 2025 Trevor Sharp, Aurelija Ippolito 8 citations

Psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocin were once relegated to the fringes of medical research because of their association with counterculture movements and a perceived concern about harm through recreational use, and their consequent legal prohibition in the early 1970s. However, these drugs are now experiencing a renaissance in the field of psychiatry based on increasing evidence that...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70050 Full text LSD 5-ht2a receptor 5‐ht2a receptor Antidepressant +5

Pharmacological characterisation of JNJ-78911118, a novel, centrally-penetrant, selective GluN2A antagonist.

British Journal of Pharmacology May 13, 2025 Brian Lord, Sirak Simavorian, Ian Fraser et al. 2 citations

Non-selective NMDA receptor antagonism produces rapid symptom improvement in treatment-resistant depression; however, associated side effects necessitate medical oversight during administration. We hypothesised that selective GluN2A antagonism could provide similar efficacy with an improved side effect profile. Here, we report the pharmacology of JNJ-78911118, a brain-penetrant, GluN2A...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70069 Full text Ketamine Cp‐101,606 Glun2a Jnj‐78911118 +5

The Australia story: Current status and future challenges for the clinical applications of psychedelics

British Journal of Pharmacology December 19, 2024 David Nutt, Peter Hunt, Anne Katrin Schlag et al. 21 citations

Abstract The past decade has seen a huge increase in clinical research with psychedelic drugs and 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), which have revealed great potential for treating mental health conditions. Given this progress in research, as well as the current unmet clinical need of millions of patients, in 2023, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved the use...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.17398 Psilocybin Psychedelic therapy psychedelics Hallucinogens Entheogens +6

Serotonergic transmission plays differentiated roles in the rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects of ketamine.

British Journal of Pharmacology December 1, 2024 Yong-Yu Yin, Jiao-Zhao Yan, Qian-Qian Wei et al. 13 citations

The emerging antidepressant effects of ketamine have inspired tremendous interest in its underlying neurobiological mechanisms, although the involvement of 5-HT in the antidepressant effects of ketamine remains unclear. The chronic restraint stress procedure was performed to induce depression-like behaviours in mice. OFT, FST, TST, and NSFT tests were used to evaluate the antidepressant-like...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.17324 Full text 5-HT 5‐ht Ampa Antidepressant +6

Psilocybin as a novel treatment for chronic pain

British Journal of Pharmacology November 29, 2024 Tate Askey, Reena Lasrado, Maria Maiarù et al. 13 citations

Abstract Psychedelic drugs are under active consideration for clinical use and have generated significant interest for their potential as anti‐nociceptive treatments for chronic pain, and for addressing conditions like depression, frequently co‐morbid with pain. This review primarily explores the utility of preclinical animal models in investigating the potential of psilocybin as an...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.17420 Neuroplasticity Psilocybin Serotonergic Neuropathic pain +3

Preclinical models for evaluating psychedelics in the treatment of major depressive disorder.

British Journal of Pharmacology October 28, 2024 Laith Alexander, Dasha Anderson, Luke Baxter et al. 11 citations

Psychedelic drugs have seen a resurgence in interest as a next generation of psychiatric medicines with potential as rapid-acting antidepressants (RAADs). Despite promising early clinical trials, the mechanisms which underlie the effects of psychedelics are poorly understood. For example, key questions such as whether antidepressant and psychedelic effects involve related or independent...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.17370 Full text Antidepressant Behaviour Hallucinogenic Neuropsychology +1

Chemistry/structural biology of psychedelic drugs and their receptor(s).

British Journal of Pharmacology October 2, 2024 Ryan H. Gumpper, David E Nichols 9 citations

This brief review highlights some of the structure-activity relationships of classic serotonergic psychedelics. In particular, we discuss structural features of three chemotypes: phenethylamines, ergolines and certain tryptamines, which possess psychedelic activity in humans. Where they are known, we point out the underlying molecular mechanisms utilized by each of the three chemotypes of...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.17361 Full text LSD Psilocybin Psychedelic research Drug development +13

Pharmacological and behavioural effects of tryptamines present in psilocybin‐containing mushrooms

British Journal of Pharmacology June 2, 2024 Oscar Sandoval, Quynh Nguyen, Ryan J. Rakoczy et al. 23 citations

Background and Purpose Demand for new antidepressants has resulted in a re‐evaluation of the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs. Several tryptamines found in psilocybin‐containing “magic” mushrooms share chemical similarities with psilocybin. Early work suggests they may share biological targets. However, few studies have explored their pharmacological and behavioural effects....

DOI: 10.1111/bph.16466 Psilocybin Tryptamines Hallucinogen Pharmacology

Ayahuasca-enhanced extinction of fear behaviour: Role of infralimbic cortex 5-HT2A and 5-HT1A receptors.

British Journal of Pharmacology June 1, 2024 Isabel Werle, Laura M M Nascimento, Aymee L A Dos Santos et al. 21 citations

Ayahuasca (AYA) is a botanical psychedelic with promising results in observational and small clinical trials for depression, trauma and drug use disorders. Its psychoactive effects primarily stem from N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). However, there is a lack of research on how and where AYA acts in the brain. This study addressed these questions by examining the extinction of aversive memories in...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.16315 Full text PTSD Neuroplasticity 5‐hydroxytryptamine Medial prefrontal cortex +8

Molecular and structural insights into the 5‐HT2C receptor as a therapeutic target for substance use disorders

British Journal of Pharmacology September 8, 2023 Maleesha Ubhayarathna, Christopher J. Langmead, Natalie Diepenhorst et al. 10 citations

Abstract Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic condition, with maintained abuse of a substance leading to physiological and psychological alterations and often changes in cognitive and social behaviours. Current therapies include psychotherapy coupled with medication; however, high relapse rates reveal the shortcomings of these therapies. The signalling, expression profile, and neurological...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.16233 Serotonin Context archaeology 5-ht2c receptor Functional selectivity +4

Effects of repeated lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on the mouse brain endocannabinoidome and gut microbiome.

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...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.15977 Full text Lysergic acid diethylamide 5-hydroxytryptamine system Endocannabinoidome Gut microbiome +7

Review of delta‐8‐tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8‐THC): Comparative pharmacology with Δ9‐THC

British Journal of Pharmacology August 1, 2022 Michael Tagen, Linda E. Klumpers

The use of the intoxicating cannabinoid delta‐8‐tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8‐THC) has grown rapidly over the last several years. There have been dozens of Δ8‐THC studies dating back over many decades, yet no review articles have comprehensively covered these findings. In this review, we summarize the pharmacological studies of Δ8‐THC, including receptor binding, cell signalling, in vivo...

DOI: 10.1111/bph.15865

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