Pharmacological Reports
June 22, 2026
Magdalena Zaniewska
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) is a key neuromodulator involved in the regulation of mood, appetite, aggression, and impulse control. Dysregulation of central 5-HT function has been implicated in alcohol use disorder (AUD) and comorbid depression. This review summarizes clinical and preclinical evidence on the role of 5-HT in AUD development, heterogeneity, and treatment response....
Pharmacological Reports
June 12, 2026
Wojciech Ziemichód, Natalia Kajka, Klaudia Kister et al.
The glutamatergic system, particularly N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, has long been a significant focus of research into new strategies for treating depression, and the clinical success of ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, has been a significant breakthrough. In parallel, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors, another key component of the...
Pharmacological Reports
March 11, 2026
Benjamin D. Brody, Dora Kanellopoulos
1 citation
Recent retrospective analyses have shown that individuals with comorbid Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) are overrepresented among responders to ketamine for Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD). Ketamine is an effective treatment for depression and also a potential substance of misuse. The authors contrast a mechanistic pathway with a possible expectancy effect to account for these findings, and...
Pharmacological Reports
January 20, 2026
Piotr Olejnik, Katarzyna Kamińska, Krystyna Gołembiowska et al.
INTRODUCTION: Psilocybin, a classic serotonergic psychedelic, has antidepressant, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties. However, the immunomodulatory effects of psilocybin within the central nervous system, particularly on microglial activation, remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of psilocybin on microglial activation markers and...
Pharmacological Reports
November 27, 2024
Ewelina Cyrano, P. Popik
Serotonergic psychedelics, which display a high affinity and specificity for 5-HT2A receptors like 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI), reliably induce a head-twitch response in rodents characterized by paroxysmal, high-frequency head rotations. Traditionally, this behavior is manually counted by a trained observer. Although automation could simplify and facilitate data collection, current...
Pharmacological Reports
August 1, 2024
Maja Owe-Larsson, Katarzyna Kamińska, Barbara Buchalska et al.
11 citations
Abstract Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental disease that affects approximately 2% of the population. Obsessions and compulsions are troublesome for patients and may disturb their everyday activities. The pathogenesis of this disease is still not fully elucidated, but dysfunctions of serotonin-, dopamine- and glutamate-mediated neurotransmission together with early...
Pharmacological Reports
November 6, 2023
Paweł Holas, Justyna Kamińska
39 citations
Abstract There has been increasing scientific and clinical interest in studying psychedelic and meditation-based interventions in recent years, both in the context of improving mental health and as tools for understanding the mind. Several authors suggest neurophysiological and phenomenological parallels and overlaps between psychedelic and meditative states and suggest synergistic effects of...
Pharmacological Reports
October 24, 2023
Agnieszka Wsół
56 citations
Abstract Psychedelics are powerful psychoactive substances that alter perception and mood processes. Their effectiveness in the treatment of psychiatric diseases was known before their prohibition. An increasing number of recent studies, due to the indisputable resurgence of serotonergic hallucinogens, have shown their efficacy in alleviating depression, anxiety, substance abuse therapies, and...
Pharmacological Reports
February 20, 2021
Samuel Kohtala
Over the past 50 years, ketamine has solidified its position in both human and veterinary medicine as an important anesthetic with many uses. More recently, ketamine has been studied and used for several new indications, ranging from chronic pain to drug addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder. The discovery of the rapid-acting antidepressant effects of ketamine has resulted in a surge of...
Pharmacological Reports
April 16, 2020
J. Kryst, Paweł Kawalec, Alicja Mikrut Mitoraj et al.
157 citations
Due to unmet clinical needs for efficient drugs with a rapid onset of antidepressant effects, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of single-dose ketamine in different subgroups of patients with major depression and establish whether repeated ketamine administration could be a viable strategy to maintain treatment gains. Electronic databases (Medline via PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Trip...