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Psychedelics for anxiety disorders: Challenges and opportunities

C-J Gao, Heming Cheng

Fundamental Research July 16, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.fmre.2025.07.008 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Experimental study Peer reviewed
Interventions 2 5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI)
Topics Anxiety
Key findings The 5-HT 2A receptor in ventral hippocampal parvalbumin interneurons mediates the acute anxiolytic effects of DOI.

Abstract

A recent study published in Neuron by Tiwari et al . identified the critical role of 5-HT 2A receptor in ventral hippocampal parvalbumin (PV) interneurons (INs) in mediating the acute anxiolytic effects of the serotonergic psychedelic 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI). This study not only advances psychedelic neuropharmacology but also provides a robust framework for developing novel rapid-acting therapeutics for anxiety disorders [ 1 ].