The human serotonin 2A receptor (h5‐HT 2A R) plays an essential role in cognition, and is the principal target for serotonergic hallucinogens as well as atypical antipsychotics. Utilizing our in silico ‐activated h5‐HT 2A R homology model, an interaction was predicted between Asn343(6.55) in TM6 and the carbonyl of LSD. Virtual docking simulations of a new class of 5‐HT2 agonists, substituted N...
On January 11th, 2006, Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Albert Hofmann, Honorary Member of the Society for Medicinal Plant Research and of the American Society of Pharmacognosy, had the good fortune to celebrate his 100th birthday, and what else, if not this event, would be a perfect reason for cordial congratulations![ * ] [ * ] ”It is said and written again and again, that LSD was a pure chance discovery....
Patients with schizophrenia exhibit disturbances of orienting of attention. However, findings have been inconsistent. Pharmacologic challenges with hallucinogens have been used as models for psychosis. The NMDA antagonist state (PCP, ketamine) resembles undifferentiated psychoses with positive and negative symptoms, while the 5-HT(2A) agonist state (LSD, dimethyltryptamine (DMT)) is thought to...
Associative learning during Pavlovian eyeblink conditioning has been shown to be regulated by 5-HT2A receptors. The existence of inverse agonists that retard learning through an action at the 5-HT2A receptor suggests the existence of constitutive activity at that receptor and that depletion of serotonin should have minimal effects on learning. We examined whether depletion of serotonin would...
Serendipity is one of the many factors that may contribute to drug discovery. It has played a role in the discovery of prototype psychotropic drugs that led to modern pharmacological treatment in psychiatry. It has also played a role in the discovery of several drugs that have had an impact on the development of psychiatry. "Serendipity" in drug discovery implies the finding of one thing while...
Few studies have examined the effects of 5-methoxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT) in vivo. In these studies, 5-MeO-DIPT was tested in a drug-elicited head twitch assay in mice where it was compared to the structurally similar hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine (N,N-DMT) and challenged with the selective serotonin (5-HT)2A antagonist M100907, and in a lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)...
Throughout time, humans have used psychoactive plants and plant-derived products for spiritual, therapeutic and recreational purposes. Furthermore, the investigation of psychoactive plants such as Cannabis sativa (marijuana), Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) and analogues of psychoactive plant derivatives such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) have provided insight into our understanding of...
Grof (1975Grof ( , 1990) ) has been the most Grof (1975Grof ( , 1990) ) has been the most prominent explorer of these inaccessible prominent explorer of these inaccessible regions for over 40 years and once research regions for over 40 years and once research into lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) into lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) became impossible, developed a technique became impossible,...
Grof (1975Grof ( , 1990) ) has been the most Grof (1975Grof ( , 1990) ) has been the most prominent explorer of these inaccessible prominent explorer of these inaccessible regions for over 40 years and once research regions for over 40 years and once research into lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) into lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) became impossible, developed a technique became impossible,...
INTRODUCTION: Pharmacological challenges with hallucinogens are used as models for psychosis in experimental research. The state induced by glutamate antagonists such as phencyclidine (PCP) is often considered as a more appropriate model of psychosis than the state induced by serotonergic hallucinogens such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)....