Frontiers in Pharmacology
May 2, 2022
Ilana Berlowitz, Klemens Egger, Paul Cumming
32 citations
The monoamine oxidases (MAOs) are flavin-containing amine oxidoreductases responsible for metabolism of many biogenic amine molecules in the brain and peripheral tissues. Whereas serotonin is the preferred substrate of MAO-A, phenylethylamine is metabolized by MAO-B, and dopamine and tyramine are nearly ambivalent with respect to the two isozymes. β-Carboline alkaloids such as harmine,...
The FASEB Journal
May 1, 2022
Dino Luethi, Deborah Rudin, Marius C. Hoener et al.
Background Various ring‐substituted phenethylamines and amphetamines are used recreationally due to their mind‐altering effects. Furthermore, such psychedelic substances have recently gained increased interest as prospective therapeutics. Here, we studied the pharmacological properties of 4‐alkylated 2,5‐dimethoxyamphetamines in vitro. Specifically, we assessed the effect of the 4‐alkyl chain...
Journal of Neuroscience Research
April 1, 2022
Emilija Glavonic, Milos Mitic, Miroslav Adzic
20 citations
Fear-related disorders, mainly phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder, are highly prevalent, debilitating disorders that pose a significant public health problem. They are characterized by aberrant processing of aversive experiences and dysregulated fear extinction, leading to excessive expression of fear and diminished quality of life. The gold standard for treating fear-related disorders...
European Neuropsychopharmacology
April 1, 2022
Karolina E. Kolaczynska, Paula Ducret, Daniel Trachsel et al.
7 citations
3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) is a psychoactive compound chemically related to the entactogen MDMA. MDA shares some of the entactogenic effects of MDMA but also exerts stimulant effects and psychedelic properties at higher doses. Here, we examined the pharmacological properties of MDA analogs and related amphetamine-based compounds detected in street drug samples or in sport supplements....
Behavioural Brain Research
April 1, 2022
Dimitri Daldegan-Bueno, Vanessa Manchim Favaro, Paulo Rogério Morais et al.
10 citations
Considering the long-lasting effects of ayahuasca on the brain and emotional processing, the objective of this study was to evaluate the behavioural and neurobiological effects of repeated ayahuasca administration in an animal model of exploratory behaviour related to novel-environment anxiety. Male Wistar rats received water, 120, 240, 480 or 3600 mg/kg of resuspended freeze-dried ayahuasca by...
March 11, 2022
William E. Schreiber
This chapter highlights the similarities in chemical structure and physiologic effects of hallucinogens, as well as their metabolism, therapeutic uses and potential for misuse or abuse. Special attention is given to the testing process, with an emphasis on interpretation of test results. Hallucinogens are drugs that alter an individual's perception of reality. The classic hallucinogens include...
Intelligent Medicine
March 7, 2022
Leah Vines, Diana Sotelo, Allison Johnson et al.
21 citations
Ketamine, a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, has been exclusively used as an anesthetic in medicine and has led to new insights into the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Clinical studies have shown that low subanesthetic doses of ketamine produce antidepressant effects for individuals with depression. However, its use as a treatment for psychiatric disorders has been...
Journal of Integrative Neuroscience
January 28, 2022
Snezana Kusljic, Maarten Van den Buuse, Andrea Gogos
Locomotor hyperactivity induced by psychotomimetic drugs, such as amphetamine and phencyclidine, is widely used as an animal model of psychosis-like behaviour and is commonly attributed to an interaction with dopamine release and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, respectively. However, what is often not sufficiently taken into account is that the pharmacological profile of these drugs is...
Science
January 27, 2022
Dongmei Cao, Jing Yu, Huan Wang et al.
306 citations
Drugs that target the human serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT 2A R) are used to treat neuropsychiatric diseases; however, many have hallucinogenic effects, hampering their use. Here, we present structures of 5-HT 2A R complexed with the psychedelic drugs psilocin (the active metabolite of psilocybin) and d -lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), as well as the endogenous neurotransmitter serotonin and the...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
January 21, 2022
Konstantin A. Demin, Olga V. Kupriyanova, Вадим А. Шевырин et al.
preprint
Abstract Serotonergic hallucinogenic drugs potently affect human brain and behavior, and have recently emerged as potentially promising agents in psychopharmacotherapy. Complementing rodent studies, zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) is a powerful animal model for screening neuroactive drugs, including serotonergic agents. Here, we test ten different N-Benzyl-2-phenylethylamine (NBPEA) derivatives with...