Therapeutic use of serotoninergic hallucinogens: A review of the evidence and of the biological and psychological mechanisms

•Serotoninergic hallucinogens are agonists at frontal and limbic 5-HT2A receptors.•Controlled trials with these drugs report anxiolytic and antidepressive effects.•Open-label trials report antiaddictive effects.•Biological mechanisms include neuroplasticity and fronto-limbic activation.•Psychologica...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews 2020-01, Vol.108, p.423-434
Main Authors: dos Santos, Rafael Guimarães, Hallak, Jaime Eduardo Cecilio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
5-HT2A receptor
Ayahuasca
Exploratory Behavior - drug effects
Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens - therapeutic use
Humans
Limbic System - drug effects
Neuronal Plasticity - drug effects
Prefrontal Cortex - drug effects
Serotonin
Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Agonists - pharmacology
Social Cognition
Therapeutical use
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•Serotoninergic hallucinogens are agonists at frontal and limbic 5-HT2A receptors.•Controlled trials with these drugs report anxiolytic and antidepressive effects.•Open-label trials report antiaddictive effects.•Biological mechanisms include neuroplasticity and fronto-limbic activation.•Psychological mechanisms include enhanced social cognition and openness to experience. Serotoninergic hallucinogens include drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and psilocybin. Recent trials with single/few doses of these compounds show that they induce rapid and sustained antidepressive, anxiolytic, and antiaddictive effects. These effects are also observed in religious groups using the DMT-containing brew ayahuasca. The agonist action of these substances on 5-HT2A receptors expressed in frontal and limbic areas increase glutamatergic transmission and neuroplasticity. These neurochemical effects are associated with acute alterations on self-perception and increases in introspection and positive mood, and with subacute and long-term decreases in psychiatric symptoms, increases in some personality traits such as openness, improvements in emotional processing, and increases in empathy. These are preliminary but promising results that should be further explored in controlled trials with larger sample sizes, especially considering that these compounds could be beneficial in the treatment of treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders.
ISSN:0149-7634
1873-7528
DOI:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.001