Catalysts for change: the cellular neurobiology of psychedelics

The resurgence of interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for treating psychiatric disorders has rekindled efforts to elucidate their mechanism of action. In this Perspective, we focus on the ability of psychedelics to promote , postulated to be central to their therapeutic activity. W...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular biology of the cell 2021-06, Vol.32 (12), p.1135-1144
Main Authors: Banks, Matthew I, Zahid, Zarmeen, Jones, Nathan T, Sultan, Ziyad W, Wenthur, Cody J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Hallucinogens - pharmacology
Humans
Neurobiology
Neuronal Plasticity
Neurons - metabolism
Neurons - physiology
Signal Transduction
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:The resurgence of interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for treating psychiatric disorders has rekindled efforts to elucidate their mechanism of action. In this Perspective, we focus on the ability of psychedelics to promote , postulated to be central to their therapeutic activity. We begin with a brief overview of the history and behavioral effects of the classical psychedelics. We then summarize our current understanding of the cellular and subcellular mechanisms underlying these drugs' behavioral effects, their effects on neural plasticity, and the roles of stress and inflammation in the acute and long-term effects of psychedelics. The signaling pathways activated by psychedelics couple to numerous potential mechanisms for producing long-term structural changes in the brain, a complexity that has barely begun to be disentangled. This complexity is mirrored by that of the neural mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders and the transformations of consciousness, mood, and behavior that psychedelics promote in health and disease. Thus, beyond changes in the brain, psychedelics catalyze changes in our understanding of the neural basis of psychiatric disorders, as well as consciousness and human behavior.
ISSN:1059-1524
1939-4586
DOI:10.1091/MBC.E20-05-0340