Some psychedelic substances, like psilocybin and MDMA (ecstasy), have demonstrated potential as treatments for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder resistant to conventional therapies. They appear to function by promoting the development of fresh connections between brain neurons. “plasticity” refers to the brain’s capacity to form new connections. It’s unclear exactly how these medications increase brain plasticity. If the mechanisms could be deciphered, it could be possible to create similar medications that could encourage brain remodelling without having undesirable hallucinatory effects. According to earlier research, psychedelic substances promote plasticity by attaching to the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor (5-HT2AR), a biological receptor in neurons. However, other 5-HT2AR-binding substances do not enhance plasticity. These include the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Psychedelics change the neurotransmitters in the brain.
Psychedelics function by changing the neurotransmitters in the brain, which are the chemical messengers that connect brain cells. A person’s mood, perception, and cognition may change due to these modifications. LSD, the most well-known psychedelic, was created for the first time in 1938. LSD changes the levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is an important factor in mood regulation, and depression is known to cause an imbalance in serotonin levels. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter related to motivation and pleasure and a component of the brain’s reward system, is similarly impacted by LSD.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression, and a comparable proportion are thought to live with anxiety. The actual figure is probably much higher because comorbidity—the simultaneous occurrence of several mental health conditions—is common among people, and many do not seek treatment. Until recently, most research into treating anxiety and depression concentrated on finding a delicate balance between the chemical messengers in the brain. All commonly prescribed drugs, including SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)Trusted Source, revolve around that idea. However, research on hallucinogenic substances has revealed that these substances can assist the brain’s neurons in “talking with each other” via neurotransmitters or chemical messengers.
Psychedelics alter how the brain functions, which affects how it processes information. It might alter how you think, feel, and remember things. Depending on the dose and the individual, these modifications could be temporary or permanent. It is believed that psychedelics can alleviate anxiety and depression by enhancing communication between various brain regions. This increased connectivity among brain regions could lead to new, flexible connections. These improvements may cause the negative emotions and thoughts that characterise anxiety and depression to lessen. It is encouraging that psychedelics can help people feel less anxious and hopeless, but further research is needed. These drugs could provide an alternative to traditional treatments, typically having several side effects.
Dissociative and psychedelic drugs can momentarily change a person’s perceptions, thoughts, and mood. People who use these chemicals report experiencing powerful feelings, ranging from bliss to dread, and significant alterations in how they see reality, among other health impacts and safety issues. The potential of psychedelic and dissociative drugs to treat medical diseases, especially mental health illnesses, has attracted increasing study interest in recent years. Many users also report using these medications for leisure, wellness, or spiritual or self-discovery outside medical settings. NIDA supports and funds research in these areas to learn more about the effects of psychedelic and dissociative substances on human health and determine whether some of these medications can be used to treat substance use problems in clinical settings.