Psychedelics and Neural Plasticity: Therapeutic Implications

Psychedelic drugs have reemerged as tools to treat several brain disorders. Cultural attitudes toward them are changing, and scientists are once again investigating the neural mechanisms through which these drugs impact brain function. The significance of this research direction is reflected by rece...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of neuroscience 2022-11, Vol.42 (45), p.8439-8449
Main Authors: Grieco, Steven F, Castrén, Eero, Knudsen, Gitte M, Kwan, Alex C, Olson, David E, Zuo, Yi, Holmes, Todd C, Xu, Xiangmin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Binding sites
Brain
Brain research
Clinical trials
Dendrites
Drugs
Functional plasticity
Gene expression
Hallucinogens - pharmacology
Hallucinogens - therapeutic use
Humans
Nervous system
Neuronal Plasticity
Neuroplasticity
Neurosciences
Psychedelic drugs
Structure-function relationships
Symposia
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Summary:Psychedelic drugs have reemerged as tools to treat several brain disorders. Cultural attitudes toward them are changing, and scientists are once again investigating the neural mechanisms through which these drugs impact brain function. The significance of this research direction is reflected by recent work, including work presented by these authors at the 2022 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. As of 2022, there were hundreds of clinical trials recruiting participants for testing the therapeutic effects of psychedelics. Emerging evidence suggests that psychedelic drugs may exert some of their long-lasting therapeutic effects by inducing structural and functional neural plasticity. Herein, basic and clinical research attempting to elucidate the mechanisms of these compounds is showcased. Topics covered include psychedelic receptor binding sites, effects of psychedelics on gene expression, and on dendrites, and psychedelic effects on microcircuitry and brain-wide circuits. We describe unmet clinical needs and the current state of translation to the clinic for psychedelics, as well as other unanswered basic neuroscience questions addressable with future studies.
ISSN:0270-6474
1529-2401
1529-2401
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1121-22.2022