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Review
. 2020 Nov;21(11):611-624.
doi: 10.1038/s41583-020-0367-2. Epub 2020 Sep 14.

Psychedelic drugs: neurobiology and potential for treatment of psychiatric disorders

Franz X Vollenweider  1 , Katrin H Preller  2
Affiliations
Review

Psychedelic drugs: neurobiology and potential for treatment of psychiatric disorders

Franz X Vollenweider et al. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Renewed interest in the use of psychedelics in the treatment of psychiatric disorders warrants a better understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effects of these substances. After a hiatus of about 50 years, state-of-the art studies have recently begun to close important knowledge gaps by elucidating the mechanisms of action of psychedelics with regard to their effects on receptor subsystems, systems-level brain activity and connectivity, and cognitive and emotional processing. In addition, functional studies have shown that changes in self-experience, emotional processing and social cognition may contribute to the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics. These discoveries provide a scientific road map for the investigation and application of psychedelic substances in psychiatry.

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