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Review
. 2021 Feb 3;41(5):891-900.
doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1659-20.2020. Epub 2020 Nov 30.

Hallucinogens in Mental Health: Preclinical and Clinical Studies on LSD, Psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine

Danilo De Gregorio  1 , Argel Aguilar-Valles  2 , Katrin H Preller  3 , Boris Dov Heifets  4 , Meghan Hibicke  5 , Jennifer Mitchell  6 , Gabriella Gobbi  1
Affiliations
Review

Hallucinogens in Mental Health: Preclinical and Clinical Studies on LSD, Psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine

Danilo De Gregorio et al. J Neurosci. .

Abstract

A revamped interest in the study of hallucinogens has recently emerged, especially with regard to their potential application in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In the last decade, a plethora of preclinical and clinical studies have confirmed the efficacy of ketamine in the treatment of depression. More recently, emerging evidence has pointed out the potential therapeutic properties of psilocybin and LSD, as well as their ability to modulate functional brain connectivity. Moreover, MDMA, a compound belonging to the family of entactogens, has been demonstrated to be useful to treat post-traumatic stress disorders. In this review, the pharmacology of hallucinogenic compounds is summarized by underscoring the differences between psychedelic and nonpsychedelic hallucinogens as well as entactogens, and their behavioral effects in both animals and humans are described. Together, these data substantiate the potentials of these compounds in treating mental diseases.

Keywords: LSD; MDMA; hallucinogens; ketamine; psilocybin; psychedelics.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic overview of the main pharmacological targets of LSD, psilocybin, DMT, MDMA, and ketamine, the signaling cascades involved, hormonal modulation, as well as main behavioral outcomes following their administration in both animals and humans. Abbreviations are reported in the main text.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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