A new mechanism of psychedelic action in the brain has been discovered
A new paper has turned science’s understanding of how psychedelics affect the brain upside down by solving a longstanding molecular mystery in the field.
Psychedelics are thought to produce their effects by activating the serotonin (5-HT)2A receptor class. These receptors are present on the surface of neurons throughout the brain. The answer may have been found by looking inside neurons, where researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), identified that it is through the activation of an intracellular population of serotonin receptors that psychedelics exert their effects. The team concludes that another molecule – potentially N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which is found in short-lived but widespread levels in the brain – is the natural activator of these intracellular receptors rather than serotonin.
Original Article (Technology Networks Neuroscience News and Research):
A new mechanism of psychedelic action in the brain has been discovered
Artwork Fair Use: Luis Ezcurdia
