Scientists Create Trip-Free , LSD-Based Drugs to Potentially , Treat Anxiety and Depression.
While psychedelics like magic mushrooms or LSD can act as powerful antidepressants, they can also cause vivid hallucinations that limit their use.
While psychedelics like magic mushrooms or LSD can act as powerful antidepressants, they can also cause vivid hallucinations that limit their use.
NPR reports that scientists have synthesized a new
drug based on LSD that can relieve anxiety and
depression without the mind-bending side effects.
We found our compounds
had essentially the same
antidepressant activity
as psychedelic drugs, Dr. Bryan Roth, study author and a professor of pharmacology
at UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, via NPR.
NPR reports that the discovery could lead
to faster-acting medications for anxiety that
have fewer side effects and last longer.
NPR reports that the discovery could lead
to faster-acting medications for anxiety that
have fewer side effects and last longer.
A large team of scientists focused on molecules
that impact the brain's serotonin system,
which plays a huge role in regulating moods.
Ultimately, the team selected two
molecules that were "extremely effective"
at relieving depression in mice.
NPR reports that the team still
needs to refine the new molecules
before they can be tested on people.
If the approach proves successful in humans,
it would help overcome a major obstacle for
using psychedelics to treat depression.
According to David E. Olson, a chemical neuroscientist at the University of California, drugs based on psychedelics , "take us a step closer to a cure, rather than simply treating disease symptoms." .
According to David E. Olson, a chemical neuroscientist at the University of California, drugs based on psychedelics , "take us a step closer to a cure, rather than simply treating disease symptoms." .
The team's findings
were published in
the journal 'Nature.'