Making Sense of Psychedelics in the CNS.

Blake A Fordyce, Bryan L Roth

The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology 2024 Feb 01

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For centuries, ancient lineages have consumed psychedelic compounds from natural sources. In the modern era, scientists have since harnessed the power of computational tools, cellular assays, and behavioral metrics to study how these compounds instigate changes on molecular, cellular, circuit-wide, and system levels. Here, we provide a brief history of psychedelics and their use in science, medicine, and culture. We then outline current techniques for studying psychedelics from a pharmacological perspective. Finally, we address known gaps in the field and potential avenues of further research to broaden our collective understanding of physiological changes induced by psychedelics, the limits of their therapeutic capabilities, and how researchers can improve and inform treatments that are rapidly becoming accessible worldwide. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP 2024. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.