Psychedelics Flashcards

1
Q

classes of serotonin hallucinogens, derivatives, natural derivates (4)

A
  1. tryptamine
    a. psilocybin and psilocyin -> magic mushrooms
    b. DMT -> ayahuasca
  2. lysergamine
    a. LSD -> ergot
  3. phenethylamine
    a. mescaline -> peyote
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2
Q

current clinical trials associated with serotonin hallucinogens (4)

A

psilocybin and psilocyn -> MDD and AUD
DMT -> MDD
LSD -> GAD
mescaline -> ?

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3
Q

which receptor do most psychedelics mimic

A

5HT2A serotonin receptors (agonists)

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4
Q

which psychedelic is not a classical psychedelic (synthetic psychedelic)

A

MDMA or ecstasy

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5
Q

what effects are related to MDMA use + terms used to describe them (2)

A

pro-empathy effect -> empathogenic
socialising effect -> entactogenic

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6
Q

what causes decreased anxiety

A

one dose of LSD

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7
Q

what causes decreased percentage of heavy drinking days

A

psilocybin in combination with psychotherapy

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8
Q

which medication is comparable to psilocybin

A

escitalopram

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9
Q

psilocybin + psychotherapy vs escitalopram (3)

A
  1. similar results (not significantly different)
  2. BUT, psilocybin = 2 doses over 3 weeks and escitalopram = 1 dose every day
  3. psilocybin needs to be combined with psychotherapy
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10
Q

why does psilocybin need to be combined with psychotherapy

A

psilocybin can induce intense introspection and experiences (thinking about past and stuff) and can experience bad trips that a therapist can help guide through

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11
Q

advantages of psilocybin + psychotherapy in MDD compared to antidepressants (3)

A
  1. similar effects to classical SSRIs
  2. need to take it less often
  3. has been shown to treat people with MDD resistant to other antidepressants
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12
Q

which disorder can potentially be treated with MDMA + psychotherapy

A

PTSD (results were able to be reproduced)

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13
Q

receptors (a) psylocin (b) DMT (c) LSD have the most affinity for

A

(a) 5HT7, 5HT2B
(b) 5HT1D
(c) 5HT1A, 5HT2A, 5HT1B

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14
Q

effect of low and high doses of LSD in VTA and DRN + conclusions

A

VTA: low doses = no effect; high doses = decreased DA neurons
DRN: low doses = decreased 5HT neurons; high doses: none?
conclusion -> LSD in low doses only works on serotonin receptors, but at high doses also influences DA receptors (why at high doses get risk of psychosis)

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15
Q

neuroplastic effects of low doses of LSD

6 elements

A
  1. spinogenesis (more synapses, more connections)
  2. prevents loss of spines after stress
  3. regulation of receptor mediated endocytosis
  4. regulation of synaptic plasticity
  5. NT receptor internalization
  6. hyper- or hypomethylates different genes
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16
Q

genes + proteins methylated and expressed + transcription increased with low dose of LSD (4)

A
  1. Coro7
  2. Pef1
  3. Rps24
  4. Abhd6
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17
Q

general conclusions on LSD (3)

A
  1. LSD has anti-anxiety properties only in stressed animals
  2. LSD (similar to SSRIs), restores 5HT firing activity after stress through a 5HT1A autoreceptor desensitization
  3. LSD has neuroplastic effects mediated by methylation of genes corresponding to proteins implicated in neurogenesis and plasticity
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18
Q

psychedelics: low vs high doses effects (3)

A

low doses : social behavior, anxiety, antidepressants, AUD (via neuroplasticity and epigenetics)
high doses:
1. same as low doses
2. brain circuits, mind altering -> activation of circuits via 5HT2A
3. transcendental, thinking, meaning -> psychedelics-assisted therapy, reappraisal + integration

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19
Q

DA pathways (2)

A

VTA -> PFC, NAcc
substantia nigra -> striatum

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20
Q

5HT pathway

A

raphe nucleus -> hippocampus (related to DA pathways)

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21
Q

functions of 5HT pathways (4)

A
  1. mood
  2. memory processing
  3. sleep
  4. cognition
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22
Q

functions of DA pathways (5)

A
  1. reward (motivation)
  2. pleasure, euphoria
  3. motor function (fine tuning)
  4. compulsion
  5. perseveration
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23
Q

effect of repeated LSD in novelty suppressed feeding test

A

in home cage, latency doesn’t increase and LSD doesn’t have an effect
in novel environment, repeated LSD normalizes latency to feed which was increased after 15 days of chronic stress

24
Q

effect of repeated LSD in open field test

A

prevents/ameliorates stress-induced anxiety

25
Q

long term mechanism of action of SSRIs

A

blocks reuptake of 5HT into presynaptic neuron -> increases [5HT] in synaptic cleft -> high amount of 5HT will interact with 5HT1A autoreceptors and inhibit firing (acute effect of SSRIs) -> after couple weeks, downregulates 5HT1A autoreceptors (desensitization, increased firing, 5HT stays in synaptic cleft)

26
Q

mechanism of action of LSD

A

same as SSRIs: desensitizes 5HT1A autoreceptors (long term, repeated microdoses) and increases/restores 5HT firing activity after stress

27
Q

low vs high doses of LSD on head twitch response (hallucinogenic-like effect)

A

low doses -> minimal head twitch response
high doses -> larger head twitch response

28
Q

effect of repeated low doses of LSD on social interaction

A

promotes prosocial effect; increased sociability and social novelty

29
Q

effects of LSD (4)

A
  1. enhances empathy
  2. enhances social behavior
  3. togetherness
  4. used in the 60s for ASD
30
Q

mPFC: (a) main role (b) implicated in which DSM-V disorder (c) high expression of which receptor

A

(a) social cognition
(b) ASD
(c) 5HT2A

31
Q

repeated, low dose LSD (30ug/kg/day for 7 days) effects regarding sociability (4)

A
  1. increases social interaction
  2. increases preference for social stimulus
  3. increases preference for social novelty
  4. increases 5HT firing activity
32
Q

effect of LSD when PFC is inhibited and conclusion

A

LSD can’t work if PFC is inhibited (fails to increases sociability) -> LSD activates PFC in social behavior

33
Q

effect of repeated low dose LSD on AMPAr, NMDAr, 5HT2A and 5HT1A responses in PFC

A

AMPAr -> potentiated response
NMDAr -> no effect
5HT2A -> potentiated response
5HT1A -> no effect

34
Q

what does LSD need to promote social behavior (4)

A
  1. 5HT2A receptor activation
  2. AMPAr activation
  3. intact mPFC glutamatergic neurons
  4. intact mTOR complex in excitatory neurons
35
Q

effect of repeated LSD on mTOR phosphorylation in mPFC

A

increased phosphorylation of mTOR

36
Q

intact mTOR complex is necessary for

three elements

A
  1. prosocial effect of LSD
  2. potentiation of 5HT2A receptor activation
  3. potentiation of AMPAr activation
37
Q

what are psychedelics known for (4)

A
  1. increase well being
  2. decrease anxiety and depression
  3. expand self-awareness
  4. expand perception of inside and outside stimuli
38
Q

which brain circuits do psychedelics alter (2)

A
  1. DMN (default mode network) -> collapse
  2. CSTC (cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical) -> activation
39
Q

brain areas linked to DMN (3)

A
  1. mPFC
  2. PCC/precuneus
  3. angular gyrus
40
Q

when is the DMN activated (3)

A
  1. thinking about the self
  2. thinking about others
  3. remembering the past and thinking about the future
41
Q

what is the REBUS model

A

suggests that effects of psychedelics on cognition and perception may be due to relaxation of the precision weighting on beliefs

42
Q

influence of psychedelics on processing information in the brain

A

brain becomes more flexible in processing sensory information and less constrained by preexisting beliefs or expectations

43
Q

effect of psychedelics on DMN

A

reduce ability of DMN to control lower levels in brain, specifically subcortical structures (hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus)

(collapse of normally highly organized activity in DMN + decoupling between DMN and medial temporal lobes)

44
Q

which state is the brain in when under the effects of psychedelics

A

entropic state -> can rewire how the brain thinks (high disorder, flexible states)

45
Q

activity of LSD in (a) PFC (b) mediodorsal thalamus (c) reticular thalamus

A

(a) high activity
(b) high activity
(c) decreases high-firing neurons + increases low-firing neurons

46
Q

brain area most activated by LSD

A

thalamus

47
Q

psychedelic effects on thalamus (3)

A
  1. reduces thalamic filtering of interoceptive and exteroceptive stimuli
  2. decreases connectivity between association cortices and rest of the brain (decreased integrative processing)
  3. increases connectivity between sensory cortices and rest of the brain (increased sensory processing)
48
Q

what are the models of how psychedelics reshape the brain (2)

A
  1. entropy model (general chaotic reshaping)
  2. circuits model (reshaping input-output and processing)
49
Q

what is the cortico-thalamic circuit involved in

A

consciousness and integration of internal-external stimuli

50
Q

effects of spiritual experience in treatment with psychedelics (2)

A
  1. patients described psilocybin experience as having substantial personal meaning and spiritual significance
  2. attributed to experience sustained positive changes in attitudes and behavior consistent with changes
51
Q

significant differences in effects of non-responders vs responders to psilocybin/escitalopram

A

responders had higher scores of (a) spiritual experience (b) blissful state (c) insightfulness

52
Q

effect of blocking 5HT2A with ketanserin on spiritual effects of LSD + conclusion

A

blocks experience of unity, blissful state, meaning, insightfulness -> spiritual effects mediated by 5HT2A receptor

53
Q

feeling of connectedness in (a) responders vs non-responders and (b) escitalopram vs psilocybin

A

(a) responders showed more connectedness than non-responders
(b) psilocybin showed more connectedness than escitalopram

54
Q

where do psychedelics act to open consciousness

A

thalamic nuclei

55
Q

possible mechanism of psychedelics (5)

A
  1. 5HT2A activation
  2. 5HT firing activity of DRN (antidepressant effect)
  3. reticular thalamus
  4. thalamocortical pathways/DMN
  5. reappraisal of positive experience/spiritual awakening