#serotoninreceptors — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #serotoninreceptors, aggregated by home.social.
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DATE: May 14, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Estrogen levels may dictate how the brain reacts to psychedelics, new animal study indicates
URL: https://www.psypost.org/age-and-hormones-alter-how-rats-respond-to-psilocybin-2026-03-26/
Psilocybin induces different behavioral responses in rats depending on their age and female reproductive cycles. Treating young rats with the drug, however, does not alter their behavior later in life. These outcomes indicate that psychedelic therapies may need to be customized for different patient demographics to ensure they work safely and effectively. The findings were published in the journal Neuropharmacology.
Rates of mood disorders and anxiety disorders continue to rise globally. Standard medications, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, act as the most common first line of defense for these health issues. These daily medications can take weeks or even months to provide noticeable relief. They also fail to alleviate symptoms for a large portion of the people taking them, pushing medical researchers to investigate psychedelic drugs as alternative treatments.
Clinical trials suggest psilocybin might act faster, require fewer doses, and offer longer lasting relief than standard antidepressants. When a person or animal consumes psilocybin, the body rapidly breaks it down into a chemical called psilocin, which enters the brain and attaches to specific docking stations on brain cells called serotonin receptors. Activating these receptors alters consciousness, mood, and perception while promoting neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s physical ability to form new cell connections and rewire old pathways.
Historically, most studies exploring these potential therapies rely almost entirely on adult male test subjects. This blind spot exists even though major depressive episodes are notably more common in women than in men. These psychiatric conditions also frequently emerge during human adolescence, and the teenage years represent a unique period of massive brain development.
During this developmental window, brains undergo a restructuring process where massive numbers of connections between neurons are formed and then intentionally pruned away. Serotonin systems play a massive role in guiding this physical restructuring. Introducing a potent drug that alters serotonin signaling could theoretically disrupt a typical growth trajectory. A.L. Zylko, Matthew S. McMurray, and their colleagues at Miami University designed a study to evaluate these overlooked areas in psychedelic medicine.
The research team observed how rats of different ages reacted to a single dose of psilocybin. The specific psilocybin used in the study was synthesized in a laboratory using bioengineered bacteria. They gave adolescent rats either a harmless water solution or the manufactured drug. They also administered the exact same substances to fully grown adult rats to provide a baseline for comparison.
After administering the substances through a feeding tube, the researchers placed each animal in a clear observation cage and recorded their behavior on video for half an hour. They watched for a rapid, side-to-side shaking movement of the head and body. This behavior, resembling a wet dog shaking off water, is a standard marker used to measure hallucination-like states in rodents. Activating the specific serotonin receptors targeted by psilocybin reliably triggers this distinct shaking motion.
The adult rats displayed a robust increase in this behavior within five minutes of receiving the substance. The adolescent rats, on the other hand, barely reacted at all. They did not show the typical rapid head movements associated with the drug. This outcome was consistent across testing days for both early adolescent and late adolescent test groups.
The researchers then let all the young rats grow to adulthood. They wanted to see if brief exposure to the drug during a sensitive developmental period would change their adult brains in noticeable ways. Once the rats reached maturity, the team ran the subjects through a series of behavioral testing paradigms.
One test placed the animals on an elevated zero maze to measure their anxiety. This apparatus is a raised, circular track featuring open sections without walls alongside enclosed, sheltered sections. Rats instinctively fear exposed heights, meaning animals spending more time exploring the open sections show lower anxiety levels. The team found that rats previously given the psychedelic explored the track exactly like the rats given only water.
Another assessment tested how well the rats could adapt to changing rules. This task measures behavioral flexibility, a cognitive trait often impaired in individuals suffering from severe depression. The researchers restricted the animals’ food intake, then taught the hungry rats to press specific levers inside a testing chamber to receive a sugar pellet. One lever provided a sweet reward most of the time, while the other rarely dispensed an item.
Once the rats learned to favor the reliable lever, the experimenters switched the rules, making the rare lever the highly rewarding one. The animals had to figure out that the environment had changed and alter their strategy. The rats exposed to psilocybin during their youth learned the new rules just as quickly as their unexposed peers.
Finally, the researchers gave these grown rats a fresh dose of the psychedelic. They recorded their behavior to see if early adolescent exposure permanently altered their brain’s sensitivity to the chemical. Again, the early exposure made no difference in their physical response. The matured rats reacted just like adults experiencing the drug for the exact first time.
While analyzing the adult test groups, the research team noticed a clear division between the sexes. Adult female rats exhibited the shaking motion much more frequently than the adult male rats. To understand this difference, the researchers launched a secondary study focusing entirely on the female reproductive cycle.
In female rodents, this process is called the estrous cycle, and it heavily influences the structure and chemistry of the mammalian brain. The cycle involves rising and falling levels of hormones like estrogen. The researchers tracked the cycles of adult female rats for two weeks to establish their individual biological rhythms. Then, they administered psilocybin during two distinct phases of the cycle.
They tested the rats during a phase characterized by relatively low estrogen levels, called diestrus. They also tested them during a phase with peak estrogen levels, known as proestrus. The results showed a clear fluctuation in drug sensitivity that tracked directly with the hormonal shifts. Females in the low-estrogen phase displayed a higher number of shaking responses compared to when they were in the high-estrogen phase.
The researchers note that hormonal changes may alter how serotonin receptors function inside the brain. Estrogen levels might change the exact location of these receptors, pulling them off the cell surface and hiding them inside the cells where the psychedelic chemicals cannot easily reach them. Estrogen might also alter the cellular chain reactions that usually happen immediately after the drug binds to the receptor.
The researchers outline several limitations to their experimental findings. The lack of shaking behavior in the younger rats does not guarantee that the youngsters experienced no effects from the drug at all. Adolescent rats might process the drug physically faster or express the neurological effects through entirely different physical movements than adults. Preliminary tests hinted that the overall baseline number of serotonin receptors does not change drastically between age groups, but the measurement methods used had technical limitations.
Discovering that early exposure does not cause long lasting behavioral harm is a positive result, but the researchers note that developing brains naturally possess high levels of plasticity. These naturally high levels might hide the subtle structural rewiring usually triggered by the drug in adult brains. Future research should test different dosages and examine alternative behavioral markers in developing animals.
Extensively monitoring how developmental age and hormonal cycles change receptor function allows laboratory work to map onto real world conditions. Understanding these specific biological parameters will help medical professionals optimize future psychiatric drug doses for a wider diversity of patients.
The study, “Age- and estrous-dependent effects of psilocybin in rats,” was authored by A.L. Zylko, R.J. Rakoczy, B.F. Roberts, M. Wilson, A. Powell, A. Page, M. Heitkamp, D. Feist, J.A. Jones, and M.S. McMurray.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/age-and-hormones-alter-how-rats-respond-to-psilocybin-2026-03-26/
-------------------------------------------------
DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PsilocybinResearch #EstrogenAndBrain #PsychedelicMedicine #SexDifferencesInDrugs #EstrousCycleEffects #Neuropharmacology #SerotoninReceptors #AdolescentBrain #MentalHealthTreatments #PersonalizedMedicine
-
DATE: May 14, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Estrogen levels may dictate how the brain reacts to psychedelics, new animal study indicates
URL: https://www.psypost.org/age-and-hormones-alter-how-rats-respond-to-psilocybin-2026-03-26/
Psilocybin induces different behavioral responses in rats depending on their age and female reproductive cycles. Treating young rats with the drug, however, does not alter their behavior later in life. These outcomes indicate that psychedelic therapies may need to be customized for different patient demographics to ensure they work safely and effectively. The findings were published in the journal Neuropharmacology.
Rates of mood disorders and anxiety disorders continue to rise globally. Standard medications, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, act as the most common first line of defense for these health issues. These daily medications can take weeks or even months to provide noticeable relief. They also fail to alleviate symptoms for a large portion of the people taking them, pushing medical researchers to investigate psychedelic drugs as alternative treatments.
Clinical trials suggest psilocybin might act faster, require fewer doses, and offer longer lasting relief than standard antidepressants. When a person or animal consumes psilocybin, the body rapidly breaks it down into a chemical called psilocin, which enters the brain and attaches to specific docking stations on brain cells called serotonin receptors. Activating these receptors alters consciousness, mood, and perception while promoting neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s physical ability to form new cell connections and rewire old pathways.
Historically, most studies exploring these potential therapies rely almost entirely on adult male test subjects. This blind spot exists even though major depressive episodes are notably more common in women than in men. These psychiatric conditions also frequently emerge during human adolescence, and the teenage years represent a unique period of massive brain development.
During this developmental window, brains undergo a restructuring process where massive numbers of connections between neurons are formed and then intentionally pruned away. Serotonin systems play a massive role in guiding this physical restructuring. Introducing a potent drug that alters serotonin signaling could theoretically disrupt a typical growth trajectory. A.L. Zylko, Matthew S. McMurray, and their colleagues at Miami University designed a study to evaluate these overlooked areas in psychedelic medicine.
The research team observed how rats of different ages reacted to a single dose of psilocybin. The specific psilocybin used in the study was synthesized in a laboratory using bioengineered bacteria. They gave adolescent rats either a harmless water solution or the manufactured drug. They also administered the exact same substances to fully grown adult rats to provide a baseline for comparison.
After administering the substances through a feeding tube, the researchers placed each animal in a clear observation cage and recorded their behavior on video for half an hour. They watched for a rapid, side-to-side shaking movement of the head and body. This behavior, resembling a wet dog shaking off water, is a standard marker used to measure hallucination-like states in rodents. Activating the specific serotonin receptors targeted by psilocybin reliably triggers this distinct shaking motion.
The adult rats displayed a robust increase in this behavior within five minutes of receiving the substance. The adolescent rats, on the other hand, barely reacted at all. They did not show the typical rapid head movements associated with the drug. This outcome was consistent across testing days for both early adolescent and late adolescent test groups.
The researchers then let all the young rats grow to adulthood. They wanted to see if brief exposure to the drug during a sensitive developmental period would change their adult brains in noticeable ways. Once the rats reached maturity, the team ran the subjects through a series of behavioral testing paradigms.
One test placed the animals on an elevated zero maze to measure their anxiety. This apparatus is a raised, circular track featuring open sections without walls alongside enclosed, sheltered sections. Rats instinctively fear exposed heights, meaning animals spending more time exploring the open sections show lower anxiety levels. The team found that rats previously given the psychedelic explored the track exactly like the rats given only water.
Another assessment tested how well the rats could adapt to changing rules. This task measures behavioral flexibility, a cognitive trait often impaired in individuals suffering from severe depression. The researchers restricted the animals’ food intake, then taught the hungry rats to press specific levers inside a testing chamber to receive a sugar pellet. One lever provided a sweet reward most of the time, while the other rarely dispensed an item.
Once the rats learned to favor the reliable lever, the experimenters switched the rules, making the rare lever the highly rewarding one. The animals had to figure out that the environment had changed and alter their strategy. The rats exposed to psilocybin during their youth learned the new rules just as quickly as their unexposed peers.
Finally, the researchers gave these grown rats a fresh dose of the psychedelic. They recorded their behavior to see if early adolescent exposure permanently altered their brain’s sensitivity to the chemical. Again, the early exposure made no difference in their physical response. The matured rats reacted just like adults experiencing the drug for the exact first time.
While analyzing the adult test groups, the research team noticed a clear division between the sexes. Adult female rats exhibited the shaking motion much more frequently than the adult male rats. To understand this difference, the researchers launched a secondary study focusing entirely on the female reproductive cycle.
In female rodents, this process is called the estrous cycle, and it heavily influences the structure and chemistry of the mammalian brain. The cycle involves rising and falling levels of hormones like estrogen. The researchers tracked the cycles of adult female rats for two weeks to establish their individual biological rhythms. Then, they administered psilocybin during two distinct phases of the cycle.
They tested the rats during a phase characterized by relatively low estrogen levels, called diestrus. They also tested them during a phase with peak estrogen levels, known as proestrus. The results showed a clear fluctuation in drug sensitivity that tracked directly with the hormonal shifts. Females in the low-estrogen phase displayed a higher number of shaking responses compared to when they were in the high-estrogen phase.
The researchers note that hormonal changes may alter how serotonin receptors function inside the brain. Estrogen levels might change the exact location of these receptors, pulling them off the cell surface and hiding them inside the cells where the psychedelic chemicals cannot easily reach them. Estrogen might also alter the cellular chain reactions that usually happen immediately after the drug binds to the receptor.
The researchers outline several limitations to their experimental findings. The lack of shaking behavior in the younger rats does not guarantee that the youngsters experienced no effects from the drug at all. Adolescent rats might process the drug physically faster or express the neurological effects through entirely different physical movements than adults. Preliminary tests hinted that the overall baseline number of serotonin receptors does not change drastically between age groups, but the measurement methods used had technical limitations.
Discovering that early exposure does not cause long lasting behavioral harm is a positive result, but the researchers note that developing brains naturally possess high levels of plasticity. These naturally high levels might hide the subtle structural rewiring usually triggered by the drug in adult brains. Future research should test different dosages and examine alternative behavioral markers in developing animals.
Extensively monitoring how developmental age and hormonal cycles change receptor function allows laboratory work to map onto real world conditions. Understanding these specific biological parameters will help medical professionals optimize future psychiatric drug doses for a wider diversity of patients.
The study, “Age- and estrous-dependent effects of psilocybin in rats,” was authored by A.L. Zylko, R.J. Rakoczy, B.F. Roberts, M. Wilson, A. Powell, A. Page, M. Heitkamp, D. Feist, J.A. Jones, and M.S. McMurray.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/age-and-hormones-alter-how-rats-respond-to-psilocybin-2026-03-26/
-------------------------------------------------
DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PsilocybinResearch #EstrogenAndBrain #PsychedelicMedicine #SexDifferencesInDrugs #EstrousCycleEffects #Neuropharmacology #SerotoninReceptors #AdolescentBrain #MentalHealthTreatments #PersonalizedMedicine
-
DATE: May 14, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Estrogen levels may dictate how the brain reacts to psychedelics, new animal study indicates
URL: https://www.psypost.org/age-and-hormones-alter-how-rats-respond-to-psilocybin-2026-03-26/
Psilocybin induces different behavioral responses in rats depending on their age and female reproductive cycles. Treating young rats with the drug, however, does not alter their behavior later in life. These outcomes indicate that psychedelic therapies may need to be customized for different patient demographics to ensure they work safely and effectively. The findings were published in the journal Neuropharmacology.
Rates of mood disorders and anxiety disorders continue to rise globally. Standard medications, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, act as the most common first line of defense for these health issues. These daily medications can take weeks or even months to provide noticeable relief. They also fail to alleviate symptoms for a large portion of the people taking them, pushing medical researchers to investigate psychedelic drugs as alternative treatments.
Clinical trials suggest psilocybin might act faster, require fewer doses, and offer longer lasting relief than standard antidepressants. When a person or animal consumes psilocybin, the body rapidly breaks it down into a chemical called psilocin, which enters the brain and attaches to specific docking stations on brain cells called serotonin receptors. Activating these receptors alters consciousness, mood, and perception while promoting neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s physical ability to form new cell connections and rewire old pathways.
Historically, most studies exploring these potential therapies rely almost entirely on adult male test subjects. This blind spot exists even though major depressive episodes are notably more common in women than in men. These psychiatric conditions also frequently emerge during human adolescence, and the teenage years represent a unique period of massive brain development.
During this developmental window, brains undergo a restructuring process where massive numbers of connections between neurons are formed and then intentionally pruned away. Serotonin systems play a massive role in guiding this physical restructuring. Introducing a potent drug that alters serotonin signaling could theoretically disrupt a typical growth trajectory. A.L. Zylko, Matthew S. McMurray, and their colleagues at Miami University designed a study to evaluate these overlooked areas in psychedelic medicine.
The research team observed how rats of different ages reacted to a single dose of psilocybin. The specific psilocybin used in the study was synthesized in a laboratory using bioengineered bacteria. They gave adolescent rats either a harmless water solution or the manufactured drug. They also administered the exact same substances to fully grown adult rats to provide a baseline for comparison.
After administering the substances through a feeding tube, the researchers placed each animal in a clear observation cage and recorded their behavior on video for half an hour. They watched for a rapid, side-to-side shaking movement of the head and body. This behavior, resembling a wet dog shaking off water, is a standard marker used to measure hallucination-like states in rodents. Activating the specific serotonin receptors targeted by psilocybin reliably triggers this distinct shaking motion.
The adult rats displayed a robust increase in this behavior within five minutes of receiving the substance. The adolescent rats, on the other hand, barely reacted at all. They did not show the typical rapid head movements associated with the drug. This outcome was consistent across testing days for both early adolescent and late adolescent test groups.
The researchers then let all the young rats grow to adulthood. They wanted to see if brief exposure to the drug during a sensitive developmental period would change their adult brains in noticeable ways. Once the rats reached maturity, the team ran the subjects through a series of behavioral testing paradigms.
One test placed the animals on an elevated zero maze to measure their anxiety. This apparatus is a raised, circular track featuring open sections without walls alongside enclosed, sheltered sections. Rats instinctively fear exposed heights, meaning animals spending more time exploring the open sections show lower anxiety levels. The team found that rats previously given the psychedelic explored the track exactly like the rats given only water.
Another assessment tested how well the rats could adapt to changing rules. This task measures behavioral flexibility, a cognitive trait often impaired in individuals suffering from severe depression. The researchers restricted the animals’ food intake, then taught the hungry rats to press specific levers inside a testing chamber to receive a sugar pellet. One lever provided a sweet reward most of the time, while the other rarely dispensed an item.
Once the rats learned to favor the reliable lever, the experimenters switched the rules, making the rare lever the highly rewarding one. The animals had to figure out that the environment had changed and alter their strategy. The rats exposed to psilocybin during their youth learned the new rules just as quickly as their unexposed peers.
Finally, the researchers gave these grown rats a fresh dose of the psychedelic. They recorded their behavior to see if early adolescent exposure permanently altered their brain’s sensitivity to the chemical. Again, the early exposure made no difference in their physical response. The matured rats reacted just like adults experiencing the drug for the exact first time.
While analyzing the adult test groups, the research team noticed a clear division between the sexes. Adult female rats exhibited the shaking motion much more frequently than the adult male rats. To understand this difference, the researchers launched a secondary study focusing entirely on the female reproductive cycle.
In female rodents, this process is called the estrous cycle, and it heavily influences the structure and chemistry of the mammalian brain. The cycle involves rising and falling levels of hormones like estrogen. The researchers tracked the cycles of adult female rats for two weeks to establish their individual biological rhythms. Then, they administered psilocybin during two distinct phases of the cycle.
They tested the rats during a phase characterized by relatively low estrogen levels, called diestrus. They also tested them during a phase with peak estrogen levels, known as proestrus. The results showed a clear fluctuation in drug sensitivity that tracked directly with the hormonal shifts. Females in the low-estrogen phase displayed a higher number of shaking responses compared to when they were in the high-estrogen phase.
The researchers note that hormonal changes may alter how serotonin receptors function inside the brain. Estrogen levels might change the exact location of these receptors, pulling them off the cell surface and hiding them inside the cells where the psychedelic chemicals cannot easily reach them. Estrogen might also alter the cellular chain reactions that usually happen immediately after the drug binds to the receptor.
The researchers outline several limitations to their experimental findings. The lack of shaking behavior in the younger rats does not guarantee that the youngsters experienced no effects from the drug at all. Adolescent rats might process the drug physically faster or express the neurological effects through entirely different physical movements than adults. Preliminary tests hinted that the overall baseline number of serotonin receptors does not change drastically between age groups, but the measurement methods used had technical limitations.
Discovering that early exposure does not cause long lasting behavioral harm is a positive result, but the researchers note that developing brains naturally possess high levels of plasticity. These naturally high levels might hide the subtle structural rewiring usually triggered by the drug in adult brains. Future research should test different dosages and examine alternative behavioral markers in developing animals.
Extensively monitoring how developmental age and hormonal cycles change receptor function allows laboratory work to map onto real world conditions. Understanding these specific biological parameters will help medical professionals optimize future psychiatric drug doses for a wider diversity of patients.
The study, “Age- and estrous-dependent effects of psilocybin in rats,” was authored by A.L. Zylko, R.J. Rakoczy, B.F. Roberts, M. Wilson, A. Powell, A. Page, M. Heitkamp, D. Feist, J.A. Jones, and M.S. McMurray.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/age-and-hormones-alter-how-rats-respond-to-psilocybin-2026-03-26/
-------------------------------------------------
DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PsilocybinResearch #EstrogenAndBrain #PsychedelicMedicine #SexDifferencesInDrugs #EstrousCycleEffects #Neuropharmacology #SerotoninReceptors #AdolescentBrain #MentalHealthTreatments #PersonalizedMedicine
-
DATE: May 13, 2026 at 09:07PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEEDTITLE: New psychedelic-like drugs could treat depression without making you trip
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260512202325.htm
UC Davis researchers created brand-new psychedelic-like compounds by shining UV light on amino acid-based molecules. These compounds activated key serotonin receptors tied to brain plasticity and mental health benefits, but surprisingly did not cause hallucination-like behavior in animal tests. Scientists say the discovery could lead to future treatments for depression, PTSD, and addiction without the intense psychedelic experience.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260512202325.htm
-------------------------------------------------
DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PsychedelicLikeDrugs #DepressionTreatment #SerotoninReceptors #BrainPlasticity #MentalHealthResearch #NonPsychedelicTherapy #UC DavisScience #NovelTherapies #PTSDTreatment #AddictionRecovery
-
DATE: May 13, 2026 at 09:07PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEEDTITLE: New psychedelic-like drugs could treat depression without making you trip
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260512202325.htm
UC Davis researchers created brand-new psychedelic-like compounds by shining UV light on amino acid-based molecules. These compounds activated key serotonin receptors tied to brain plasticity and mental health benefits, but surprisingly did not cause hallucination-like behavior in animal tests. Scientists say the discovery could lead to future treatments for depression, PTSD, and addiction without the intense psychedelic experience.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260512202325.htm
-------------------------------------------------
DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PsychedelicLikeDrugs #DepressionTreatment #SerotoninReceptors #BrainPlasticity #MentalHealthResearch #NonPsychedelicTherapy #UC DavisScience #NovelTherapies #PTSDTreatment #AddictionRecovery
-
DATE: May 13, 2026 at 09:07PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEEDTITLE: New psychedelic-like drugs could treat depression without making you trip
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260512202325.htm
UC Davis researchers created brand-new psychedelic-like compounds by shining UV light on amino acid-based molecules. These compounds activated key serotonin receptors tied to brain plasticity and mental health benefits, but surprisingly did not cause hallucination-like behavior in animal tests. Scientists say the discovery could lead to future treatments for depression, PTSD, and addiction without the intense psychedelic experience.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260512202325.htm
-------------------------------------------------
DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PsychedelicLikeDrugs #DepressionTreatment #SerotoninReceptors #BrainPlasticity #MentalHealthResearch #NonPsychedelicTherapy #UC DavisScience #NovelTherapies #PTSDTreatment #AddictionRecovery
-
DATE: May 13, 2026 at 09:07PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: New psychedelic-like drugs could treat depression without making you trip
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260512202325.htm
UC Davis researchers created brand-new psychedelic-like compounds by shining UV light on amino acid-based molecules. These compounds activated key serotonin receptors tied to brain plasticity and mental health benefits, but surprisingly did not cause hallucination-like behavior in animal tests. Scientists say the discovery could lead to future treatments for depression, PTSD, and addiction without the intense psychedelic experience.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260512202325.htm
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DATE: May 12, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: AI-designed drug reduces fentanyl consumption in animal models by targeting serotonin receptors
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that a novel drug developed using artificial intelligence can significantly reduce fentanyl consumption in animal models. The experimental medication targets specific serotonin receptors in the brain to restore neural pathways altered by addiction. These findings provide evidence that this new compound could eventually offer a non-addictive treatment option for people experiencing opioid use disorder.
Opioid use disorder currently affects millions of people, with synthetic opioids like fentanyl driving a severe public health crisis. Seeking alternative treatments, scientists focused on creating a therapy that addresses the neurological changes caused by addiction without relying on opioid-based medications.
“New therapeutics for opioid use disorder are desperately needed,” said study author Christie D. Fowler, a chancellor’s fellow and professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. “Just about everyone has been impacted by the opioid epidemic. These are people’s mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters.”
Fowler, who also serves as the co-director of the UC Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience, noted that opioid use disorder does not discriminate based on age or socioeconomic boundaries. “Thus, if we can help people who still have [so] much benefit to give our society, and their families, then I believe that it is our ethical responsibility to do so,” she explained.
Historically, the pharmaceutical industry has hesitated to invest heavily in this area. “For too long, drug companies have stayed out of the addiction therapeutic space due to the misperception that the people that would buy their drugs wouldn’t be able to afford them – based on the stigma of an ‘addict’,” Fowler said. “This is just not the case. We cannot give up hope on people who have an opioid use disorder, just like we wouldn’t give up hope on someone who has another disease, like cancer or diabetes.”
Current treatment options, such as methadone and buprenorphine, tend to be limited by safety concerns, inconsistent long-term effectiveness, and difficulties with patient adherence. These medications are also opioid-based, which presents additional challenges for long-term recovery.
To find a different path, the researchers analyzed how fentanyl interacts with the serotonin system, a network of chemical messengers involved in mood, reward, and learning. Prolonged opioid use alters these serotonin pathways and changes the physical structure of brain cell connections. The authors aimed to discover a drug that could target these specific serotonin-related changes rather than opioid receptors.
“The development of this new drug will hopefully lead to more therapeutic options for those attempting to quit or reduce use of an opioid,” Fowler said. “Moreover, the targeting approach does not include the receptors that opioids directly act on in the brain, so this new drug may lead to more beneficial and persistent changes in the brain to overcome the harms induced by prior opioid exposure.”
The researchers used an artificial intelligence platform to analyze large sets of genetic and chemical data from the postmortem brain tissue of human patients who had been dependent on opioids. This system identified two specific types of serotonin receptors as highly probable targets for a new therapy.
“In these studies, we used an AI platform developed by GATC Health, so these studies also provide evidence to support the use of AI technology to reduce the time needed for drug development efforts,” Fowler noted. Based on these predictions, the artificial intelligence system generated dozens of potential chemical compounds, leading the researchers to select two top candidates named GATC-021 and GATC-1021.
The researchers first conducted laboratory tests on cells to confirm that the two new drugs accurately targeted the intended serotonin receptors. They found that GATC-021 activated the desired receptors but also caused unwanted side effects. In tests involving 14 rats exploring an open enclosure, the highest dose of GATC-021 significantly reduced their normal movement and exploration.
In contrast, GATC-1021 demonstrated high precision. Laboratory cell tests revealed that it selectively activated the target serotonin receptors without binding to unrelated pathways. When tested in a group of eight rats, GATC-1021 produced no negative effects on general movement or behavior across various doses.
Based on these initial safety profiles, the scientists evaluated how the drugs influenced fentanyl consumption. They surgically implanted intravenous catheters into adult male and female Wistar rats. The animals were placed in specialized chambers where they could press a lever to receive a small dose of fentanyl, a procedure known as intravenous self-administration.
After the rats learned the behavior and established a stable pattern of fentanyl intake over ten days, the researchers injected them with either the experimental drugs or a placebo. These tests involved groups of 12 to 13 rats per specific dose and drug combination. Initially, both drugs reduced fentanyl consumption, but GATC-021 lost its effectiveness over a five-day testing period.
GATC-1021, on the other hand, maintained its effectiveness and showed no signs of tolerance. Across doses ranging from 25 to 70 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, GATC-1021 consistently reduced the number of times the rats pressed the lever for fentanyl. When the scientists analyzed the data to account for individual variations, they found that GATC-1021 reduced fentanyl intake by more than 60 percent.
Because GATC-1021 targets the same serotonin receptors that are typically activated by psychedelic drugs, the researchers tested whether it might cause hallucinations. In rodents, hallucinogenic effects are measured by observing rapid, involuntary head twitches. While a known hallucinogenic drug caused significant head twitches, GATC-1021 did not trigger any such responses.
The scientists then examined how the drug affected the physical structure of brain cells, which communicate through tiny, branch-like protrusions called dendritic spines. The shape and density of these spines change as the brain learns and adapts, a process known as neuroplasticity. The animals that self-administered fentanyl and received GATC-1021 showed a higher percentage of adaptable, thin dendritic spines compared to rats that only consumed fentanyl.
To understand the genetic mechanisms behind these physical changes, the authors analyzed gene expression in three brain areas linked to reward and addiction. They found that fentanyl consumption alone caused widespread changes in gene activity, while treatment with GATC-1021 modified these patterns in a beneficial way. In the prefrontal cortex, a brain region responsible for decision-making, the drug significantly increased the activity of specific genes associated with neuroplasticity and brain cell survival.
While the integration of artificial intelligence accelerated the discovery process, the physical experiments revealed nuances that the computer models missed. For example, the artificial intelligence system predicted that pairing the experimental drugs with sulbutiamine, a synthetic form of vitamin B1, would enhance brain absorption. However, the animal tests showed that GATC-1021 was actually more effective at entering the brain without the addition of sulbutiamine.
“While the AI platform was essential for the initial development of the drug, preclinical testing in an animal model was equally essential to determine how the drug would act in a complex biological system,” Fowler said. “In these studies, we found that while the AI predictions were overall correct, some aspects of the prediction were not validated once we tested them in the rodent model. Thus, preclinical testing remains important so that we can prevent off-target effects from occurring in humans.”
Any predictions about how the drug will perform in humans remain speculative until clinical trials are conducted. “We are still in the early stages of developing this drug, and thus, it will likely be several years before all requirements are met with regard to the FDA regulatory pipeline,” Fowler explained.
Future research will need to explore how the drug is absorbed and processed across different areas of the brain under varying dosing schedules. Scientists will also need to investigate the long-term effects of the medication.
“We would like to see if this drug holds benefit for other disorders that are commonly found in [people] experiencing opioid use disorder, such as anxiety and depression,” Fowler added.
The study, “AI-derived therapeutic development of a serotonin receptor–targeting drug for the treatment of opioid use disorder,” was authored by Valeria Lallai, Samuel Kho, A. C. Martin, James P. Fowler, Madison L. Roach, Kevin Wang, Kendyl N. Laumann, Tyler G. Morrison, Mina Palaniappan, Malia Bautista, Allison S. Mogul, Jinjutha E. Cheepluesak, Bijay Shrestha, Dhanaji M. Lade, Julia E. Lagomarsino, Vaishnavi Narayan, Jayson Uffens, Waldemar Lernhardt, Saman Mirzaei, Ian Jenkins, Arturo R. Zavala, Jonathan R. T. Lakey, Robert Tinder, and Christie D. Fowler.
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