Summary: The trippy DOI, a mixture similar to Acid, reduced stress in animals by activating certain brain cells called fast-spiking interneurons. The lateral amygdala, a region that is connected to memory and emotion, is silenced by these neurons.
By uncovering this process, the study opens the door to designing innovative treatments that target stress without triggering illusions, a cornerstone of numerous stimulants.
Important Facts:
- DOI triggers neurons that reduce stress in the body’s dorsal brain.
- Fast-spiking cells solitude another cells, contributing to stress relief.
- The study suggests it’s possible to style psychedelic-inspired medication without illusions.
Origin: Cornell University
A typical kaleidoscopic, related to LSD, mushroom and mescalin, was found to stimulate a cell type in the brain that silences another neighboring neurons, a result that provides insight into how for drugs reduce anxiety, according to a new study.
The findings show the psychedelic DOI (2, 5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine ) lessened anxiety in mice and rats while activating the ventral hippocampus and so-called fast-spiking cells there.
” It has n’t been known what brain areas and cell types are involved when psychedelics suppress anxiety”, said , Alex Kwan, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell University and senior author of the , study, which published today in the journal , Neuron.
” The concept is that if we know the neuroscience involved, we can develop some better drugs that would target these channels,” he said.
” The job provides an understanding of the biological trigger for the psychedelic-induced relief of anxiety”, said Vidita Vaidya, top professor of natural sciences at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, and the writer’s related writer.
The lateral hippocampus, a brain structure responsible for social memory, emotion, and change, does not seem to produce the hallucinations that are a hallmark of DOI, suggesting that some of the medical effects of psychedelics, such as reducing PTSD, depression, and anxiety, may be isolated within distinct brain circuits, Vaidya said.
That opens the door to developing psychedelic-inspired medications that do n’t cause hallucinations, she continued.  ,  ,
The study builds on earlier studies that found that animals that are anxious, particularly those who communicate with the amygdala, the main processing center for emotions, exhibit abnormal hyperactivity in the ventral hippocampus.
” There’s a hint that in the anxiety state, these cells are active, and maybe the drug works by then silencing some of these”, Kwan said.
About this information on research in psychopharmacology and anxiety
Author: Becka Bowyer
Source: Cornell University
Contact: Becka Bowyer – Cornell University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
Alex Kwan and colleagues ‘” Ventral hippocampal parvalbumin interneurons gate the serotonergic psychedelic DOI’s acute anxiolytic action.” Neuron
Abstract
The serotonergic psychedelic DOI’s ventral hippocampal parvalbumin interneurons control the acute anxiolytic action of the serotonergic psychedelic interneurons.
Recently, serotonergic psychedelics have rekindled interest in their therapeutic potential.
In the anxiolytic effect evoked by the serotonergic psychedelic drug 2, 5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine ( DOI), we reveal the crucial role of ventral hippocampus (vHpc ) GABAergic interneurons.
Integrating anatomical, pharmacological, and genetic approaches, we show that 5-HT2A , receptors in the CA1/subiculum ( CA1/sub ) region of the vHpc are required for the anxiolytic action of DOI.  , In , vivo , electrophysiology and opto-tagging experiments indicate that DOI enhances the firing rate of hippocampal fast-spiking parvalbumin ( PV ) -positive interneurons, most of which express the 5-HT2A , receptors.
Restoration of 5-HT2A , receptors in PV-positive interneurons in a loss-of-function background reinstated the anxiolytic responses evoked by DOI in the vHpc CA1/sub region.
Collectively, our results localize the acute anxiolytic action of a serotonergic psychedelic to 5-HT2A , receptors in the ventral hippocampus and specifically identify PV-positive fast-spiking cells as a cellular trigger for the psychedelic-induced relief of anxiety-like behavior.
