Researchers from McGill University have discovered, for the first time, one of the strategies that may increase the ability of lysergic acid diserylamide (LSD) to increase social interactions. The findings, which may help unravel potential therapeutic applications in the treatment of some psychiatric disorders, include anxiety disorder and alcohol use. strong, published in the journal PNAS.
Psychedelic drugs, including LSD, were popular in the 1970s and have become increasingly popular over the past decade, with reports of young professionals claiming that they ‘take small doses of non-hallucinogenic LSD regularly to increase productivity and creativity and to increase sympathy. . The mode of action of LSD on the brain, however, has remained a mystery.
Studies in mice provide information
To conduct their study, the researchers administered a low dose of LSD to mice over seven days, resulting in a marked increase in the sociability of the mice. “This increased sociability occurs because the LSD activates the serotonin 5-HT2A receptors and AMPA receptors – which are the glutamate receptors, the brain’s main excitatory neurotransmitters – in the prefrontal cortex and also activates protein a cell called mTORC 1, “explains Danilo De Gregorio, PharmD, PhD, who is a graduate associate in McGill ‘s Neurobiologic Unit and the first author in the study. “These three factors, taken together, promote social interaction in mice, which equates to social empathy and behavior in humans.”
The researchers note that the main outcome of their study is the ability to describe, at least in rodents, the underlying mechanism for the behavioral effect of LSD increasing emotions. empathy, including a greater connection to the world and a sense of belonging to a large community. “The fact is that LSD binds to the previously known 5-HT2A receptor. The novelty of this research is the recognition that the prosocial effects of LSD activate the 5-HT2 receptors, which then activating the excitatory synapses of the AMPA receptor as well as the mTORC1 protein complex, which has been shown to be poorly regulated in diseases with social deficits such as autism spectrum disorder, ” assigned by Professor Nahum Sonenberg, Professor at the Department of Biochemistry of McGill University, a world-renowned expert in the molecules. disease biology and co-lead author of the study.
Using the modern method of optogenetics, a method by which genes for light-sensitive proteins are inserted into specific types of brain cells to monitor and control their activity by using light signals, the researchers saw that when the excitatory transmission in the cortex is activated, the prosocial effect of LSD was sidelined, highlighting the importance of this brain region on changing the behavioral effects of LSD.
Moving forward to apply the decisions to people
Having discovered that LSD increases social interaction in mice, the researchers hope to continue their work and test the ability of LSD to manipulate mutant mice the behavioral deficits similar to those seen in human pathologies include autism spectrum disorder and social anxiety disorder. The hope is to eventually investigate whether micro-doses of LSD or some novel outcomes in humans could have a similar effect and whether it could also be a viable and safe therapeutic option.
“Social interaction is a fundamental feature of human behavior,” notes co-lead author Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, Professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill and psychologist at the McGill University Health Center. “These hallucinogenic fertilizers, which, at low doses, may be able to increase sociability to better understand medicine and social behavior neurobiology and, ultimately, new and safer drugs development and detection for mental health problems. “
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“Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) stimulates social behavior through mTORC1 in the excitatory neurotransmission,” by D. De Gregorio, N. Sonenberg, G. Gobbi, et al, published in PNAS on 25 January 2020. Doi: 10.1073 / pnas.2020705118
About McGill University
Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill University is the highest medical doctoral university in Canada. McGill is consistently regarded as one of the leading universities, both nationally and internationally. It is renowned as a world-class higher education institution with research activities covering two campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 study programs and more than 40,000 students, including more on 10,200 graduate students. McGill attracts students from more than 150 countries around the world, its 12,800 international students making up 31% of the student body. More than half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including about 19% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.
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