This review (2007) discusses the behavioural pharmacology of phenethylamine (MDMA), tryptamine (psilocybin, DMT), and ergoline (LSD) hallucinogens.
Abstract of The behavioral pharmacology of hallucinogens
“Until very recently, comparatively few scientists were studying hallucinogenic drugs. Nevertheless, selective antagonists are available for relevant serotonergic receptors, the majority of which have now been cloned, allowing for reasonably thorough pharmacological investigation. Animal models sensitive to the behavioral effects of the hallucinogens have been established and exploited. Sophisticated genetic techniques have enabled the development of mutant mice, which have proven useful in the study of hallucinogens. The capacity to study post-receptor signaling events has lead to the proposal of a plausible mechanism of action for these compounds. The tools currently available to study the hallucinogens are thus more plentiful and scientifically advanced than were those accessible to earlier researchers studying the opioids, benzodiazepines, cholinergics, or other centrally active compounds. The behavioral pharmacology of phenethylamine, tryptamine, and ergoline hallucinogens are described in this review, paying particular attention to important structure activity relationships which have emerged, receptors involved in their various actions, effects on conditioned and unconditioned behaviors, and in some cases, human psychopharmacology. As clinical interest in the therapeutic potential of these compounds is once again beginning to emerge, it is important to recognize the wealth of data derived from controlled preclinical studies on these compounds.”
Authors: William E. Fantegrossi, Kevin S. Murnane & Chad J. Reissig
Summary of The behavioral pharmacology of hallucinogens
1. Introduction
The modern era of psychedelics began with the discovery of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1943, which ushered in an era of intense LSD research. However, by the mid-1960s, scientific interest in psychedelics had faded, but has recently experienced a slight renaissance.
The term hallucinogen has come to describe LSD and related compounds, but it has been argued that frank hallucinations are produced only rarely at the doses commonly taken recreationally. Nevertheless, we will use the term hallucinogen to refer to these compounds, despite the controversy surrounding the appropriateness of this appellation.
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The behavioral pharmacology of hallucinogens
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2007.07.018
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Cite this paper (APA)
Fantegrossi, W. E., Murnane, K. S., & Reissig, C. J. (2008). The behavioral pharmacology of hallucinogens. Biochemical pharmacology, 75(1), 17-33.