PsychedelicPsychedelic DrugsDrugs

Hallucinogens Overview

• Some of these drugs are synthesized, others come naturally from plants

• The cactus peyote and mushroom amanita have been used since prehistoric times

• Some, such as these, have religious and spiritual use

• Others were popular for just “having a good time”

Psychedelics and the Brain

• Agonists at Serotonin Receptors

Strong Structural Similarities to serotonin

Bind at serotonin receptors

• Also inhibits reuptake of seretonin

•Alters Seretonergic pathways

Serotonin

• Neurotransmitter

• In Body: regulates intestinal movement

• In Brain, it regulates:– Mood– Appetite– Sleep– Muscle contraction– Cognitive functions learning and memory

But How Do Drugs Alter Behavior?Normal Serotonin Activity Does Not Cause Hallucinogenic Behavior, So Why Do DRUGS?•Scientists aren’t sure•Theory:

•Drugs alter the receptors shape, then activate different effectors (end results) via different signaling pathways•Over-stimulation of receptorsincrease EPSC’sincrease neuron firing in cerebral cortex•Also changes gene expression that change firing properties of neurons

Look at the structures: ALL AT ONCE

Psilocybin Psilocin

LSD

Muscarine

AyahuascaPeyote

L S D: What is it?• Lysergic acid diethylamide; “Acid”

• Odorless, colorless, bitter-tasting synthetic substance– made from ergot

• Most common, non-addictive hallucinogen

LSD: Mode of Action• After ingested by mouth or by eyes…• Scientists are unsure, but believe that LSD inhibits the reuptake of serotonin from the

synapse• Serotonin primarily in cerebral cortex and locus coeruleus

– Imbalance in cerebral cortex causes alteration in thought, mood, and perception– Imbalance in locus coeruleus

leads to bizarre sensory

experiences (auditory,

visual, and tactile

hallucinations)

Effects of LSD• Begins to work 30 min. after ingested and can work for over 12 hrs

• Physical Effects:– Dizziness, increased

heart rate, nausea

• Psychological Effects:– Sense of unreality,

hallucinations, perception of time

• Depending on:– Dose, emotions, setting,

other drugs

Bad Trips

• LSD is unpredictable– Calm, spiritual trip– Or frightening, bizarre

images and strong emotions

• This can lead to feeling dizzy, anxious, disoriented, or paranoid

• Taking LSD can destabilize people who are already predisposed to mental illness, such as schizophrenia

FL-A--S---H----B-----A------c-------k--------s

Hallucinogen-Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD)

• After several trips, or even just one• Constant hallucinations while NOT on LSD• No treatment, but often ends on its own after

months or years• Hallucination flashbacks could be just like other

memories• Or could be result of permanent changes to the

brain

History of Discovery

• 1938 Swiss doctor Albert Hoffmann

• Pharmaceutical company, created LSD accidentally

• Thought, along with other scientists, that LSD could cure schizophrenia, criminal behavior, and alcoholism

• Experiments did not yield conclusive results

LSD: Social Aspects

• Scientists tested LSD– Many self-tested and shared the drug with

friends– Some test subjects began smuggling LSD out

of the lab• Became popular in the 1960s before made illegal

in the 1970 Controlled Substances Act• Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters• Two Harvard professors, Timothy Leary and

Richard Alpert• CIA

Ayahuasca

• Other names: Psilohuasca, ‘Shroom-a-huasca

• Name origin: Ayahuasca means “spirit vine” or “vine of the souls” in indigenous languages of South America. Ayahuasca is also called Yage or Cipo in Colombia and Brazil respectively

• History of drug: Used for healing purposes by Amerindians of the Amazon

Preparation• Ayahuasca is made from boiling

the stem of the ayahuasca vine, Bansteriopis caapi, with other plants

• The plants that most often accompany the ayahuasca vine in the mixture are called the three campanions:

• Chacruna (Psychotria viridis)• Sameruca (Pychotria

carthaginensis)• Chalipanga (Diplopterys

cabrerana)

Chemistry• Ayahuasca is often used as an

antidepressant • MAOIs in it reduce the clearing

of serotonin from the synaptic cleft and allow DMT to travel to neurons

• MAOI causes more serotonin to bind to serotonin receptors on the dendrites of neurons

• Causes elation and the opposite effects of depression.

Effects• Ayahuasca can also be smoked,

inhaled, or injected to avoid the digestive tract

• Parenterally administered ayahuasca acts quickly, but produces a short, brief effect

• Ayahuasca drink is taken orally and passes through digestive tract

• May take up to several hours to cause an effect, but lasts for longer periods of time

• Can cause dizziness, vomiting, and nausea

Legality

• it is legal to possess ayahuasca vine, but it is illegal to have DMT or other plants that contain DMT, such as the chacruna plant

• under Chapter 13 of the Controlled Substances Act, DMT is classified as a Schedule I drug

• the Drug Enforcement Administration has found that DMT has a high potential for abuse and there is no medical use of DMT in treatments in the U.S

• DMT lacks the accepted safety requirements for use under medical supervision.

Bufotenine

Bufotenine• Also called 5-HO-DMT• Weak hallucogenic tryptamine

drug • Comes from natural sources but

can be prepared synthetically• poisonous alkaloid similar in

structure to the neurotransmitter serotonin

• does not easily cross the blood-brain barrier

• secreted from glands found on the skin and backs of toads

• constricts blood vessels, which causes a rise in blood pressure levels.

History• Austrian chemist Handovsky

first isolated Bufotenine from toad skin at the University of Prague during World War I

• In 1934, Heinrich Wieland confirmed the structure of it in his lab in Munich

• In 1936, Toshio Hoshino reported the synthesis of bufotenine and was the first to recreate it in a lab

Legality

• Bufotenine is classified as a Schedule I hallucinogen

• Illegal to manufacture, buy, distribute, or possess bufotenine without a DEA license

• Bufotenine cannot be obtained by prescription, either

Bufotenine In FairytalesThe Frog Prince, The Princess & The Frog

PeyotePeyote

Cactus in Southwestern US and Mexico“The Sacred Plant” “The Key to the Door of Illusion” “The

Cube that Turns You On, Man”

Peyote Effects

• When Chewed or Drunken as Tea– 10-12 hours of deep introspection– Visual and auidtory affects– Swirls of color– Time alteration

• Bitter; often causes nausea and vomiting

Peyote Religion

• For thousands of years, has been used by Native American and Atzecan tribes

• Integrated into their ceremonies and religious practices and beliefs

• Used as a healing remedy– “Sacred Medicine”– Combat physical, spiritual and social ills

Peyote Stirs Contoversy in Supreme Court

• When lawmakers tried to outlaw peyote, they received opposition

• Claimed banning the drug was a violation of the First Amendement– Right to Religion

Peyote is legal in

some states to

certified members of

Peyote Religion

Peyote and Mescaline

• Mescaline=the main component of peyote– A psychoactive alkaloid– Can be produced synthetically in labs

Psilocybin: The Drug

• Schedule I drugs

• contain psilocin and psilocybin

• These compounds are psychedelics and cause an effect similar to that of LSD

• Psilocybin

– tryptamine and an alkaloid

– posphate ester of psilocyn and the more chemically stable of the two compounds

– less potent than psilocin due to higher molecular weight

Amanita Muscaria

• Psychedelic chemical include Muscarine and Muscaria, an active alkaloid and Ibotanic acid

• Symptoms:nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and bronchospasm

• With larger doses: acrimation, hypotension and shock.

• brain damage • Legal everywhere