Psychedelics may treat depression by invading brain cells

Nicoletta Lanese. March 3, 2023.

The findings of the new study, published Feb. 16 in the journal Science (opens in new tab), may help explain why, in some cases, psychedelics, in conjunction with talk therapy, work better and faster for patients than traditional antidepressants, The Scientist reported (opens in new tab).

However, the team found that several psychedelic drugs can slip right through these membranes; that's because they're far less polar than serotonin, meaning they're "greasier" and don't have a positive end and a negative end. Once inside a brain cell, the psychedelics plug into the internal serotonin 2A receptors that serotonin can't reach.

In their experiments, the team found that by tweaking serotonin to make it less polar, they could boost the molecules' ability to build new connections between neurons. This likely happened because the chemical passed through the cells' membranes and activated their internal serotonin receptors, the team hypothesized.

Quinn: Huh. So seretonin (the 'reward hormone') encourages neurons to form connections... TODO find out if this is useful for cortical models.