Topic: DRUGS - on February 1, 2007 at 11:21:00 AM CET
How Hallucinogens Play Their Mind-Bending Games
Researchers isolate cells affected by LSD and mescaline, potentially leading to more treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Zeroing in on a group of cells in a high layer of the cortex, a team of researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute may finally have found the cause of the swirling textures, blurry visions and signal-crossing synesthesia brought on by hallucinogenic drugs like LSD, peyote and "'shrooms." The group, which published its findings in this week's issue of Neuron, may have settled a long-simmering debate over how psychedelic drugs distort human perception.
scientificamerican.com Secret behind psychedelic trips revealedHallucinogens Recruit Specific Cortical 5-HT2A Receptor-Mediated Signaling Pathways to Affect Behavior
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