====== Psychedelic drugs ======

Psychedelic drugs currently have a circular definition. Classed as hallucinogenic psychoactive drugs which have the primary effect of triggering non-ordinary states of consciousness -  termed 'psychedelic' experiences.

Many of the known psychedelic substances have been found to bind-to and activate the brain's serotonin 5-HT<sub>2A</sub> receptors. ( see: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-HT2A_receptor|Wikipedia]] )

Although it has been experimentally found that activating the 5-HT<sub>2A</sub> receptors leads to a marked increase in spontaneous (glutamate-mediated) synaptic activity in the prefrontal cortex, exactly how and why this leads to 'psychedelic' experiences remains unknown.

Further reading : [[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1887564/|Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]]

----

Also see : [[content:medicine:drugs:empathogenic_drugs]]

~~stars>2/5~~