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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