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Where would you expect to find psychedelic drugs? A nightclub, a back alley, or a hospital? Expectations are changing, thanks to increased research into their mechanisms of action and potential as treatments of those mental health conditions that are characterised by a loss of brain cell connections such as PTSD and depression. Previous studies had identified that they help rebuild these connections, and that they interact with a particular group of receptors on neurons, called 5-HT2ARs (coloured inside a white highlighted neuron, pictured), which serotonin also binds to. But it wasn’t clear how the drugs’ binding causes neuron growth while serotonin’s does not. A new study showed this outcome only happens when binding happens inside nerve cells, not on the surface, which is where serotonin interacts. This detail may be a key feature to bear in mind when developing much-needed treatments for people with severe mental health conditions.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Anthony Lewis

Writer

Ant was the web editor in the early days of BPoD, and has since worked with the UK’s top science organisations as a writer and multimedia producer. He now splits his time between freelance work and managing multimedia at The Lancet.

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• Image from work by Maxemiliano V. Vargas and colleagues, Olson Lab, UC Davis
• Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Research published in Science, February 2023