Jean-Benoit Legault, The Canadian Press
MONTREAL — The way in which low doses of LSD combat the symptoms of anxiety is similar to that of certain classes of commonly prescribed antidepressants and anxiolytics, demonstrates the work of a Montreal researcher.
While it was already known that microdoses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) combined with psychotherapy might relieve anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with severe psychiatric or neurological problems, the neurobiological mechanisms responsible for this beneficial effect were poorly understood.
“We tried to understand what the mechanism of action of LSD is and in which mental illnesses it might be used,” said Dr. Gabriella Gobi, the lead scientist in the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program at the Institute. of the McGill University Health Center
Dr. Gobbi and her colleagues found that LSD triggers mechanisms that resemble those of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Cipralex, etc.)
Previous studies had shown that prolonged stress reduced the activity of neurons that transmit serotonin. Researchers have now found that LSD promotes the nerve transmission of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in feelings of well-being, much like the better-known SSRIs do.
Experiments with mice have also shown researchers that LSD can help rebuild the branches of neurons that transmit the electrical signal to the nerve cell body, which are often damaged by stress.
“We have seen that animals taking LSD did not have symptoms of anxiety, so that LSD might prevent stress-induced anxiety through a mechanism in the serotonin system,” explained the doctor. Gobbi, who has studied psychedelics for many years.
Further studies will now be needed to verify whether LSD might have the same utility in humans.
And even though psychedelics have been used for recreational purposes for a very long time, they are products that should not be taken lightly, warned Dr. Gobbi.
“You have to be careful. It is known that low doses, for short periods, can be used, for example, in resistant depression, in anxiety, in post-traumatic stress…, she said. It is absolutely necessary to have the help of a therapist, a psychotherapist or a doctor. These are dissociative substances which (…) should always be administered under the direction of a doctor or therapist.”
Additionally, only a small group of patients with anxiety and stress issues might benefit from taking psychedelics, she adds. Clinical studies are continuing to see a little more clearly and we must wait for their results before considering prescribing them to more patients, said Dr. Gobbi.
The next step for Dr. Gobbi’s team will be to assess the mechanisms of action of other psychedelic substances, such as psilocybin (the active component of magic mushrooms) and ketamine.
The findings of this study are published by the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. The work was carried out in collaboration with researchers in psychiatry from McGill University, as well as researchers in neuroscience from Vita Salute San Raffaele University and in pharmaceutical and pharmacological sciences from the University of Padua, Italy.