Cited by 374Psychedelics and Drug StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorHallucinations in medical conditions

Serotonin and hallucinogens

Aghajanian, G·1999·Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

This brief review traces the serotonin (5-HT) hypothesis of the action of hallucinogenic drugs from the early 1950s to the present day. There is now converging evidence from biochemical, electrophysiological, and behavioral studies that the two major classes of psychedelic hallucinogens, the indoleamines (e.g., LSD) and the phenethylamines (e.g., mescaline), have a common site of action as partial agonists at 5-HT2A and other 5-HT2 receptors in the central nervous system. The noradrenergic locus coeruleus and the cerebral cortex are among the regions where hallucinogens have prominent effects through their actions upon a 5-HT2A receptors. Recently, we have observed a novel effect of hallucinogens--a 5-HT2A receptor-mediated enhancement of nonsynchronous, late components of glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic potentials at apical dendrites of layer V cortical pyramidal cells. We propose that an effect of hallucinogens upon glutamatergic transmission in the cerebral cortex may be responsible for the higher-level cognitive, perceptual, and affective distortions produced by these drugs.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0893-133x(98)00135-3

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Authors
Aghajanian, G.
Affiliations
Yale University (US)
Corresponding author
Aghajanian, G
Venue
Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
1999-08
Volume
21
Issue
2
Pages
16S-23S
ISSN
0893-133X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2075352853
Cited by
371
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 8
FWCI
3.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Hallucinations in medical conditions
Keywords
serotonin, hallucinogens, 5-HT2A receptor, psychedelics, indoleamines, phenethylamines, LSD, mescaline, locus coeruleus, cerebral cortex, glutamatergic neurotransmission, excitatory postsynaptic potentials, cortical pyramidal neurons
MeSH terms
Animals, Cerebral Cortex, Hallucinogens, Humans, Synaptic Transmission, Receptors, Serotonin, Serotonin, Pyramidal Cells, Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A

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