Psychedelic drugs such as LSD are finally being used for their original purpose—to help people who are suffering from problems such as depression and anxiety.
Neuroscientists are discovering how psychedelics affect brain activity after the US drug regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recently gave the green light for ‘breakthrough therapy’ research to start.
First out of the blocks are researchers at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, who have already tested psychedelics on laboratory rats and monitored the way their brains react. They say the resurgence in interest in the medicinal use of psychedelics—which also include ‘magic’ mushrooms and MDMA, or ecstasy—has been driven by society’s increasing acceptance of the compounds and the need for innovative solutions to intractable problems.
Two years ago, the FDA approved the use of esketamine, a psychedelic drug, as a treatment for depression.
(Source: Scientific Reports, 2021; 11; doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-81552-6)
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