While psychedelics can be abused for the feelings of euphoria they can cause, clinical research has demonstrated strong potential for psychedelics to treat certain mental illnesses when effectively utilized in a clinical setting.
The FDA recently rejected a new drug application (NDA) for MDMA for the treatment of PTSD, citing the need for additional safety data. This demonstrates lingering hesitancy to approve psychedelic drugs, as they can still offer potentially addictive euphoric effects.
However, new research from the scientific journal Neuron shows that it may be possible to develop psychedelic drugs that do not provide hallucinogenic effects – and possibly minimize more addictive elements.
The new study tested if the psychedelic compound DOI (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine) could reduce anxiety in mice by altering brain activity. DOI is similar in structure to psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin, known to cause hallucinations and other typical psychedelic effects.
The study injected DOI into four different areas of the brain within mice, as well as the bloodstream. It was found that when DOI was injected into the hippocampus – the area of the brain responsible for controlling emotions and memory – the drug activated certain brain cells and silenced other cells, effectively reducing anxiety without hallucinogenic effects.
Researchers now believe that some of the effects of psychedelics may use different brain pathways from those that cause hallucinations, opening the possibility to designing psychedelic drugs that target anxiety and other mental health concerns without triggering hallucinations or other effects.
