Could Psychedelics Work Without the Trip?
Midjourney
What a Trip: If you’ve been following the buzz around psychedelic therapy, you’re already familiar with all the headlines. Research keeps pointing to serious mental health promise for people struggling with depression who’ve tried everything else to no avail. The problem is that the psychedelic experience itself can be overwhelming and hours-long, and not exactly something everyone can access or commit to. So scientists have been working on a workaround.
The Study: A new study out of UC Davis is one of the more interesting developments yet. Researchers used ultraviolet light to transform amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) into entirely new compounds that interact with the brain similarly to psychedelics. The molecules activated the same serotonin receptors that psychedelics target. When tested in mice, the compounds didn’t trigger the head-twitch response researchers use to flag hallucinogenic-like behavior.
The Takeaway: This could be a path toward drugs that deliver the brain-healing effects of psychedelics without the intense experience, making treatment more accessible to more people.
Keep in Mind: The research is still in early animal-model stages, so human applications are a ways off.
