Clinical Uses for Psychedelic Drugs

Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer Volume 1 | Issue 2 Article 1 May 2017 Clinical Uses for Psychedelic Drugs Matthew Clarkson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/peer2peer Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Clarkson, Matthew. 2017. "Clinical Uses for Psychedelic Drugs." Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer 1, (2). https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/ peer2peer/vol1/iss2/1 This Article - Journal is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars' Mine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer by an authorized administrator of Scholars' Mine. This work is protected by U. S. Copyright Law. Unauthorized use including reproduction for redistribution requires the permission of the copyright holder. For more information, please contact . Clarkson: Clinical Uses for Psychedelic Drugs CLINICAL USES FOR PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS Clarkson 1 Matthew Clarkson Psychology at Missouri University of Science and Technology CLINICAL USES FOR PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS Published by Scholars' Mine, 2017 1 Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer, Vol. 1, Iss. 2 [2017], Art. 1 CLINICAL USES FOR PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS Clarkson 2 Abstract Throughout the last forty years, psychedelic drugs have been illegal in the United States. Stigmatized due to the potential for abuse, the use of these drugs has been relegated to simple criminal activity and research stagnated for those 40 years. Slowly, research has begun to pick up as the restrictions begin to lift incrementally. However, the current restrictions are intense, further limiting the amount of research conducted that can reveal the medical benefits of these drugs. Through multiple studies, both open-label and double-blinded to show both feasibility and efficacy, as well as the biological impact of the drugs, significant anxiolytic, antidepressant, and anti-addictive effects of hallucinogens have been demonstrated. The medical use of these drugs could have a lasting effect regarding substance abuse addictions, severe cases of anxiety, and treatment resistant depression providing alternatives to current methods of treatment. https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/peer2peer/vol1/iss2/1 2 Clarkson: Clinical Uses for Psychedelic Drugs CLINICAL USES FOR PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS Clarkson 3 Clinical Uses for Psychedelic Drugs Since the late 1960s, psychedelic drugs have been outlawed in the United States. Prior to their ban, psychedelic drugs were thought to have significant medical uses, showing promise in treating a broad array of psychological disorders. Because of their proposed medical uses, psychedelic drugs were often studied prior to the ban. However, in the late 1960s, a large part of the population began to abuse psychedelic drugs and because of this, scientific research regarding psychedelics had been slowed. Although some of the barriers to the research and medical use of psychedelic drugs have been lifted, they remain heavily stigmatized and restricted, limiting the amount and the extensiveness of the research that can be conducted. As the restrictions slowly start to lift, research on psychedelics has started to proceed. This research has been conducted on lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and ayahuasca, a hallucinogen originating from the Amazon region of South America. Throughout this paper, hallucinogenic and psychedelic drugs will be used interchangeably to refer to drugs that have the potential to induce hallucinations or an altered sense of reality. Typically, the hallucinations or altered sense of reality are the goals of abuse of these drugs and cause the stigmatization of these drugs. However, despite the ban on hallucinogens, the abuse of these drugs has not significantly diminished and only serves to majorly limit the research allowed for these drugs. Current research indicates that hallucinogens have medical benefits as shown through studies and biological processes. The purported uses of psychedelics are as antidepressants, anxiolytics, meaning antianxiety, and as anti-addictive drugs. Biology Outside of clinical trials, hallucinogens demonstrate potential efficacy in the treatment of mood disorders. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the brain, psychedelic Published by Scholars' Mine, 2017 3 Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer, Vol. 1, Iss. 2 [2017], Art. 1 CLINICAL USES FOR PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS Clarkson 4 drugs exhibited effects correlated to a decrease in mood disorders. Hyperactivity in the medial prefrontal cortex of the brain is associated with depression. With administration of psilocybin as well as non-hallucinogenic-based treatments for depression, the medial prefrontal cortex displays lessened activity and eventually leading to normalization. fMRIs also revealed that amygdala activation resulting from threat related stimuli decreased with the use of psilocybin. The amygdala plays a significant role in the creation of emotions and the hyperactivity of this section of the brain due to negative stimuli has regularly been associated with negative mood states in depressed patients. (Mahaptra, 2017, p. 55) The use of the fMRI to link the activity of hallucinogenic drugs with a decrease in brain activity related to depression shows a biological basis for clinical use of these drugs. Additionally, since both psychedelic drugs and traditional methods of depression treatment created similar responses in the brain, the medical use of these drugs is further supported. In addition to the changes in brain activity, other biological factors also contribute to the use of hallucinogens as medication. Mahapatra (2017) writes, “Downregulation of 5-HT 2A receptors is purported to mediate antidepressant and antianxiety effects of antidepressants and atypical antipsychotics…Because of the high binding affinity of psilocybin to the 5-HT 2A receptor, its effects are thought to be mediated.” (p. 54) These receptors are responsible for regulation of serotonin, a neurotransmitter. A deficit of this neurotransmitter can often lead to depression. Furthermore, the 5-HT 2A receptors correspond to additional factors related to depression. Idell (2017) explains that expression of 5-HT 2A receptors link to neuroinflammation. (pg. 50) Heightened levels of neuroinflammation can lead to depression as well and is widely regarded as a risk factor for depression. Psilocybin has the potential to regulate the expression of 5-HT 2A receptors and decrease inflammation in the brain. (Idell, 2017, p. 50) The potential for https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/peer2peer/vol1/iss2/1 4 Clarkson: Clinical Uses for Psychedelic Drugs CLINICAL USES FOR PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS Clarkson 5 hallucinogens to reduce depression in patients further supports the proposal for the clinical uses of these drugs. Antidepressant/Anxiolytic The proposed clinical use of psychedelic drugs revolves primarily around their use as antidepressants. In a study consisting of 22 patients with depression were treated with LSD weekly for 5-6 we (...truncated)