In the article “LSD Literally Gets Stuck Inside Your Brain,” Claire Maldarelli explains the neurological effects of LSD and highlights a new study about potential pharmacological advances due to LSD.
Brian Roth, one of the study’s authors, is a pharmacology professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is studying the neurological effects of LSD and the drug’s properties. LSD is unique among other hallucinogen drugs; its effects are last the longest, clocking in at 12 to 18 hours. Roth and his colleagues have found that LSD has this unique trait due to its interaction with brain receptors. The team has used crystallography images to better understand LSD's peculiarities. They found that, when bound to serotonin receptors, LSD …show more content…
Especially given the limited knowledge on drugs currently used to treat psychiatric disorders. In particular, I contrasted the acquisition of knowledge about LSD-effects and methylphenidate. Pharmacologists did not understand the mechanism of action of methylphenidate until recently. Methylphenidate is a common treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In a revolutionary study, Hannestad, Gallezot, Planeta-Wilson, Lin, Williams, van Dyck, Malison, Carson, and Ding (2010) found that oral methylphenidate occupies norepinephrine transporters at clinically relevant doses. This was the first study finding this effect in humans. The study suggests that the therapeutic effects of methylphenidate for ADHD come from NET inhibition. This finding is important. But it is not enough evidence to show an adequate understanding of ADHD drug treatments. The Hannestad et al. study and the LSD study present important knowledge to uncover of equal importance. But each is very different. Hannestad et al. attempt to understand how a drug, readily used for treatment, works and interacts in the brain. Methylphenidate, which is in Ritalin, was widely-administered before knowledge of how it functions and interacts with the human brain. This concept puzzles me. How can pharmacologists confirm a drug works without knowing its effects? Conversely, I find the study by Roth and colleagues to be the proper
Brian Roth, one of the study’s authors, is a pharmacology professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is studying the neurological effects of LSD and the drug’s properties. LSD is unique among other hallucinogen drugs; its effects are last the longest, clocking in at 12 to 18 hours. Roth and his colleagues have found that LSD has this unique trait due to its interaction with brain receptors. The team has used crystallography images to better understand LSD's peculiarities. They found that, when bound to serotonin receptors, LSD …show more content…
Especially given the limited knowledge on drugs currently used to treat psychiatric disorders. In particular, I contrasted the acquisition of knowledge about LSD-effects and methylphenidate. Pharmacologists did not understand the mechanism of action of methylphenidate until recently. Methylphenidate is a common treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In a revolutionary study, Hannestad, Gallezot, Planeta-Wilson, Lin, Williams, van Dyck, Malison, Carson, and Ding (2010) found that oral methylphenidate occupies norepinephrine transporters at clinically relevant doses. This was the first study finding this effect in humans. The study suggests that the therapeutic effects of methylphenidate for ADHD come from NET inhibition. This finding is important. But it is not enough evidence to show an adequate understanding of ADHD drug treatments. The Hannestad et al. study and the LSD study present important knowledge to uncover of equal importance. But each is very different. Hannestad et al. attempt to understand how a drug, readily used for treatment, works and interacts in the brain. Methylphenidate, which is in Ritalin, was widely-administered before knowledge of how it functions and interacts with the human brain. This concept puzzles me. How can pharmacologists confirm a drug works without knowing its effects? Conversely, I find the study by Roth and colleagues to be the proper