Canadian researchers conducted an experiment on zebrafish to study the effects of microdosing LSD on symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
- Canadian researchers have carried out an experiment on zebrafish, consisting of injecting them with microdoses of LSD
- According to the study, the fish did not present risks of addiction to LSD
- These results suggest that this psychedelic drug could be used as a medicine to treat mental disorders such as alcohol addiction.
- These results suggest that this psychedelic drug could be used as a medicine to treat mental disorders such as alcohol addiction.
Increase productivity, stimulate creativity, improve open-mindedness… Some scientists are increasingly interested in the effects of psychedelic drugs such as LSD on our intellectual faculties. A new study suggests that repeated microdosing may even help prevent alcoholism and other mental health disorders.
zebrafish
Relayed by the university media The Conversation, the study was carried out by Canadian researchers from MacEwan University. The research is based on an experiment carried out with zebrafish. This species of fish that shares 70% of genes with humans also has a strong social temperament, which makes it an interesting candidate for behavioral studies aimed at identifying new treatments for the management of psychiatric disorders. .
In order to imitate as closely as possible drug and alcohol consumption behaviors in humans, researchers temporarily placed fish in an aquarium specifically dedicated to the experiment (and therefore different from their usual place of life). The doses were first administered repeatedly over a period of ten days.
A treatment without risk of addiction
Scientists focused on studying terpenes, which are aromatic compounds involved in the smell, taste and appearance of many plants such as tea, lemongrass, cannabis and lemon. Known for their anti-stress properties, terpenes present a low risk of addiction.
“Using behavioral neuroscience tests to quantify locomotion, boldness, and anxiety-like behaviors, we observed no impact on behavior after 10 days of repeated doses of LSD. As with terpenes, this may suggest an absence of withdrawal symptoms or addictive potential, which is encouraging for clinical viability for human use.“, valued Trevor James Hamilton, associate professor of neuroscience at MacEwan University and lead author of the research.
The latter plan to pursue this track further by exploring other psychedelic substances, such as the psilocin found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, in order to determine whether these molecules can be used in clinical trials aimed at finding treatments for health. mental illness and addiction to alcohol or tobacco.
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