Psychology 2020A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Gaba Receptor Agonist, Novartis, Albert Hofmann
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Hallucinogens a class of drugs producing distortions in perception and body image at moderate doses. For ppl who view drugs with a +ive spin, hallucinogens have been described as psychedelic (mind expanding) or entheogenic (generating a divine within) For ppl who view these drugs with more alarm than acceptance, hallucinogens have been described as psychotomimetic (having the appearance of psychosis), psychodysleptic (mind disrupting) or psycholytic (mind dissolving) A hallucination is the perception of something that does not physically exist. Most hallucinogens can be classified in terms of the particular neurotransmitter in the brain that bears a close resemblance to the molecular features of the drug. Hallucinogens work on one major family of receptors (serotonin, ne, ach, glutamate and gaba receptors) Synthetically derived from ergot (fungus present in moldy rye and other grains) Lysergic acid is one of the compounds in ergot. Sandoz pharmaceuticals applied for us fda approval of lsd in 1953.