Neurobiology

When working with psychedelic medicines, health professionals who don’t have a background in neurology or other related disciplines should be familiar with three main neurobiological concepts: trauma psychobiology, neurotransmitters, and neuroplasticity.

Trauma Psychobiology

Trauma psychobiology was covered in depth in the Fundamentals of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy course. As a refresher, trauma- and violence-informed care is one of Numinus’ guiding principles of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Trauma can impact both a client’s mental and physical wellbeing, and the likelihood of clients seeking psychedelic-assisted therapy whose mental health condition is rooted in trauma is high.

Video: Trauma and the Brain

8:45

Please watch this video to understand how trauma can affect the brain.

Neurotransmitters

Hormones and neurotransmitters are the two main signaling molecules in our body. They both play a role in regulating our body and eliciting various responses, emotions, and experiences. While hormones are secreted by the endocrine system and travel in the bloodstream throughout the body, neurotransmitters exist only in the brain. Some examples of hormones are testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, and oxytocin (Purves et. al, 2001). Some hormones can also be neurotransmitters, such as epinephrine also known as adrenaline. While psychedelic medicines can have an impact on various parts of the body, psychedelic medicines primarily target different neurotransmitters which is the process of greatest interest to us.

Video: The Chemical Mind

10:13

This video provides a crash course on the brain and the nervous system, particularly neurons, neurotransmitters, and hormones.

Main Neurotransmitters

Over 50 different types of neurotransmitters exist in the body. Below are some of the primary neurotransmitters and their functions.

  • Acetylcholine: regulates memory, learning, and muscle movements.

  • Adenosine: supresses arousal and regulates the sleep cycle.

  • ATP: regulates autonomic control.

  • Dopamine: is stimulated by reward, motivation, and addiction.

  • Endorphins: stimulate feelings of euphoria and reduces the brain’s signalling of pain to the rest of the body.

  • Epinephrine (adrenaline): stimulates the stress response in a similar way to norepinephrine (fight or flight).

  • GABA: regulates vision, anxiety, and motor control.

  • Glutamate: supports memory formation and learning.

  • Norepinephrine (noradrenaline): stimulates the stress response in a similar way to epinephrine (fight or flight).

  • Serotonin: regulates mood, anxiety, appetite, pain control, and sleep cycles.

Neuroplasticity

Under the effects of psychedelic medicines, your brain becomes more malleable which can help to repair neural pathways and form new ones (de Vos et. al, 2021).

Video: Neuroplasticity

2:20

This malleability is referred to as neuroplasticity which is explained further in the video. It is this neuroplasticity that serves as a catalyst to help treat mental health disorders (Rush et al., 2022).

Activity

Categorize the following terms into neurotransmitters, hormones, or both.

References

De Vos, C. M. H., Mason, N. L., and Kuypers, K. P. C. (2021). Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review Unraveling the Biological Underpinnings of Psychedelics. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(724606). doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.724606

Guy-Evans, O. (2021). Neurotransmitters: Types, Function and Examples. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/neurotransmitter.html

Purves, D., Augustine, G. J., and Fitzpatrick, D. (2001). Neuroscience. Sinauer Associates.

Rush, B., Marcus, O., Shore, R., Cunningham, L., Thomson, N., & Rideout, K. (2022). Psychedelic medicine: A rapid review of therapeutic applications and implications for future research. Homewood Research Institute. https://hriresearch.com/research/exploratory- research/research-reports/