LSD has been shown to have a stronger affinity with the 5-HT2A receptor than seretonin
LSD has an even stronger affinity with the 5-HT2A receptor—is “stickier”—than serotonin itself, making this an instance where the simulacrum is more convincing, chemically, than the original. This has led some scientists to speculate that the human body must produce some other, more bespoke chemical for the express purpose of activating the 5-HT2A receptor—perhaps an endogenous psychedelic that is released under certain circumstances, perhaps when dreaming. One candidate for that chemical is the psychedelic molecule DMT, which has been found in trace amounts in the pineal gland of rats.
References
- Pollan, Micheal. (2018). How to Change Your Mind What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence (Location 4004). New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Biochemistry / Neuroscience / Neurochemistry Status:☀️