Cardiac effects of psychedelic drugs

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Joachim Neumann
• Subject Area: Pharmacology
• Term: from 2022 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 510383218

Some hallucinogens like psilocin, psilocybin, dimethyltryptamine, and 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine are under discussion as therapeutic drugs to treat some kinds of depression. Here, we want to know if these hallucinogens have any cardiac effects and if they act positive inotropic and positive chronotropic via serotonin 5-HT4 receptors. To that end, we use a transgenic mouse model with heart specific overexpression of human 5-HT4 receptors that has been developed and characterized by ourselves. Moreover, the signal transduction of the cardiac effects of these hallucinogens should be identified in more detail. The project should help to increase the safety of drug therapies and to improve the treatment of overdosage.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Privatdozent Dr. Ulrich Gergs