Our brain is made up of roughly 100 billion neurons. Neurons transmit electrical and chemical signals between each other to send messages from one area of the brain to the other. The collective transmission of information in the brain is what gives us conscious thought.
Psychedelics work by changing the balance of neurochemicals. They alter the way information is transferred throughout the brain — causing hallucination, euphoria, and other cognitive changes.
Depending on what neurotransmitters are affected will determine the individual effects of a psychedelic compound.
We can separate how each psychedelic works by its target receptors:
- 5-HT2A or 5-HT2C receptors — tryptamines (ex: DMT, psilocybin), lysergamides (ex: LSD), phenethylamines (ex: mescaline, 2C-B, DOM)
- Kappa-opioid receptors — salvinorin A, ibogaine
- Dopamine D2 receptors — amphetamines (ex: MVPV, MDMA)
- Cholinergic pathway — datura, borrachero, mandrake, Amanita muscaria
