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Psychedelics bind to TrkB to induce neuroplasticity and antidepressant-like effects

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Psychedelics induce fast and long-lasting antidepressant effects and neuronal plasticity, but their hallucinogenic effects limit their use. We show that, in mice, psychedelics bind directly to TrkB (the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) receptor) with high affinity and promote BDNF-mediated plasticity and antidepressant-like effects, whereas their hallucinogenic-like effects are independent of TrkB binding.

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Fig. 1: Psychedelics bind to TrkB.

References

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This is a summary of: Moliner, R. et al. Psychedelics promote plasticity by directly binding to BDNF receptor TrkB. Nat. Neurosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-023-01316-5 (2023).

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Psychedelics bind to TrkB to induce neuroplasticity and antidepressant-like effects. Nat Neurosci 26, 926–927 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-023-01317-4

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