Psychoplastogens are a group of small molecule drugs that produce rapid and sustained effects on neuronal structure and function, intended to manifest therapeutic benefit after a single administration.
[3] Psychoplastogens exert their effects by promoting structural and functional neural plasticity through diverse targets including, but not limited to, 5-HT2A, NMDA, and muscarinic receptors.
While each compound may have a different receptor binding profile, signaling appears to converge at the tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways.
[7] However, chronic intermittent administration of DMT for several weeks resulted in dendritic spine retraction, suggesting physiological homeostatic compensation in response to overstimulation.
[6] Esketamine, sold under the brand name Spravato and produced by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, was approved by the FDA in March 2019 for the treatment of Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) and suicidal ideation.