National Institutes of Health awards $2.4 million grant to cross-disciplinary team of researchers to study psychedelics for methamphetamine addiction
The Medical College of Wisconsin report: "The Louisiana Addiction Research Center at LSU Health Shreveport, were recently awarded a five-year, $2.4 million research grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to uncover critical insights into how psychedelics could be used as a therapeutic to treat methamphetamine addiction. Stimulant use disorder and methamphetamine-related overdose deaths are escalating at an alarming rate. According to data from NIDA, the number of overdose deaths in the United States involving psychostimulants (primarily methamphetamine) has grown significantly since 2015 when there were 5,716 attributed deaths. In 2022, NIDA reported 34,022 overdose deaths involving psychostimulants – a nearly 500% increase from 2015 to 2022. Psychedelic substances, like psilocybin, have shown promise in treating a wide range of behavioral health conditions, including anxiety, depression, alcoholism, and nicotine dependence. However, these substances interact with multiple receptors and are not specifically selective for the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, which is vital for their psychoactive effects. The research spearheaded by Drs. McCorvy (MCW), Halberstadt (UCSD), and Murnane (LSU) seeks to understand the specific role of 5-HT2A receptor signaling in mitigating the effects of methamphetamine use. There are currently no pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine addiction. Our research aims to unravel the precise mechanisms through which psychedelics influence the 5-HT2A receptor – understanding that could lead to lessening their psychoactive effect and open the door to new treatments,” said Dr. McCorvy. “This project’s findings could ultimately pave the way for new therapeutic approaches to treat stimulant use disorder, impacting the lives of so many who are coping with addiction.”
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