Astrocytes and drugs

[panic_the_digital]

I am studying for my Bio final this week, and I am reading about astrocytes and their place in CNS maintenance. I know that this is kind of broad, but has any research been done on psychoactive drugs (especially psychedelics) and their action on astrocytes. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[BilZ0r]

Psychedelics? No, not at all...

But other things, amphetamines specifically, there is quite a bit of research of sorts... because of the role of glia in amine reuptake...

And then reactive gliosis in response to neurotoxic insults is another common theme.

Just get on pubmed, and have a look.

 

[specialspack]

Wow.. I've just read up on astrocytes, having never knowm about them before (shocking, I know). Could there be (or are there) whole classes of psychoactive drugs that produce their effects primarily through the network of astrocytes rather than neurons?

Apologies if this a dumb question.

 

[5-HT2]

Well any drug that would produce psychoactive effects would have to change neuronal activity, even if its direct site of action was on astrocytes. It is possible, though unlikely, that a drug whose direct action is primarily astrocytic could be psychoactive, but AFAIK such a substance has not been found.

 

[BilZ0r]

psychoactive, probably... pleasurable, I doubt it.