Scientists Explore Brain's Reaction to Potent Hallucinogen
April 28, 2008
PET images (color) of [11C]-salvinorin A in the baboon brain overlaid on MRI template (black and white) summed from 3-7 minutes post-injection. High concentrations (red) were observed in the cerebellum and activity was seen throughout cortical and subcortical regions. The maximum concentration of [11C]-salvinorin A in the brain occurs in 40 seconds and clears with a half-life of only 8 minutes, matching the pharmacological duration of action.
Brain-imaging studies performed in animals at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory provide researchers with clues about why an increasingly popular recreational drug that causes hallucinations and motor-function impairment in humans is abused. Using trace amounts of Salvia divinorum – also known as “salvia,” a Mexican mint plant that can be smoked in the form of dried leaves or serum – Brookhaven scientists found that the drug’s behavior in the brains of primates mimics the extremely fast and brief “high” observed in humans. Their results are now published online in the journal NeuroImage.
Quickly gaining popularity among teenagers and young adults, salvia is legal in most states, but is grabbing the attention of municipal lawmakers. Numerous states have placed controls on salvia or salvinorin A – the plant’s active component – and others, including New York, are considering restrictions.
“This is probably one of the most potent hallucinogens known,” said Brookhaven chemist Jacob Hooker, the lead author of the study, which is the first to look at how the drug travels through the brain. “It’s really important that we study drugs like salvia and how they affect the brain in order to understand why they are abused and to investigate their medicinal relevance, both of which can inform policy makers.”
Hooker and fellow researchers used positron emission tomography, or PET scanning, to watch the distribution of salvinorin A in the brains of anesthetized primates. In this technique, the scientists administer a radioactively labeled form of salvinorin A (at concentrations far below pharmacologically active doses) and use the PET scanner to track its site-specific concentrations in various brain regions.
Within 40 seconds of administration, the researchers found a peak concentration of salvinorin A in the brain – nearly 10 times faster than the rate at which cocaine enters the brain. About 16 minutes later, the drug was essentially gone. This pattern parallels the effects described by human users, who experience an almost immediate high that starts fading away within 5 to 10 minutes.
High concentrations of the drug were localized to the cerebellum and visual cortex, which are parts of the brain responsible for motor function and vision, respectively. Based on their results and published data from human use, the scientists estimate that just 10 micrograms of salvia in the brain is needed to cause psychoactive effects in humans.
Salvia doesn’t cause the typical euphoric state associated with other hallucinogens like LSD, Hooker said. The drug targets a receptor that is known to modulate pain and could be important for therapies as far reaching as mood disorders.
“Most people don’t find this class of drugs very pleasurable,” Hooker said. “So perhaps the main draw or reason for its appeal relates to the rapid onset and short duration of its effects, which are incredibly unique. The kinetics are often as important as the abused drug itself.”
The Brookhaven team plans to conduct further studies related to salvia’s abuse potential. The scientists also hope to develop radioactive tracers that can better probe the brain receptors to which salvia binds. Such studies could possibly lead to therapies for chronic pain and mood disorders.
Source: Brookhaven National Laboratory
10 hours ago
"It's really important that we study drugs like salvia and how they affect the brain in order to understand why they are abused and to investigate their medicinal relevance, both of which can inform policy makers."
Anyone who knows anything about the subject knows that policy makers do not care about the actual facts or science of these kinds of drugs. They're just looking for an excuse to put laws on them, and if they can't find one they'll make one up, as they did with Marijuana, MDMA, LSD, DMT, Psychocybin, etc. etc.
Why is this the case? Because they are stupid. I can see no alternative, as the government certainly hasn't gained anything positive out of the drug war, while it's lost a tremendous amount.
Salvia can lead to profound, positive changes in one's outlook on life and our place in it, and to label it as something bad that we need to be protected from is a load of BS.
I really hoped that all the 'lets ban it cause we can' people retired or died out already.
Beyond this, There is absolutely no danger or ill effects caused by the use of this substance. I agree with the others on this post. Leave this plant and it's experimenters alone!
"Abuse" salvia? Who do they think they're kidding? Chewing salvia may be a different story, but smoking a very concentrated extract can be downright TERRIFYING. If the user has never experimented with other psychedelics, the immediate onset and strength of smoked salvia can cause a complete ego death. You are whisked away to another dimension, and a very bizarre one at that.
As other posters have mentioned, there is some obvious political manuevering going on here. If this country's laws were actually tailored to prevent "abuse" of substances, alcohol and tobacco would find themselves banned, and all the psychedelic drugs would be legal, or at least MORE legal than they are currently.
I don't think it's only a question of revenue, but it seems to me as though somebody(s) pulling all the strings don't want folks to experience altered states of consciousness that could potentially be beneficial. Many will scoff, or even get offended at that statement, as is to be expected. But when was the last time you had an insightful epiphany while drinking alcohol? Yeah.
Note: ANYTHING can be abused, be it exercise, coffee, cell phones, etc. Psychedelics are no exception.
At first though, I thought you were quite serious. After all, I'm sure we've all met people who seriously believed such things... media putty, if you will, sculpted by others' opinions (and make believe statistics) instead of daring to dive into personal experience :)
How disrespectful!! How dare they experiment with this "garbage" and call it science!! roflmfao!