Dopergin (lisuride) / Bayer - LARVOL DELTA

Leveraging therapeutic modulators of neuroplasticity to reprogram glioblastoma cell fates (SNO 2025) - "Following treatments, GSC viability and sensitivity to temozolomide (TMZ) was quantified and tumor cell morphology analysed...We identified lisuride (LSD analogue) increased PN GSCs proliferation, interfered with cell adhesion and reduced TMZ cytotoxicity... These results provide a proof-of-concept for employing drugs targeting TrkB to harness GBM cell fate and chemosensitivity to TMZ. Such approaches may offer new avenues for combinatorial therapies targeting both GBM and its neural niche."

Brain Cancer • Glioblastoma • Solid Tumor • BDNF • NTRK2

Leveraging therapeutic modulators of neuroplasticity to reprogram glioblastoma cell fates (WFNOS 2025) - "Following treatments, GSC viability and sensitivity to temozolomide (TMZ) was quantified and tumor cell morphology analysed...We identified lisuride (LSD analogue) increased PN GSCs proliferation, interfered with cell adhesion and reduced TMZ cytotoxicity... These results provide a proof-of-concept for employing drugs targeting TrkB to harness GBM cell fate and chemosensitivity to TMZ. Such approaches may offer new avenues for combinatorial therapies targeting both GBM and its neural niche."

Brain Cancer • Glioblastoma • Oncology • Solid Tumor • BDNF • NTRK2

Differential effects of psychedelic and non-psychedelic 5-HT2AR agonists on high-frequency oscillations in cortical and subcortical structures (Neuroscience 2025) - "While several mechanistic differences between psychedelic and non-psychedelic 5-HT2AR agonists have been identified - such as imbalanced activation of 5-HT1A vs. 5-HT2A receptors, biased signaling downstream of the 5-HT2A receptor, and selective activation of intracellular 5-HT2Ars - it remains unclear how these differences relate to the perceptual and cognitive alterations characteristic of the psychedelic state.To identify neuronal activity patterns specific to the psychedelic state, we compared the effects of the non-psychedelic 5-HT2AR agonist lisuride to those of two classic serotonergic psychedelics (LSD and DOI) as well as the psychostimulant amphetamine. Notably, lisuride induced a pronounced shift in HFO frequency, reducing it from 139 ± 9 Hz at baseline to 103 ± 15 Hz at peak effect. A similar down-tuning of HFO frequency has been observed with the antipsychotic clozapine, suggesting a link between HFO frequency and hallucinations."

CNS Disorders

Comparative profiling of candidate antidepressants in prefrontal cortex of freely behaving mice (ECNP 2025) - "Using miniature integrated fluorescence microscopes (miniscopes), we recorded neuronal calcium dynamics in the PFC following administration of a diverse set of compounds, including NMDA receptor modulators MK-801, Traxoprodil and the fast-acting antidepressant Ketamine, as well as several serotonergic psychedelics and analogs (DMT, MDMA, DOI, psilocin, Tabernanthalog, Lisuride). We are currently extending this approach to profile antipsychotic compounds, aiming to uncover mechanistically distinct circuit signatures that could inform treatment strategies for schizophrenia and related disorders. No conflict of interest"

Preclinical • CNS Disorders • Depression • Major Depressive Disorder • Mood Disorders • Psychiatry • Schizophrenia

Differential effects of psilocybin and lisuride on serotonin and dopamine neuronal activity and behavior. (PubMed, Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry) - "Although both drugs target 5-HT2A receptors, they engage distinct neurobiological pathways. Psilocybin produces psychedelic-like, 5-HT-dominant effects, whereas lisuride displays DA-linked improvements in coping behavior, informing future development of serotonergic therapeutics."

Journal

Behavioral effects of psychedelic and non-psychedelic serotonin 2A receptor agonist drugs in pigs (ECNP 2025) - "Here, we have determined the relationship between plasma concentration and cerebral 5-HT2AR occupancy of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and lisuride in pigs, and measured psychedelic-induced behavior (headshakes) at doses generating 60-70% occupancy...The behavioral study was done in 8 awake female pigs each receiving IV DMT, 0.4 mg/kg (injected 30 min after monoamine oxidase inhibitor, moclobemide, 0.85 mg/kg), psilocybin, 30 µg/kg, LSD, 0.6 µg/kg, and lisuride, 5.8 µg/kg, in a randomized order, with 3-4 days separating each drug... We have for the first time established relationships between cerebral 5-HT2AR occupancy, drug plasma concentrations and drug dose for 5-HT2AR agonists in vivo in pigs, and subsequently compared psychedelic-induced behavior in awake pigs on the basis of the cerebral 5-HT2AR occupancy."

CNS Disorders

Integrative snRNA-seq, molecular docking and dynamics simulations identifies Lasmiditan as drug candidate for Alzheimer's disease. (PubMed, Clin Transl Med) - "20 key transcriptional regulators (DERs) were identified linked to AD in myeloid, and neuronal cell populations. The DERs correlated with Braak stage, APOE genotype, and aging. ETV6 is a potentially viable therapeutic target due to its ability to form stable and strongly interacting complexes across multiple drugs. Lasmiditan showed the strongest binding to ETV6 (RMSD: 2.98 Å, H-bonds: 68.38) and optimal blood-brain-barrier (BBB) penetration (LogP 3-4, TPSA 60-75). Lasmiditan is a potentially promising AD therapeutic candidate that warrants further preclinical validation."

Journal • Alzheimer's Disease • CNS Disorders • APOE • ETV6 • PAX6 • ZEB2

Evidence that 5-HT2A receptor signalling efficacy and not biased agonism differentiates serotonergic psychedelic from non-psychedelic drugs. (PubMed, Br J Pharmacol) - "In summary, all psychedelic drugs tested were unbiased, partial 5-HT2A receptor agonists. Importantly, the non-psychedelic drugs lisuride, TBG and IHCH-7079 were discriminated from psychedelic drugs, not through ligand bias but rather by low efficacy. Therefore, low 5-HT2A receptor signalling efficacy may explain why some 5-HT2A receptor agonists are not psychedelic, although a larger panel of drugs should be tested to confirm this idea."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Depression • Major Depressive Disorder • Mental Retardation • Psychiatry • ARRB1

Differential effects of Psilocybin and Lisuride on Serotonin and Dopamine neuronal activity and behavior (CINP-AsCNP 2025) - "These results suggest that lisuride has antidepressant and sedative effects without producing HTR, likely due to its differential action on 5-HT and DA neurons. Lisuride inhibits the serotoninergic system, like psilocybin. However, the actions in which these two drugs use are different, with only psilocybin's effect at the 5-HT2A receptor."

CNS Disorders • Depression • Major Depressive Disorder • Mood Disorders • Psychiatry

Symposium 4: Psychedelics: From Bench to Clinic (CINP-AsCNP 2025) - "1) Building on research in her laboratory, Gabriella Gobbi (Neurobiology Psychiatry Unit, McGill University, Montreal) will discuss the intriguing question of the distinct behavioral and pharmacological effects of psilocybin and lisuride...He will also discuss the upcoming psilocybin study in Asia, which will commence at his university soon. This presentation is expected to provide insight into the clinical use of psychedelics for psychiatric disorders"

CNS Disorders • Depression • Mental Retardation • Mood Disorders • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder • Psychiatry

Distinct Behavioral and Pharmacological Effects of Psilocybin and Lisuride (CINP-AsCNP 2025) - No abstract available

Utilizing Drug Discrimination Procedures to Identify Novel 5-HT2A Agonists as Treatments for Substance Use Disorders (CPDD 2025) - "In conclusion, a psilocybin drug discrimination procedure may provide a useful means to differentiate between psychedelic and non-psychedelic novel chemical entities."

Late-breaking abstract

Are the LSD-analogs lisuride and ergotamine examples of non-hallucinogenic serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonists? (PubMed, J Psychopharmacol) - "Our review of the literature indicates that there is no basis for claiming that lisuride or ergotamine are non-hallucinogenic at relevant concentrations in the brain. This does not invalidate current efforts to produce non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2A receptor agonists for the potential benefit of patients, but it calls for caution in the reliance on animal data in the pursuit of such compounds and highlights the need for rigorous determination of target engagement in humans before claiming that 5-HT2A receptor agonists are non-hallucinogenic."

Journal

A comparative study of effects of DOM and lisuride on neuronal activity in nucleus accumbens of freely moving rats. (PubMed, Eur J Pharmacol) - "These differences in electrophysiological responses might contribute to the distinct behavioral effects associated with hallucinogenic and non-hallucinogenic properties of these compounds. The results will provide electrophysiological evidence for treatment of related psychotomimetic symptoms."

Journal • Preclinical

Neurochemical characterization of 5-HT2AR partial agonists with simultaneous PET-MRI. (PubMed, J Cereb Blood Flow Metab) - "We performed simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) and pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging (phMRI) in anesthetized nonhuman primates (NHP; N = 3) to examine partial agonists with varying 5-HT2AR affinities and selectivity profiles: psilocybin (30, 60, and 90 µg/kg), lisuride (5 µg/kg), and 25CN-NBOH (15 µg/kg)...We speculate that the temporal and spatial differences in hemodynamic responses of the three agonists could stem from mixed affinity profiles. This work provides an understanding of pharmacological impacts of mixed serotonergic agonists being pursued as therapeutics for psychiatric conditions, offering valuable insights for future drug applications and development strategies."

Journal • Anesthesia • Psychiatry

Snapshot of 5-HT 2A receptor activation in the mouse brain via IP 1 detection. (PubMed, bioRxiv) - "We observed that IP 1 levels in frontal cortex homogenates from mice treated with LSD and lisuride vary in magnitude, consistent with LSD's 5-HT 2A R agonism and psychedelic nature, and lisuride's lack thereof. MDMA evoked an increase of IP 1 signal in the frontal cortex that were not matched by the serotonin precursor 5-HTP or the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine. We attribute differences in the readout primarily to the indirect stimulation of 5-HT 2A R by MDMA via serotonin release from its presynaptic terminals. This methodology enables capturing a snapshot of IP 1 turnover in the mouse brain that can provide mechanistic insights in the study of psychedelics and other serotonergic agents pharmacodynamics."

Journal • Preclinical

Characterizing non-psychedelic psychedelics: phenotypic fingerprinting of lisuride and LSD (Neuroscience 2024) - "Combined, these results suggest that although lisuride may not be acting as a traditional psychedelic, it does impact both motor and cognitive function. Further, robust preclinical phenotypic characterization beyond the HTR is important for identifying non-hallucinogenic compounds to move forward for clinical development."

CNS Disorders • Depression • Mental Retardation • Psychiatry

Psilocybin vs. lisuride: similarities and differences in their serotonergic, dopaminergic, sedative-, anxiogenic-, and antidepressant-like effects (Neuroscience 2024) - "Both drugs decrease 5-HT cell firing but only psilocybin’s effect was 5-HT2A mediated, only psilocybin produced an anxiolytic-like effect, and only lisuride yielded an antidepressant-like effect. Further research is ongoing to better understand the intrinsic activity of these compounds on 5-HT and DA sub-receptors in different areas."

CNS Disorders

Reversal of propofol or isoflurane anesthesia, with concurrent restoration of functional connectivity, by intravenous administration of the serotonergic psychedelic 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (Neuroscience 2024) - "Additionally, intravenous delivery of a non-psychedelic 5-HT2A agonist (lisuride, 0.05 mg/kg) neither reversed propofol anesthesia nor induced any significant changes in gamma functional connectivity. To our knowledge, this is the first report of psychedelic-mediated, 5-HT2A receptor-dependent reversal of general anesthesia and restoration of functional connectivity. These data encourage translational study of serotonergic psychedelics, particularly DOI, as reversal agents for unconsciousness."

CNS Disorders

DReAmocracy: A Method to Capitalise on Prior Drug Discovery Efforts to Highlight Candidate Drugs for Repurposing. (PubMed, Int J Mol Sci) - "Top-scored drugs for Alzheimer's Disease include agomelatine, mirtazapine and vortioxetine; for Parkinson's Disease, they include apomorphine, pramipexole and lisuride; for Huntington's, they include chlorpromazine, fluphenazine and perphenazine; and for Multiple Sclerosis, they include zonisamide, disopyramide and priralfimide. Overall, DReAmocracy is a methodology that focuses on leveraging the existing drug-related experimental and/or computational knowledge rather than a predictive model for drug repurposing, offering a quantified aggregation of existing drug discovery results to (1) reveal trends in selected tracks of drug discovery research with increased resolution that includes modes of action, targeted pathways and initial indications for the investigated drugs and (2) score new candidate drugs for repurposing against a selected disease."

Journal • Alzheimer's Disease • CNS Disorders • Huntington's Disease • Movement Disorders • Multiple Sclerosis • Parkinson's Disease

Testing of putative antiseizure medications in a preclinical Dravet syndrome zebrafish model. (PubMed, Brain Commun) - "Thus far, we have screened more than 3000 drug candidates in scn1lab zebrafish mutants, identifying valproate, stiripentol, and fenfluramine e.g. Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs, with clinical application in the Dravet syndrome population...Here, we curated a list of nine anti-seizure drug candidates recently identified by other groups using preclinical Dravet syndrome models: 1-Ethyl-2-benzimidazolinone, AA43279, chlorzoxazone, donepezil, lisuride, mifepristone, pargyline, soticlestat and vorinostat...Surprisingly, soticlestat induced frank electrographic seizure-like discharges in wild-type control zebrafish. Taken together, our results failed to replicate clear anti-seizure efficacy for these drug candidates highlighting a necessity for strict scientific standards in preclinical identification of anti-seizure medications."

Journal • Preclinical • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy

Comparative Pharmacological Effects of Lisuride and Lysergic Acid Diethylamide Revisited. (PubMed, ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci) - "Overall, our findings show that lisuride is an ultrapotent 5-HT1A agonist in C57BL/6J mice, limiting its use as a 5-HT2A ligand in mouse studies examining acute drug effects. Results also indicate that the 5-HT2A partial agonist-antagonist activity of lisuride explains its lack of psychedelic effects."

Journal • ARRB1

Antidepressant-like effects of psychedelics in a chronic despair mouse model: is the 5-HT receptor the unique player? (PubMed, Neuropsychopharmacology) - "Here, we addressed these issues by investigating the effect of two psychedelics of different chemical families, DOI and psilocybin, and a non-hallucinogenic 5-HTR agonist, lisuride, in a chronic despair mouse model exhibiting a robust depressive-like phenotype...Moreover, neither 5-HTR blockade nor dopamine D or D receptor blockade affected the antidepressant-like effects of psilocybin in 5-HT mice. Collectively, these findings indicate that 5-HTR agonists can produce antidepressant-like effects independently of hallucinogenic properties through mechanisms involving or not involving the receptor."

Journal • Preclinical • CNS Disorders • Depression • Major Depressive Disorder • Mental Retardation • Mood Disorders • Psychiatry

Identification of 5-HT receptor signaling pathways associated with psychedelic potential. (PubMed, Nat Commun) - "We further show that disrupting Gq-PLC signaling attenuates the HTR and a threshold level of Gq activation is required to induce psychedelic-like effects, consistent with the fact that certain 5-HT partial agonists (e.g., lisuride) are non-psychedelic...We also demonstrate that β-arrestin-biased 5-HT receptor agonists block psychedelic effects and induce receptor downregulation and tachyphylaxis. Overall, 5-HT receptor Gq-signaling can be fine-tuned to generate ligands distinct from classical psychedelics."

Journal • ARRB1

Identification of the 5-HT2A Signaling Pathways Responsible for Psychedelic Potential (ACNP 2023) - "These results indicate that 5-HT2A-Gq activation but not βArr2 recruitment serves a key role in mediating psychedelic-like behavioral effects. In addition, it appears that a threshold level of Gq efficacy is required to induce the HTR in mice and psychedelic effects in humans, potentially explaining why certain 5-HT2AR agonists such as lisuride are non-psychedelic. These results have implications for drug development because it may be possible to identify 5-HT2A-Gq partial agonists that do not induce the HTR and lack strong psychedelic effects in humans but retain sufficient efficacy to induce therapeutic neurophysiological effects such as neuroplasticity via 5-HT2AR."

CNS Disorders • Depression • Psychiatry • ARRB1