Amanita muscaria var. inzengae

Amanita muscaria var. inzengae, commonly known as Inzenga's fly agaric, is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Amanita. It is one of several varieties of the Amanita muscaria fungi, all commonly known as fly agarics or fly amanitas.

Amanita muscaria var. inzengae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species:
Variety:
A. m. var. inzengae
Trinomial name
Amanita muscaria var. inzengae
Neville & Poumarat

Biochemistry edit

As with other Amanita muscaria, the inzengae variety contains ibotenic acid, and muscimol, two psychoactive constituents which can cause effects such as hallucinations, synaesthesia, euphoria, dysphoria and retrograde amnesia. The effects of muscimol and ibotenic acid most closely resemble that of any GABAergic compound, but with a dissociative effect taking place in low to mid doses, which are followed by delirium and vivid hallucinations at high doses.[citation needed]

Ibotenic acid is mostly broken down into the body to muscimol, but what remains of the ibotenic acid is believed[according to whom?] to cause the majority of dysphoric effects of consuming A. muscaria mushrooms. Ibotenic acid is also a scientifically important neurotoxin used in lab research as a brain-lesioning agent in mice.[1][2]

As with other wild-growing mushrooms, the ratio of ibotenic acid to muscimol depends on countless external factors, including: season, age, and habitat - and percentages will naturally vary from mushroom-to-mushroom.[citation needed]

Amanita muscaria var. inzengae
 Gills on hymenium
   Cap is flat or convex
 Hymenium is free
 Stipe has a ring and volva
 
Spore print is white
 Ecology is mycorrhizal
   Edibility is poisonous or psychoactive

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Becker, A; Grecksch, G; Bernstein, HG; Höllt, V; Bogerts, B (1999). "Social behaviour in rats lesioned with ibotenic acid in the hippocampus: quantitative and qualitative analysis". Psychopharmacology. 144 (4): 333–8. doi:10.1007/s002130051015. PMID 10435405. S2CID 25172395.
  2. ^ Isacson, O; Brundin, P; Kelly, PA; Gage, FH; Björklund, A (1984). "Functional neuronal replacement by grafted striatal neurones in the ibotenic acid-lesioned rat striatum". Nature. 311 (5985): 458–60. Bibcode:1984Natur.311..458I. doi:10.1038/311458a0. PMID 6482962. S2CID 4342937.

External links edit