Which type of drugs are characterized by distortions in sensory and perceptual experiences?

Hallucinogens are a class of drugs that significantly alter an individual's sensory and perceptual experiences. These substances can create vivid visual or auditory hallucinations, as well as distortions in time perception and an altered sense of reality. This unique effect is primarily due to the interaction of these drugs with specific receptors in the brain, particularly the serotonin receptors, leading to shifts in mood, thought processes, and overall perception.

While stimulants, depressants, and anxiolytics influence the central nervous system in different ways, their effects do not typically include the vivid distortions of perception that hallucinogens are known for. Stimulants primarily increase alertness and energy, depressants reduce activity and anxiety, and anxiolytics (which are a subset of depressants) specifically target anxiety without inducing the profound perceptual changes associated with hallucinogens. Thus, hallucinogens stand out for their capacity to evoke such sensory and perceptual distortions.