Amy D. Stringer

Psilocybin induces stereotyped movements and reduces defensive responding in planarians through 5-hydroxytryptamine mechanisms.

Behavioural Pharmacology July 1, 2026 Razeen J. Akbar, Amy D. Stringer, Sonita Wiah et al.

Psilocybin is a serotonergic 5-HT 2A R agonist that causes psychedelic and anxiolytic effects in human users. To delineate conservation of psilocybin pharmacology, we investigated behavioral effects of psilocybin in planarians ( Dugesia dorotocephala ), the simplest living animal with cephalization that also has a well defined serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) system. We quantified...