Psilocybin exerts distinct effects on resting state networks associated with serotonin and dopamine in mice.
Neuroimage January 15, 2021 Joanes Grandjean, David Buehlmann, Michaela Buerge et al.
Psilocybin, a serotonin 2A receptor agonist, alters functional connectivity across the mouse brain in two distinct ways: it increases connectivity between serotonin-associated networks and cortical areas including the default-mode network, thalamus, and midbrain, while decreasing connectivity within dopamine-associated striatal networks. These opposing effects, observed in lightly-anesthetized mice using resting-state fMRI, suggest that interactions between serotonin- and dopamine-regulated neural networks contribute to psilocybin's neural and psychological effects. The findings also demonstrate how gene expression maps and viral tracer projection fields can help interpret pharmaco-fMRI results.