Pretreating rats with LSD before electrically stimulating the infralimbic cortex produces larger and longer-lasting changes in brain activity than stimulation alone. The combination activates the mTOR signaling pathway and alters perineuronal net integrity, suggesting a mechanism for enhanced neuroplasticity. Brain activity during stimulation did not predict the persistent changes seen minutes or days later. These findings support developing psychedelic-assisted brain stimulation approaches to improve durability of stimulation effects, potentially reducing relapse rates in clinical treatments.
Pretreating rats with LSD before electrically stimulating the medial prefrontal cortex produces larger and longer-lasting changes in brain activity than stimulation alone. The combination activates the mTOR signaling pathway and alters perineuronal net integrity. Brain activity during stimulation does not predict the persistent brain state afterward. These findings support developing psychedelic-assisted brain stimulation to increase durability of stimulation effects, potentially reducing relapse rates in non-invasive stimulation treatments.