Psilocybin reduces functional correlation and the encoding of spatial information by neurons in mouse retrosplenial cortex
Victorita E. Ivan, David P Tomàs-Cuesta, Ingrid M. Esteves, Artur Luczak, Majid Mohajerani, Bruce L McNaughton, Aaron J. Gruber
European Journal of Neuroscience October 4, 2024 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16558 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Head-fixed mice navigating on a treadmill |
| Interventions | Psilocybin Ketanserin |
| Topics | Serotonin Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Spatial cognition Brain research Pharmacology Ketanserin Mutual information Psychedelics Retrosplenial cortex |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin reduces place specificity, stability, and functional correlation of retrosplenial cortex neurons in mice, and these effects are blocked by ketanserin. |
Abstract
Abstract Psychedelic drugs have profound effects on perception, cognition and mood. How psychedelics affect neural signaling to produce these effects remains poorly understood. We investigated the effect of the classic psychedelic psilocybin on neural activity patterns and spatial encoding in the retrosplenial cortex of head‐fixed mice navigating on a treadmill. The place specificity of neurons to distinct locations along the belt was reduced by psilocybin. Moreover, the stability of place‐related activity across trials decreased. Psilocybin also reduced the functional correlation among simultaneously recorded neurons. The 5‐HT 2A R (serotonin 2A receptor) antagonist ketanserin blocked these effects. These data are consistent with proposals that psychedelics increase the entropy of neural signaling and provide a potential neural mechanism contributing to disorientation frequently reported by humans after taking psychedelics.