Psilocybin reduces low frequency oscillatory power and neuronal phase-locking in the anterior cingulate cortex of awake rodents
Caroline T. Golden, Paul Chadderton
Scientific Reports July 26, 2022 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16325-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Awake mice |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Dose | 2 mg/kg |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Anterior cingulate cortex Cortex anatomy Hallucinogen Phase matter Cognition Central nervous system |
| Citations | 45 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin reduces low-frequency oscillatory power, increases overall firing rates, and desynchronizes local neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex of awake mice. |
Abstract
Abstract Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic compound that is showing promise in the ability to treat neurological conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. There have been several investigations into the neural correlates of psilocybin administration using non-invasive methods, however, there has yet to be an invasive study of the mechanism of action in awake rodents. Using multi-unit extracellular recordings, we recorded local field potential and spiking activity from populations of neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex of awake mice during the administration of psilocybin (2 mg/kg). The power of low frequency bands in the local field potential was found to significantly decrease in response to psilocybin administration, whilst gamma band activity trended towards an increase. The population firing rate was found to increase overall, with just under half of individual neurons showing a significant increase. Psilocybin significantly decreased the level of phase modulation of cells with each neural frequency band except high-gamma oscillations, consistent with a desynchronization of cortical populations. Furthermore, bursting behavior was altered in a subset of cells, with both positive and negative changes in the rate of bursting. Neurons that increased their burst firing following psilocybin administration were highly likely to transition from a phase-modulated to a phase unmodulated state. Taken together, psilocybin reduces low frequency oscillatory power, increases overall firing rates and desynchronizes local neural activity. These findings are consistent with dissolution of the default mode network under psilocybin, and may be indicative of disruption of top-down processing in the acute psychedelic state.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo Mice | 2021 | Observational cohort | |
| Harnessing psilocybin: antidepressant-like behavioral and synaptic actions of psilocybin are independent of 5-HT2R activation in mice Mice | 2021 | Experimental study | |
| Psychedelics reopen the social reward learning critical period Mice | 2023 | Experimental study in mice | |
| Correlation between the potency of hallucinogens in the mouse head-twitch response assay and their behavioral and subjective effects in other species. C57BL/6J mice | 2020 | Experimental study with dose-response experiments | |
| Effects of psilocybin on hippocampal neurogenesis and extinction of trace fear conditioning Mice | 2013 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 38
- Therapeutic mechanisms of psychedelics and entactogens. Neuropsychopharmacology July 24, 2023
- Ketamine and serotonergic psychedelics: An update on the mechanisms and biosignatures underlying rapid-acting antidepressant treatment Neuropharmacology January 13, 2023
- UNRAVELing the synergistic effects of psilocybin and environment on brain-wide immediate early gene expression in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology November 1, 2023
- Psilocybin restrains activity-based anorexia in female rats by enhancing cognitive flexibility: contributions from 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor mechanisms Molecular Psychiatry April 27, 2024
- The Effects of Psychedelics on Neuronal Physiology. Annu Rev Physiol November 6, 2023
and 33 more in the library
Cites 17
- Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression New England Journal of Medicine April 14, 2021
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Neuroreport December 1, 1998
and 12 more in the library