Psilocybin rescues sociability deficits in an animal model of autism
Irene Mollinedo-Gajate, Chenchen Song, Marcos Sintes-Rodriguez, Tobias P. Whelan, Anaïs Soula, Aslihan Selimbeyoglu, Shaun Hurley, Thomas Knöpfel
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) September 10, 2020 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2020.09.09.289348 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Animal model study |
|---|---|
| Population | Prenatal valproic acid exposure mouse model of ASD |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Topics | Psilocybin Serotonin |
| Keywords | Autism spectrum disorder Hallucinogen Valproic acid Animal model |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key points | Psilocybin rescued social behavioral abnormalities in the valproic acid mouse model of ASD. |
Abstract
Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by core deficits in social interaction. The classic serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin has been suggested as a therapeutic agent that may ameliorate in the core symptomology of ASD. We found that the acute response to psilocybin was attenuated in the prenatal valproic acid exposure mouse model of ASD, and importantly, psilocybin rescued the social behavioural abnormalities present in these ASD model mice.
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 5
- Psychedelic Therapy's Transdiagnostic Effects: A Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Perspective Frontiers in Psychiatry December 17, 2021
- Psilocybin mitigates the cognitive deficits observed in a rat model of Fragile X syndrome. Psychopharmacology 2023
- A multi-institutional investigation of psilocybin’s effects on mouse behavior bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) April 9, 2025
- Psilocybin as a Novel Pharmacotherapy for Treatment-Refractory Anorexia Nervosa OBM Neurobiology June 24, 2021
- Lasting effect of psilocybin on sociability can be blocked by DNA methyltransferase inhibition bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) March 11, 2025
Cites 8
- Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Neuroreport December 1, 1998
- Psychedelic effects of psilocybin correlate with serotonin 2A receptor occupancy and plasma psilocin levels Neuropsychopharmacology January 26, 2019
- Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future. Neuropharmacology December 25, 2017
- Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects. Neuroimage August 1, 2019
- Effect of Psilocybin on Empathy and Moral Decision-Making The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology June 14, 2017
and 3 more in the library