Intravenous psilocybin administration attenuates mechanical hypersensitivity in a rat model of chronic pain
Nicholas Kolbman, Tiecheng Liu, Peter R. Guzzo, Jim Gilligan, George A. Mashour, Giancarlo Vanini, Dinesh Pal
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) August 28, 2023 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.26.554802 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 39 |
| Population | Adult male and female rats |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Dose | 1 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg |
| Duration | 28 days |
| Topics | Ketamine Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hyperalgesia Anesthesia Saline Scratching Bolus digestion Analgesic Nociception Subcutaneous injection Pharmacology Hallucinogen |
| Key findings | A single intravenous bolus of psilocybin attenuated formalin-induced bilateral mechanical hypersensitivity for 28 days but had limited effect on thermal hyperalgesia in a rat model of chronic pain. |
Abstract
Abstract There is a renewed interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, including psilocybin, in treating mental health disorders. However, there are no data on the efficacy of psilocybin in alleviating chronic pain. In this study, we investigated the effect of psilocybin on mechanical hypersensitivity and thermal hyperalgesia in a rat model of formalin-induced chronic pain. Adult male and female rats were surgically implanted with a jugular vein catheter for psilocybin or saline administration. After two weeks of post-surgical recovery and conditioning, baseline responses to mechanical (von Frey assay) and thermal (hot plate assay) stimuli were measured. Twenty-four hours after baseline measurements, rats received a subcutaneous injection of formalin (5%, 50µL) into one of the hind paws and 2h later, responses to the mechanical and thermal stimuli were measured. Twenty-four hours after formalin injection, rats received an intravenous bolus of 1 mg/kg psilocybin (n=14) or 10 mg/kg psilocybin (n=12) or saline (n=13), and approximately 3h later, responses to the mechanical and thermal stimuli were measured. Rats were tested every other day during week 1, and then weekly for the next 3 weeks. Formalin injection induced thermal hyperalgesia and bilateral mechanical hypersensitivity in the hind paws of all rats. Intravenous psilocybin produced significant attenuation (p<0.05) of the formalin-induced bilateral mechanical hypersensitivity for 28 days but had limited effect (p<0.05 only on days 1, 3, 5, and 21) on thermal hyperalgesia. These data demonstrate that a single intravenous bolus of psilocybin can attenuate indices of chronic pain in a rat model.
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
Cites 7
- Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder JAMA Psychiatry November 4, 2020
- Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: A proof-of-concept study Journal of Psychopharmacology January 13, 2015
- Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Cell Reports June 1, 2018
- Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Frontiers in Pharmacology January 17, 2018
- Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse July 21, 2016
and 2 more in the library