LSD induces increased signalling entropy in rats’ prefrontal cortex
Aurora Savino, Charles D. Nichols
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) June 23, 2021 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.23.449556 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study |
|---|---|
| Population | Prefrontal cortex of rats |
| Intervention | Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) |
| Duration | Chronic treatment |
| Topics | LSD Neuroplasticity Serotonin |
| Keywords | Prefrontal cortex Signalling Neuroimaging Receptor Cognition Cell biology Biochemistry |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Chronic LSD treatment rewires gene co-expression networks in the rat prefrontal cortex, making them less centralized but more complex with increased signaling entropy. |
Abstract
Abstract Psychedelic drugs are gaining attention from the scientific community as potential new compounds for the treatment of psychiatric diseases such as mood and substance use disorders. The 5-HT 2A receptor has been identified as the main molecular target, and early studies pointed to an effect on the expression of neuroplasticity genes. Analysing RNA-seq data from the prefrontal cortex of rats chronically treated with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), we describe the psychedelic-induced rewiring of gene co-expression networks, which become less centralized but more complex, with an overall increase in signalling entropy, typical of highly plastic systems. Intriguingly, signalling entropy mirrors, at the molecular level, the increased brain entropy reported through neuroimaging studies in human, suggesting the underlying mechanisms of higher-order phenomena. Moreover, from the analysis of network topology we identify potential transcriptional regulators and imply different cell types in psychedelics’ activity.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on LSD, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 39
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and 34 more in the library