Electrical spiking of psilocybin fungi
Antoni Gandia, Andrew Adamatzky
Communicative & Integrative Biology October 24, 2022 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2022.2136118 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Psilocybe tampanensis and P. cubensis mycelium |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Basidiocarp Aka |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin fungi generate electric potential spikes and spiking activity, indicating intrinsic electrical communication. |
Abstract
Psilocybin fungi, aka "magic" mushrooms, are well known for inducing colorful and visionary states of mind. Such psychoactive properties and the ease of cultivating their basidiocarps within low-tech setups make psilocybin fungi promising pharmacological tools for mental health applications. Understanding of the intrinsic electrical patterns occurring during the mycelial growth can be utilized for better monitoring the physiological states and needs of these species. In this study we aimed to shed light on this matter by characterizing the extra-cellular electrical potential of two popular species of psilocybin fungi: Psilocybe tampanensis and P. cubensis. As in previous experiments with other common edible mushrooms, the undisturbed fungi have shown to generate electric potential spikes and trains of spiking activity. This short analysis provides a proof of intrinsic electrical communication in psilocybin fungi, and further establishes these fungi as a valuable tool for studying fungal electro-physiology.