Psychedelic 5-HT2A agonist increases spontaneous and evoked 5-Hz oscillations in visual and retrosplenial cortex.
Callum M. White, Zohre Azimi, Robert Staadt, Chenchen Song, Thomas Knöpfel, Dirk Jancke
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology July 6, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.07.05.663288 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study |
|---|---|
| Population | Awake mice |
| Intervention | 5-HT2AR agonist |
| Keywords | Brain research Neurobiology Cognitive neuroscience Visual perception Sensory perception Cognitive perception Top-down control Brain waves Neural oscillations Brain activity EEG Neural rhythms Psychopharmacology Neuropharmacology Psychoactive substances Hallucinations Visual disturbances Altered perception Perceptual anomalies |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | 5-Hz oscillations in the visual and retrosplenial cortices are modulated by a 5-HT2AR agonist, suggesting strengthened top-down control of perception linked to visual hallucinations. |
Abstract
Visual perception appears largely stable in time. However, psychophysical studies have revealed that theta waves (4-8 Hz) can modulate perception and have been linked to various cognitive states and functions. Neither the contribution of theta waves to cortical activity nor their impact during aberrant brain states have been resolved at high spatiotemporal scales. Here, using cortex-wide population voltage imaging in awake mice, we found that bouts of 5-Hz oscillations in the visual cortex are accompanied by similar oscillations in the retrosplenial cortex, occurring both spontaneously and evoked by visual stimulation. Injection of psychotropic 5-HT2AR agonist induced a significant increase in spontaneous 5-Hz oscillations, and also increased the power, occurrence probability and temporal persistence of visually evoked 5-Hz oscillations. This modulation of 5-Hz oscillations in both cortical areas indicates a strengthening of top-down control of perception, supporting an underlying mechanism of perceptual filling and visual hallucinations.