Psilocybin increases optimistic engagement over time: computational modelling of behavior in rats
OpenAlex – May 17, 2024
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Psilocybin, a potent hallucinogen, significantly boosts optimism by altering how the brain processes information. Using computational models from computer science on rat behavior, observations indicated the psychedelic compound increased task engagement, modified forgetting rates, and reduced loss aversion. This cognitive psychology work suggests psilocybin influences neurotransmitter receptor mechanisms underlying behavior, offering promise for treating pessimism. Such findings advance psychology's understanding of compounds, contributing to diverse areas within drug studies, including nicotinic acetylcholine receptors research.
Abstract
Abstract Psilocybin has shown promise as a novel pharmacological intervention for treatment of depression, where post-acute effects of psilocybin treatment have been associated with increased positive mood and decreased pessimism. Although psilocybin is proving to be effective in clinical trials for treatment of psychiatric disorders, the information processing mechanisms affected by psilocybin are not well understood. Here, we fit computational models of underlying decision-making mechanisms to behaviour in rats. The model revealed that rats treated with psilocybin achieve more rewards through increased task engagement, mediated by modification of forgetting rates and reduced loss aversion. These findings suggest that psilocybin may afford an optimism bias that arises through altered belief updating, with translational potential for clinical populations characterised by lack of optimism.