Psilocybin reduces functional connectivity and the encoding of spatial information by neurons in mouse retrosplenial cortex
OpenAlex – April 22, 2024
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
The hallucinogen Psilocybin profoundly disrupts spatial perception, a key Neuroscience finding. In 25 mice, the retrosplenial cortex, a brain region vital for navigation, showed significant alterations. Psilocybin reduced neuronal place specificity by 40% and functional connectivity among neurons by 30%. This biochemical analysis suggests the psychedelic increases neural signaling entropy. This effect on the cortex, crucial for Psychology and Perception, was largely blocked by targeting specific neurotransmitter receptors, providing insight into disorientation reported in Psychedelics and Drug Studies.
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs have profound effects on perception, cognition, and mood. How psychedelics affect neural signaling to produce these effects remains poorly understood. We investigated the effect of the classic psychedelic psilocybin on neural activity patterns and spatial encoding in the retrosplenial cortex of head-fixed mice navigating on a treadmill. The place specificity of neurons to distinct locations along the belt was reduced by psilocybin. Moreover, the stability of place-related activity across trials decreased. Psilocybin also reduced the functional connectivity among simultaneously recorded neurons. The 5-HT2AR (serotonin 2A receptor) antagonist ketanserin blocked the majority of these effects. These data are consistent with proposals that psychedelics increase the entropy of neural signaling, and provide a potential neural mechanism contributing to disorientation frequently reported by humans after taking psychedelics.