LSD induces increased signalling entropy in rats’ prefrontal cortex
OpenAlex – June 23, 2021
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Psychedelics, like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), profoundly reorganize brain signalling by influencing neurotransmitter receptors. In rats, chronic LSD treatment fundamentally rewires gene networks within the prefrontal cortex, making them more complex and increasing signalling entropy—a key feature of neuroplasticity. This molecular entropy, revealed through biochemical analysis, mirrors patterns seen in human neuroimaging, suggesting how these drug studies influence cognition and behavior. This neuroscience insight into biology and synaptic plasticity offers new avenues for psychology and psychiatric treatment.
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.