The serotonergic psychedelic N,N-dipropyltryptamine alters information-processing dynamics in cortical neural circuits
arXiv Preprint Archive – October 31, 2023
Source: arXiv
Summary
Psychedelics profoundly reshape brain activity. Research on rat cortical cultures reveals that the psychedelic DPT reversibly alters information processing. It increases neural firing entropy and reduces how long neurons store data. This suggests a shift in information dynamics (q-bio.NC). DPT also changes circuit structure, decreasing overall information flow while boosting weak connections, fostering a unique blend of integration and disintegration. These findings offer insights into how such compounds influence complex systems (cs.IT, math.IT, nlin.AO).
Abstract
Most of the recent work in psychedelic neuroscience has been done using non-invasive neuroimaging, with data recorded from the brains of adult volunteers under the influence of a variety of drugs. While this data provides holistic insights into the effects of psychedelics on whole-brain dynamics, the effects of psychedelics on the meso-scale dynamics of cortical circuits remains much less explored. Here, we report the effects of the serotonergic psychedelic N,N-diproptyltryptamine (DPT) on information-processing dynamics in a sample of in vitro organotypic cultures made from rat cortical tissue. Three hours of spontaneous activity were recorded: an hour of pre-drug control, and hour of exposure to 10$\mu$M DPT solution, and a final hour of washout, once again under control conditions. We found that DPT reversibly alters information dynamics in multiple ways: first, the DPT condition was associated with higher entropy of spontaneous firing activity and reduced the amount of time information was stored in individual neurons. Second, DPT also reduced the reversibility of neural activity, increasing the entropy produced and suggesting a drive away from equilibrium. Third, DPT altered the structure of neuronal circuits, decreasing the overall information flow coming into each neuron, but increasing the number of weak connections, creating a dynamic that combines elements of integration and disintegration. Finally, DPT decreased the higher-order statistical synergy present in sets of three neurons. Collectively, these results paint a complex picture of how psychedelics regulate information processing in meso-scale cortical tissue. Implications for existing hypotheses of psychedelic action, such as the Entropic Brain Hypothesis, are discussed.