Journal of Neurochemistry
February 28, 2025
Aneta Petrušková, Debarpan Guhathakurta, Enes Yağız Akdaş et al.
8 citations
Serotonergic psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT rapidly alter how neurons communicate at synapses. Using live-cell imaging in rat cortical neurons, the drugs reduced the fraction of synaptic vesicles that fuse in response to electrical stimulation within minutes, an effect that faded within 24 hours. DMT only reduced the total recycling pool of vesicles, while LSD and psilocin also shrank the readily releasable pool. Psilocin and DMT increased evoked glutamate release, yet LSD and psilocin lowered presynaptic calcium levels. Psilocin further depressed responses to paired stimuli. These drug-specific modulations of glutamatergic transmission may help explain their distinct therapeutic properties.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
May 28, 2025
Yana Vella, Kateřina Syrová, Aneta Petrušková et al.
1 citation
Psilocin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, promotes the formation of new synapses in rat brain cells, an effect comparable to ketamine and lithium. In laboratory experiments on rat cortical cultures, psilocin increased the number of synaptic puncta and boosted expression of the immediate early gene Arc after acute treatment. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) did not produce significant synaptogenic effects. Fluoxetine, a common antidepressant, had no effect on synapse formation but upregulated other immediate early genes. These findings add evidence that psilocin may be a promising therapeutic agent for psychiatric conditions.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
August 7, 2024
Yana Vella, Kateřina Syrová, Aneta Petrušková et al.
1 citation
preprint
Psychedelics can produce rapid and lasting antidepressant effects, likely through neuroplasticity, though the precise molecular mechanisms are not yet understood.
OPUS FAU - Online publication system of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
January 1, 2026
Aneta Petrušková
Serotonergic psychedelics LSD, psilocin, and DMT inhibit neurotransmission by reducing the proportion of synaptic vesicles that fuse in response to electrical stimulation after 3–30 minutes of treatment, an effect that disappears after 24 hours. DMT and psilocin increase evoked responses at glutamatergic synapses following single stimulation, while psilocin decreases paired-pulse facilitation. LSD and psilocin reduce evoked presynaptic calcium transients. At the network level, LSD and DMT strongly inhibit spontaneous neuronal firing without altering evoked responses. These findings expand understanding of the acute synaptic effects of psychedelics, though the link to therapeutic outcomes requires further research.