Effects of serotonergic psychedelics on synaptogenesis and immediate early genes expression - comparison with ketamine, fluoxetine and lithium.
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.