Psychedelic-like effects induced by 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine, lysergic acid diethylamide, and psilocybin in male and female C57BL/6J mice.
Psychopharmacology May 17, 2025 Shelby A McGriff, Jacquelin C Hecker, Alexander D Maitland et al. 12 citations
The head twitch response (HTR) in mice is a behavior increased by serotonergic psychedelics and used as a proxy for psychedelic-like effects. This study compared HTRs induced by DOI, LSD, and psilocybin in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Drug potencies for inducing HTRs were similar between sexes for all drugs, with LSD showing increased maximal counts in females. The maximum number of HTRs was higher in females for all drugs, with significant sex differences for DOI and LSD. Dose-by-sex interactions were significant for psilocybin and LSD, with females displaying more HTRs at the highest doses. Locomotor and temperature effects were similar between sexes. Overall, no substantial sex differences in potency were found, but females uniformly showed more HTRs at high doses.