Low Doses of Psilocybin and Ketamine Enhance Motivation and Attention in Poor Performing Rats: Evidence for an Antidepressant Property
Frontiers in Pharmacology February 26, 2021 Guy A. Higgins, Nicole K. Carroll, Matthew A. Brown et al. 67 citations
Low doses of the hallucinogens ketamine and psilocybin, too small to cause perceptual effects, modestly improved motivation, attention, and impulse control in low-performing male rats. In two food-rewarded tasks, acute doses of ketamine (1–3 mg/kg) and psilocybin (0.05–0.1 mg/kg) increased break point for food and improved attentional accuracy. The benefits were small and mainly seen in rats that initially performed poorly. Both drugs produced similar patterns of effect. These findings support the idea that low, sub-perceptual doses of these drugs may have therapeutic potential for depression-related symptoms like anhedonia and cognitive dysfunction, though further research is needed.