High-resolution tracking of unconfined zebrafish behavior reveals stimulatory and anxiolytic effects of psilocybin
Molecular Psychiatry January 17, 2024 Dotan Braun, Ayelet M Rosenberg, Elad Rabaniam et al. 32 citations
Psilocybin, a psychedelic serotonin receptor agonist, has two behavioral effects in larval zebrafish: it stimulates spontaneous exploration and prevents irregular swim patterns that normally follow stress exposure, indicating an anxiolytic effect. These effects resemble those of ketamine, not SSRIs. Neural imaging suggests psilocybin inhibits serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus by activating local GABAergic neurons, a mechanism consistent with findings in mammals.