The Effects of the Preferential 5-HT2A Agonist Psilocybin on Prepulse Inhibition of Startle in Healthy Human Volunteers Depend on Interstimulus Interval
Neuropsychopharmacology February 14, 2007 Franz X. Vollenweider, Philipp Csomor, Bernhard Knappe et al. 194 citations
Psilocybin, a hallucinogenic 5-HT(2A) receptor agonist, produces opposite effects on prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response depending on the time interval between the prepulse and the startle stimulus. In healthy humans, psilocybin dose-dependently reduced PPI at short intervals (30 ms) and increased PPI at long intervals (120-2000 ms), with no effect at medium intervals (60 ms). The reduction in PPI at short intervals correlated with impaired sustained attention, consistent with PPI deficits seen in schizophrenia. Psilocybin also impaired attention and increased altered states of consciousness scores.