Sleep-like state during wakefulness induced by psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT in mice
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) December 11, 2022 Benjamin J. B. Bréant, José Prius-Mengual, David M. Bannerman et al. 5 citations preprint
Psychedelics like 5-MeO-DMT induce a dissociated state of arousal that combines features of waking and sleep. In freely moving adult male mice, the drug produced sleep-like slow waves in the cortex alongside marked pupil dilation, even while animals were awake and moving. REM sleep was strongly suppressed, similar to the effect of conventional antidepressants. This mixed brain state may explain psychedelic effects such as dream-like hallucinations and reopening of the critical period for plasticity.