Psilocin and ketamine microdosing: effects of subchronic intermittent microdoses in the elevated plus-maze in male Wistar rats
Behavioural Pharmacology March 13, 2018 Rachel R. Horsley, Tomáš Páleníček, Jan Kolin et al. 52 citations
Microdosing with hallucinogens such as ketamine and psilocin may produce mild anxiety-like effects rather than relief, according to a rat study. Over six days, rats received low or moderate doses of ketamine, psilocin, or saline on three occasions. Forty-eight hours after the final treatment, an elevated plus-maze test measured anxiety-related behaviors. Statistical effects were modest or borderline, but the pattern was most consistent with a mildly anxiogenic profile, significant at lower doses. Lower doses of both drugs produced comparable effects, as did higher doses, suggesting a possible common mechanism. The authors conclude that microdosing for therapeutic purposes might be counter-productive, though more research is needed.