Acute psilocin increased cortical activity in rat
Frontiers in Neuroscience February 4, 2026 Junhong Liu, Y. Lynn Wang, Ke Xia et al.
Psilocin, the active component of magic mushrooms, increases brain activity and functional connectivity in rats, mirroring effects seen in humans. Ten minutes after injection, elevated activity was detected in the frontal, temporal, and parietal cortex (including the cingulate and retrosplenial cortex), hippocampus, and striatum. Functional connectivity analysis showed enhanced interconnectivity among the cingulate cortex, dorsal striatum, prelimbic, and limbic regions. Additionally, psilocin increased levels of the immediate early gene EGR1 in most cortical and striatal areas, indicating consistent activation. These findings suggest that psilocin induces a hyperactive state in rats, which may underlie its pharmacological effects.