Lysergic acid diethylamide pretreatment prolongs brain-stimulation induced neural activity changes.
Brain stimulation May 21, 2026 Lucas L Dwiel, Mackenzi L Prina, Elise M Bragg et al.
Pretreating rats with LSD before electrically stimulating the infralimbic cortex produces larger and longer-lasting changes in brain activity than stimulation alone. The combination activates the mTOR signaling pathway and alters perineuronal net integrity, suggesting a mechanism for enhanced neuroplasticity. Brain activity during stimulation did not predict the persistent changes seen minutes or days later. These findings support developing psychedelic-assisted brain stimulation approaches to improve durability of stimulation effects, potentially reducing relapse rates in clinical treatments.