Frontiers in Pharmacology
February 16, 2023
Yahong Chen, Junhong Liu, Yishan Yao et al.
19 citations
Psychedelics like DOM, mescaline, and psilocin reduce mouse locomotor activity at high doses and alter rearing behavior in an inverted U-shaped pattern. Blocking the 5-HT2A receptor with M100907 reversed changes in activity, rearings, and jumps from low-dose DOM, but not holepoking. The hallucinogenic 5-HT2A agonist 25CN-NBOH produced similar effects that were diminished by M100907, while nonhallucinogenic agonists TBG and lisuride did not increase rearing. Discriminant analysis distinguished all four psychedelics from nonhallucinogenic agonists based on behavior alone, suggesting increased rearing in mice may differentiate hallucinogenic from nonhallucinogenic 5-HT2A agonists.
Frontiers in Neuroscience
May 23, 2023
Junhong Liu, Yuanyuan Wang, Ke Xia et al.
17 citations
Psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound in magic mushrooms, activates brain regions and increases functional connectivity in rats, similar to its effects in humans. Ten minutes after injection (2.0 mg/kg), positive brain activity appeared in the frontal, temporal, and parietal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum. Connectivity increased among regions including the cingulate cortex, dorsal striatum, prelimbic, and limbic areas. Psilocybin also raised levels of EGR1, a protein linked to depressive symptoms, throughout the brain, indicating widespread activation. These findings suggest the hyperactive state may underlie psilocybin's pharmacological effects.
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.