Flies on ’Shrooms: Studying the Psychotherapeutic Potential of Psilocybin using Drosophila
American Entomologist December 1, 2023 Nicoletta Faraone 1 citation
Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, is being studied for its potential in psychotherapy, but its effects on the brain are complex. This article explores the use of fruit flies (Drosophila) as a model organism to investigate how psilocybin affects behavior and neural function, offering a simpler system to understand its mechanisms before moving to human studies. The flies' well-known genetics and short life cycles make them suitable for such research, potentially revealing how psilocybin influences neural plasticity and behavior.