Psilocybin reduces functional correlation and the encoding of spatial information by neurons in mouse retrosplenial cortex
Victorita E Ivan, David P Tomàs-Cuesta, Ingrid M Esteves, Artur Luczak, Majid Mohajerani, Bruce L McNaughton, Aaron J Gruber
European Journal of Neuroscience October 4, 2024 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16558 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsychedelic drugs such as psilocybin reduce the place specificity of neurons in the retrosplenial cortex of mice navigating a treadmill, making neural activity less tied to distinct locations. The stability of place-related activity across trials also decreases, and functional correlations among simultaneously recorded neurons are lowered. These effects are blocked by the serotonin 2A receptor antagonist ketanserin, indicating that the 5-HT2A receptor mediates them. The findings suggest that psychedelics increase the entropy of neural signaling, which may contribute to the disorientation often reported by humans after taking psychedelics.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Head-fixed mice navigating on a treadmill |
| Interventions | Psilocybin Ketanserin |
| Topics | Serotonin |
| Keywords | Neuroscience Spatial cognition Brain research Pharmacology Ketanserin |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key finding | Psilocybin reduces place specificity, stability, and functional correlation of retrosplenial cortex neurons in mice, and these effects are blocked by ketanserin. |
Abstract
Abstract Psychedelic drugs have profound effects on perception, cognition and mood. How psychedelics affect neural signaling to produce these effects remains poorly understood. We investigated the effect of the classic psychedelic psilocybin on neural activity patterns and spatial encoding in the retrosplenial cortex of head‐fixed mice navigating on a treadmill. The place specificity of neurons to distinct locations along the belt was reduced by psilocybin. Moreover, the stability of place‐related activity across trials decreased. Psilocybin also reduced the functional correlation among simultaneously recorded neurons. The 5‐HT 2A R (serotonin 2A receptor) antagonist ketanserin blocked these effects. These data are consistent with proposals that psychedelics increase the entropy of neural signaling and provide a potential neural mechanism contributing to disorientation frequently reported by humans after taking psychedelics.