Increased neuroplasticity
Psilocybin enhanced the work of neural communication genes in the prefrontal cortex
Anna Muravyeva, N+1
Psilocybin affects the work of genes that are associated with synaptic plasticity, according to a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology (Jefsen et al., Transcriptional regulation in the rat prefrontal cortex and hippocampus after a single administration of psilocybin).
Biologists analyzed the work of 46 genes in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of rats after a single dose of different doses of psilocybin. It turned out that this substance enhances the work of genes that are associated with the formation of interneuronal connections – and more in the prefrontal cortex than in the hippocampus.
The effect of psilocybin (the active component of hallucinogenic mushrooms) on the brain is being actively studied in connection with the treatment of affective disorders: for example, the effectiveness of this substance in the fight against depression has recently been shown again. Psilocybin is also used for the treatment of depression against the background of cancer and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
The short-term effect of psilocybin in therapy is associated with its effect on 5-HT 2A serotonin receptors: the molecule is similar to the serotonin molecule and is able to activate its receptors, causing hallucinations and other effects. However, psilocybin treatment is based on a long–term effect on the brain, which implies an effect on synaptic plasticity - a change in the strength of neural connections. Such an effect has already been shown for psilocybin, but its mechanisms have so far been little studied.
Researchers from Aarhus University, led by Oskar Hougaard Jefsen, studied the effect of different doses of psilocybin on the work of synaptic plasticity genes in rats. Psilocybin (from 0.5 to 20 milligrams of the substance per kilogram of animal weight) was added to a saline solution and injected intraperitonally into rats. Ten rats received the dose, and ten more rats of the control group were injected with saline without psilocybin. After taking psilocybin, brain tissues were taken from rats to study the level of gene activity (taking into account the amount of matrix RNA) and the concentration of their protein products.
The expression of ten genes associated with synaptic plasticity increased in the prefrontal cortex (p<0.05). Moreover, seven of them enhanced the work in accordance with the dose of psilocybin. In the hippocampus, the expression of only three of these genes has increased: Dusp1, Sgk1 and Iqß-α: the first two help neurons fight excitotoxicity – damage from overexcitation, and the second is involved in the regulation of protein synthesis, synapse formation and inflammation.
Biologists measured the amount of protein products of these genes in both regions of the brain. In response to different doses of psilocybin, the concentration of only one protein, SGK1, increased. The concentration of DUSP1 in the hypothalamus decreased after taking 2 milligrams per kilogram of the drug, and after 8 milligrams per kilogram, it increased. In the prefrontal cortex, the concentration of this protein dropped after a dose of psilocybin of 2 milligrams per kilogram. Iqß-α was elevated in the hypothalamus at 8 and 20 milligrams per kilogram, and the prefrontal cortex showed no changes. The researchers note that such a mismatch between the work of genes and protein concentrations did not come as a surprise due to the complex mechanisms of the genetic apparatus.
These genes may cause the long-term effect of psilocybin therapy for affective disorders, which is based on changes in the neural connections of the brain. For scientific purposes, not only psilocybin from hallucinogenic mushrooms is used, but also other psychedelics.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru