Psychedelic enhancement of flexible learning weeks after a single dose.

ABSTRACT: Psychedelic drugs have shown therapeutic potential for the treatment of multiple neuropsychiatric disorders chiefly by promoting long-lasting plasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). A critical function of the PFC is the ability to apply previously learned rules to novel scenarios, a skill known as cognitive flexibility. Here, we show that a single dose of 25CN-NBOH - a serotonin 2A receptor-preferring psychedelic - improves performance on a relatively complex flexible reversal learning task in mice, measured 2-3 weeks after the dose. This effect was seen in both male and female mice. This behavioral finding complements previous cellular results showing that a single psychedelic dose induces long-term structural changes in the PFC and uniquely demonstrates sustained improvements in cogni

SUBMITTER: Brouns EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11908162 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature