medicalxpress.com· Medical Xpress - Medications·· 20 hours agoPickScore73
How psilocybin reshapes brain circuits
In brief
A University of California, Santa Cruz team reports in Nature Neuroscience (DOI: 10.1038/s41593-026-02490-y) that, using two-photon microscopy in mouse brains, psilocybin rapidly promoted dendritic spine formation and maturation within 24 hours. In chronically stressed mice, it also curbed excessive loss of preexisting connections.
Why it matters
The study shows structural plasticity and hallucinatory effects of psilocybin are mediated by distinct 5-HT2A receptor pathways, offering a cellular blueprint for non-hallucinogenic analogs.
Source: medicalxpress.com · medicalxpress.com