The serotonergic psychedelic N,N-dipropyltryptamine (DPT) changes how information is processed in cortical neural circuits studied in vitro. The findings suggest that DPT alters the dynamics of neural communication, potentially shifting the balance of excitation and inhibition in brain tissue. This work provides insight into how psychedelics may modify brain activity at the circuit level.
The psychedelic DPT reversibly alters how information is processed in rat cortical tissue. Spontaneous neural firing became more random (higher entropy), and individual neurons stored information for shorter periods. Neural activity became less reversible, pushing the system away from equilibrium. Circuit structure shifted: overall information flow into each neuron decreased, but weak connections increased, blending integration and disintegration. Higher-order statistical synergy among groups of three neurons also dropped. These meso-scale effects offer a more detailed view of psychedelic action than whole-brain imaging provides.