The zebrafish for preclinical psilocybin research.

Psilocybin, a psychedelic drug, is gaining interest for both recreational and clinical use. This review examines the potential of using zebrafish as a model organism in psilocybin research. It covers behavioral tests in zebrafish relevant to anxiety and social behavior, genetic manipulation methods for studying psilocybin's effects, known mechanisms of the drug, and its safety and toxicity profile. The review also discusses how psilocybin could be used in preclinical research for affective disorders. The authors conclude that zebrafish hold promise for future preclinical studies of psychedelic drugs.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In this review, we discuss the possible utility of zebrafish in research on psilocybin, a psychedelic drug whose recreational use as well as possible clinical application are gaining increasing interest. First, we review behavioral tests with zebrafish, focussing on anxiety and social behavior, which have particular relevance in the context of psilocybin research. Next, we briefly consider methods of genetic manipulations with which psilocybin's phenotypical effects and underlying mechanisms may be investigated in zebrafish. We briefly review the known mechanisms of psilocybin, and also discuss what we know about its safety and toxicity profile. Last, we discuss examples of how psilocybin may be employed for testing treatment efficacy in preclinical research for affective disorders in zebrafish. We conclude that zebrafish has a promising future in preclinical research on psychedelic drugs.