Effect of Psilocin on Extracellular Dopamine and Serotonin Levels in the Mesoaccumbens and Mesocortical Pathway in Awake Rats
Yuichi Sakashita, Kenji Abe, N. Katagiri, Toshie Kambe, Toshiaki Saitoh, Iku Utsunomiya, Yoshie Horiguchi, Kyoji Taguchi
Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin October 23, 2014 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b14-00315 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, increases extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens but not in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of awake rats. It also raises serotonin (5-HT) levels in the medial prefrontal cortex while decreasing dopamine there. Neither dopamine nor 5-HT levels change in the VTA. Behaviorally, psilocin increases the number of head twitches. The findings suggest psilocin affects the dopaminergic system in the nucleus accumbens and the serotonergic system in the medial prefrontal cortex, acting through the mesoaccumbens and mesocortical pathways.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | In vivo microdialysis study in awake rats Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Awake rats |
| Intervention | Psilocin |
| Dose | 5, 10 mg/kg |
| Topics | Serotonin |
| Keywords | Nucleus accumbens Dopaminergic Microdialysis Ventral tegmental area Chemistry |
| Citations | 84 |
| Key finding | Systemic psilocin increases extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and extracellular serotonin in the medial prefrontal cortex, but decreases dopamine in the medial prefrontal cortex, with no effect on either neurotransmitter in the VTA. |
Abstract
Psilocin (3-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-1H-indol-4-ol) is a hallucinogenic component of the Mexican mushroom Psilocybe mexicana and a skeletal serotonin (5-HT) analogue. Psilocin is the active metabolite of psilocybin (3-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-1H-indol-4-yl dihydrogen phosphate). In the present study, we examined the effects of systemically administered psilocin on extracellular dopamine and 5-HT concentrations in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex of the dopaminergic pathway in awake rats using in vivo microdialysis. Intraperitoneal administration of psilocin (5, 10 mg/kg) significantly increased extracellular dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. Psilocin did not affect the extracellular 5-HT level in the nucleus accumbens. Conversely, systemic administration of psilocin (10 mg/kg) significantly increased extracellular 5-HT levels in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats, but dopamine was decreased in this region. However, neither extracellular dopamine nor 5-HT levels in the VTA were altered by administration of psilocin. Behaviorally, psilocin significantly increased the number of head twitches. Thus, psilocin affects the dopaminergic system in the nucleus accumbens. In the serotonergic system, psilocin contribute to a crucial effect in the medial prefrontal cortex. The present data suggest that psilocin increased both the extracellular dopamine and 5-HT concentrations in the mesoaccumbens and/or mesocortical pathway.