Structural plasticity and enhanced fear extinction following psilocybin in chronically stressed mice.
Cory A Knox, Samuel C Woodburn, Amelia D Gilbert, Jason M Schlotzhauer, Alex C Kwan
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology April 22, 2026 DOI: 10.64898/2026.04.21.720014 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsilocybin, a classic psychedelic, increases dendritic spine density in frontal cortical neurons and facilitates fear extinction after chronic restraint stress in mice, demonstrating its effects in a translationally relevant animal model. Prior studies had largely examined stress-naive animals, so these findings show that psilocybin can promote neural plasticity and behavioral recovery even after chronic stress.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Longitudinal imaging study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Key finding | Psilocybin increases dendritic spine density in frontal cortical neurons and facilitates fear extinction after chronic restraint stress in mice. |
Abstract
The classic psychedelic psilocybin elicits long-lasting neural plasticity and behavioral effects, but prior studies largely examined stress-naive animals. Using longitudinal imaging, we show that psilocybin increases dendritic spine density in frontal cortical neurons and facilitates fear extinction after chronic restraint stress, demonstrating psilocybin's effects in a translationally relevant mouse model.