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Psilocybin helps reduce fear by changing brain cell activity in two opposite ways
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Abstract
A single dose of psilocybin altered neural activity in the mouse retrosplenial cortex during a 5-day fear learning and extinction assay.
- Psilocybin is associated with changes in cortical neural ensembles, specifically affecting fear- and extinction-active neurons.
- Suppression of fear-active neurons and recruitment of extinction-active neurons correlates with enhanced fear extinction.
- A computational model indicates that inhibiting fear-active units influences the activation of extinction-active units.
- These findings suggest psilocybin may enhance behavioral flexibility by changing the balance of neuronal populations in the retrosplenial cortex.
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