A classic psychedelic, similar to LSD, psilocybin and mescalin, was found to activate a cell type in the brain that silences other neighboring neurons, a result that provides insight into how such drugs reduce anxiety, according to a new study in mice and rats.

I’ve linked to the press release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273(24)00640-8

From the linked article:

A classic psychedelic, similar to LSD, psilocybin and mescalin, was found to activate a cell type in the brain that silences other neighboring neurons, a result that provides insight into how such drugs reduce anxiety, according to a new study in mice and rats.

The study by an international team of researchers, including at Cornell and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India, showed that the psychedelic DOI (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine) lessened anxiety in mice and rats while activating the ventral hippocampus and so-called fast-spiking interneurons there.

Psychedelics have shown potential for treating general anxiety and associated panic attacks. Prolonged use of the conventional anxiety therapy, a drug called benzodiazepine, can damage the brain and lead to dependence.