University of Michigan researchers have found that certain psychedelic compounds improve the brain’s ability to adapt and flexibly learn new concepts over long periods.

This kind of cognitive flexibility is impaired in many psychiatric and neurological conditions.

“Psychedelic compounds are being tested in ongoing clinical trials attempting to treat depression and PTSD,” said Omar Ahmed, U-M associate professor of psychology and senior author of the newly published study.

“These conditions, as well as Alzheimer’s disease, are often accompanied by decreased cognitive flexibility. We find that a single psychedelic dose can boost flexible learning over several weeks in mice, highlighting the ability of these compounds to induce long-lasting and functionally important changes to the brain.”

The team discovered that one dose of the psychedelic compound 25CN-NBOH helped mice think more flexibly and do better in behavioral tests even weeks after drug administration.

This research, which appeared in the journal Psychedelics, highlights why clinical trials of psychedelic drugs may benefit people living with depression or PTSD.

“Clinical trial designs for depression use only one or two doses,” said Elizabeth Brouns, U-M psychology master’s student and the study’s first author. “Our results show, in mouse models, that even a single dose of a psychedelic can result in lasting benefits. We studied flexible learning up to three weeks after the single dose and saw improvements. The benefits may last even longer.”

The present study utilized rodent models, but the results are likely to translate well to humans.

“The mice nervous system is an excellent model system to understand how psychedelic drugs function. Neurons in the prefrontal cortex of mice, as well as of humans, express serotonin 2a receptors, which are the primary target of psychedelic drugs. These serotonin 2a receptors are also considered to be responsible for the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic treatments,” according to study co-author Tyler Ekins, U-M postdoctoral fellow in psychology.

Read the full article on Michigan News.