Work

Structural plasticity and enhanced fear extinction following psilocybin in chronically stressed mice

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

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.

Source: bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

DOI: 10.64898/2026.04.21.720014

Authors: Cory A. Knox, Samuel C. Woodburn, Amelia D. Gilbert, Jason M. Schlotzhauer, Alex C. Kwan

Institutions: Cornell University, Weill Cornell Medicine

Language: English

Topic: Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Usona Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health