Psychedelic's anti-anxiety effects can be separated from hallucinations by targeting specific brain circuits

Psychedelic's anti-anxiety effects can be separated from hallucinations by targeting specific brain circuits

A new study published in Science suggests that the anxiety-reducing effects of psychedelics can be reproduced by stimulating a specific group of brain cells, without triggering hallucination-like behaviors. In experiments with mice, researchers identified a set of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex that are activated by a psychedelic compound and linked to decreased anxiety. When these neurons were reactivated using light the next day, the …