The serotonergic psychedelic N,N-dipropyltryptamine alters information-processing dynamics in in vitro cortical...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychedelic Research
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• Psychedelic neuroscience research primarily uses noninvasive neuroimaging in humans.
• Mesoscale dynamics of neuronal circuits under psychedelics are less explored.
• Serotonergic psychedelics, like DPT, are known to affect brain function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of N,N-diproptyltryptamine (DPT) on information processing dynamics.
• To examine mesoscale neuronal circuit activity in vitro.
• To understand how psychedelics modulate neural information flow.

Main Methods:

• Recording spontaneous neural activity from in vitro organotypic cultures of rat cortical tissue.
• Applying 10-μM N,N-diproptyltryptamine (DPT) solution.
• Analyzing changes in firing activity entropy, information storage, and network structure.

Main Results:

• DPT increased spontaneous firing activity entropy and reduced information storage in individual neurons.
• DPT decreased neural activity reversibility, indicating a shift away from equilibrium.
• DPT altered neuronal circuit structure by decreasing information flow and increasing weak connections.
• Higher-order statistical synergy in neuronal ensembles was reduced by DPT.

Conclusions:

• DPT reversibly modulates information processing dynamics in mesoscale neuronal networks.
• Findings suggest psychedelics can both integrate and disintegrate neural information flow.
• Results offer insights into the entropic brain hypothesis and psychedelic action mechanisms.