5-MeO-DMT induces lasting neural changes in mice.

A study conducted on mice has found that the psychedelic substance 5-MeO-DMT causes a long-lasting increase in the number of dendritic spines in the brain, which are tiny protrusions that play a crucial role in neural plasticity. The study sheds light on the behavioral and neural mechanisms of 5-MeO-DMT, which is found in the Sonoran Desert toad and has unique pharmacological properties. The researchers found that 5-MeO-DMT elicited acute behavioral effects that were more transient than those of psilocybin, consistent with human data.