A recently conducted study has established that a non-hallucinogenic psychedelic similar to the psychoactive substance ibogaine significantly lowers stress levels when administered to mice. This study was done by scientists at UC Santa Cruz.
According to the researchers, the psychedelic compound known as tabernanthalog (TBG) has the ability to lower anxiety and cognitive inflexibility in mice once administered in a single dose.
‘It was very surprising that a single treatment with a low dose had such dramatic effects within a day. I had a hard time believing it even when I saw the initial data. Amazingly, TBG reversed all of the effects of stress,” said Yi Zuo, a professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology at UC Santa Cruz.
In addition, the psychedelic compound has the ability to enhance regrowth of neuronal connections and restoration of neural circuits that are negatively affected by stress.
The study had two month old mice subjected to mild, unpredictable stressors through a period of seven days. The TGT compound made the mice seem as if the stressors, which include a reduction in cage space, exposure to a new room, loud noises and new mice, were never there.
