Where is the sweet spot for psychedelic-enhanced fear extinction? An integrative quantitative synthesis of dose–effect patterns in rodent models

A new quantitative synthesis combined 177 rodent experiments involving psilocybin, DMT, LSD, MDMA and ketamine to examine their effects on extinction of conditioned fear—the process through which an organism learns that a previously threatening cue is now safe. Contrary to the intuitive idea of an optimal high or bell-shaped psychedelic dose, the available data generally fit simple linear relationships, and for most compounds lower doses were frequently associated with larger improvements in fear extinction within the tested ranges. Timing between psychedelic exposure and later retrieval of the extinction memory also appeared important. �
Sage Journals