The impact of a psychedelic drug on olfactory search behavior by mice

Abstract

Animals use their sense of smell for survival and well-being. Any disruption to olfactory perception, such as in the case of olfactory hallucinations, can lead to devastating consequences and decreased quality of life. Psychedelics interrupt and distort accurate perception, yet little is known about the impact of psychedelics on olfactory behaviors. Using an olfactory search task, we investigated the impact of the psychedelic 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) on olfactory search behavior of mice. We found that DOI decreases search accuracy, alters movement, and increases sniff rate. These findings suggest that the olfactory behaviors are altered by DOI, elucidating psychedelic-induced changes to olfactory processes.