Psychedelics, drugs that alter people’s perceptions, mood and thoughts, have recently shown promise for the treatment of some psychiatric disorders. Yet many psychedelic drugs remain controlled substances in most countries worldwide.

Despite these restrictions, national surveys suggest that millions of people use psychedelics in the United States. Moreover, many people reported that they first used these substances in adolescence, the sensitive developmental stage between childhood and adulthood, when brain circuits are still maturing.

Researchers at Ningbo University and its affiliated hospitals recently studied rats to better understand how repeated exposure to the psychedelic compound 25C-NBOMe during adolescence could influence brain activity and social behavior in adulthood.