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Fungi Anaesthesia: Electrical Activity Changes in Pleurotus ostreatus Under Chloroform Exposure

Summary

This groundbreaking research reveals that fungi respond to anaesthetics similarly to other living organisms, showing that even organisms without nervous systems can be anaesthetized. The study measured electrical signals in mushroom fungi when exposed to chloroform vapor, demonstrating that the fungi’s electrical activity significantly decreased during anaesthesia and could recover when the anaesthetic was removed. Impacts on everyday life: • Advances our understanding of consciousness and awareness in simple organisms • Could lead to new methods for controlling fungal growth in medical or agricultural applications • Helps develop better preservation techniques for food and materials affected by fungi • Contributes to the development of new biological computing systems • May influence how we handle and process mushrooms in food production

Background

Most living cells are sensitive to anaesthetics, with experimental evidence showing anaesthesia effects in yeasts, aquatic invertebrates, plants, protists, and bronchial ciliated cells. While it’s accepted that any living substrate can be anaesthetised, questions remain about how species without nervous systems respond to anaesthetics. Fungi represent one of the largest, most widely distributed, and oldest groups of living organisms, exhibiting protocognitive abilities and computational potential.

Objective

To study the effects of chloroform anaesthesia on fungi by analyzing the electrical activity of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium before, during, and after exposure to chloroform vapor. The research aimed to understand how non-neuron awareness changes under the effects of narcotics using extracellular electrical potential of mycelium as an indicator of fungi activity.

Results

Exposure to chloroform led to significant changes in fungal electrical activity. The baseline potential movements showed a three-fold decrease in amplitude (from 0.45mV to 0.16mV median) and a 1.3-fold increase in duration. Spiking activity either ceased completely or showed substantial reduction in both frequency and amplitude. In cases where chloroform was removed after 16 hours, the mycelium showed gradual recovery of electrical activity, though at reduced levels compared to pre-exposure.

Conclusion

The electrical activity of Pleurotus ostreatus proves to be a reliable indicator of fungi anaesthesia. Chloroform vapor exposure reduces or eliminates fungal electrical activity, with potential recovery possible if exposure is limited. These findings contribute to understanding anaesthesia effects across different life forms and suggest the presence of potassium channels in fungi that are inhibited by anaesthetics.
  • Published in:Scientific Reports,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Experiment,
  • Source: 10.1038/s41598-021-04172-0
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