The psychedelic psilocybin has shown therapeutic potential, yet underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. We investigated the impact of psilocin-the active metabolite of psilocybin-on basal activity and reactivity within the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) and PVT projections to central amygdala (CeA) in rats. Psilocin administrati...
Uncovering the neural basis of psychedelics’ potent effects on brain activity and conscious experience has great potential for understanding their therapeutic effects. Numerous studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) uncovered a strong effect of psychedelics on global properties of fMRI signal, but how they map to underlying neural phenome...
PcncAAAD is a noncanonical fungal aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD) featuring a unique appendage C-terminal domain (CTD) and two metal-binding sites. Unlike its mammalian and plant counterparts, PcncAAAD is activated by calcium, although the exact activation mechanism remains unclear. Here, we establish an in silico RMSD-based evaluation model throu...
The psychedelic psilocybin may have lasting therapeutic effects for patients with chronic pain syndromes. Some preclinical data suggest these putative benefits derive from direct analgesic effects; however, this possibility has not been comprehensively tested in preclinical models. Here, we evaluated the analgesic properties of a single exposure to psilocybi...
Emerging evidence suggests that classical psychedelics may offer therapeutic potential for opioid use disorder (OUD) by alleviating key hallmarks such as altered reward processing and dependence. However, the mechanisms behind these effects remain unclear. Our data demonstrate that a single administration of the psychedelic psilocybin (PSI) reduces condition...
Psilocybin increases social connectedness and has strong clinical transdiagnostic efficacy for mental illness, making it a candidate treatment to reduce maternal disconnect, anxiety, and blunted affect seen in peripartum mood disorders. However, the efficacy and safety of psilocybin in peripartum mood disorders has not been investigated. We used a social str...
Through its widespread reciprocal connections with the cerebral cortex, the claustrum is implicated in sleep and waking cortical network states. Yet, basic knowledge of neuromodulation in this structure is lacking. The claustrum is richly innervated by serotonergic fibers, expresses serotonin receptors, and is suggested to play a role in the ability of psilo...
Psilocybin shows significant therapeutic potential for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in addressing various psychiatric conditions. The biosynthetic approach promises rapid and efficient production of psilocybin. Understanding the enzymes that contribute to the biosynthesis of psilocybin can enhance its production process. In this study, we elucidate the ...
The title compound, C12 H16 N2 O, is a hydroxy-substituted monoamine alkaloid, and the primary metabolite of the naturally occurring psychedelic compound psilocybin. Crystalline forms of psilocin are known, but their characterization by single-crystal structure analysis is limited. Herein, two anhydrous polymorphic forms (I and II) of psilocin are described....
Abstract Psilocybin, the natural hallucinogen produced by Psilocybe (“magic”) mushrooms, holds great promise for the treatment of depression and several other mental health conditions. The final step in the psilocybin biosynthetic pathway, dimethylation of the tryptophan-derived intermediate norbaeocystin, is catalysed by PsiM. Here we present atomic resolut...
Psychedelics including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin temporarily alter subjective experience through their neurochemical effects. Serotonin 2a (5-HT2a) receptor agonism by these compounds is associated with more diverse (entropic) brain activity. We postulate that this increase in entropy may arise in part from a flattening of the brain's c...
Interest in the potential therapeutic efficacy of psilocybin and other psychedelic compounds has escalated significantly in recent years. To date, little is known regarding the biological activity of the psilocybin pathway intermediate, norbaeocystin, due to limitations around sourcing the phosphorylated tryptamine metabolite for in vivo testing. To address ...
The solid-state structures of the salts of three psilacetin derivatives, namely, 4-acet-oxy-N-eth-yl-N-methyl-tryptammonium (4-AcO-MET) hydro-fumarate {sys-tematic name: [2-(4-acet-yloxy-1H-indol-3-yl)eth-yl](meth-yl)ethyl-aza-nium 3-carb-oxy-prop-2-enoate}, C15H21N2O2 +·C4H3O4 -, 4-acet-oxy-N-allyl-N-methyl-tryptammonium (4-AcO-MALT) hydro-fumarate {systema...
The solid-state structures of the salts of two substituted tryptamines, namely N -isopropyl- N -methyltryptaminium (MiPT) fumarate {systematic name: [2-(1 H -indol-3-yl)ethyl](methyl)propan-2-ylazanium 3-carboxyprop-2-enoate}, C14 H21 N2 + ·C4 H3 O4 −, and 4-hydroxy- N -isopropyl- N -methyltryptaminium (4-HO-MiPT) fumarate monohydrate {systematic name: [2-(4...
The title compound (systematic name: bis{2-[4-(acetyloxy)-1 H -indol-3-yl]ethan-1-aminium} but-2-enedioate), 2C 14 H19 N2 O2 + ·C4 H2 O4 2−, has a single protonated psilacetin cation and one half of a fumarate dianion in the asymmetric unit. There are N-H...O hydrogen bonds between the ammonium H atoms and the fumarate O atoms, as well as N-H...O hydrogen bo...
