ABSTRACT Psychedelics such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) exert hallucinogenic effects through stimulation of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors (5-HT2ARs) in the cerebral cortex. In recent years, numerous reports have demonstrated that psychedelics are effective in treating various psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), t...
Abstract Purpose Lifetime MDMA/ecstasy and psilocybin use have been associated with lower odds of psychological distress, suicidality, and depressive episodes, but these associations may vary by marginalized identity. Building on minorities' diminished psychedelic returns (MDPR) framework and extending Jones and Nock's race/ethnicity moderation work, this st...
Psilocybin has been shown to induce fast and sustained symptoms improvements across various psychiatric conditions, yet its long-term mechanisms of action are not fully understood. Initial evidence suggests that longitudinal functional and structural brain changes implicate fronto-striatal-thalamic (FST) circuitry, a broad system involved in goal-directed be...
Mental disorders represent a major global health problem, with depression being one of the most prevalent and disabling conditions worldwide. Growing evidence suggests that the serotonergic system, particularly the 5-HT2A receptor, plays an important role in modulating mood and cognitive processes, constituting a key pharmacological target for several psycho...
Psychedelic drugs are under active consideration for clinical use and have generated significant interest for their potential as anti-nociceptive treatments for chronic pain, and for addressing conditions like depression, frequently co-morbid with pain. This review primarily explores the utility of preclinical animal models in investigating the potential of ...
Psychedelic drugs that activate 5-HT receptors have been long used for cultural, medicinal and recreational purposes. Interest in psychedelics for treating psychiatric disorders has resurged recently and is well documented; less well recognised are their anti-inflammatory properties. Growing evidence now demonstrates that psychedelics modulate immune respons...
A central challenge in neuroscience is understanding how the human brain is organised to support optimal functioning and adaptability. One approach to characterise complex brain dynamics is by artificially perturbing whole-brain models. Here, we asked whether whole-brain organisation under perturbation in major depressive disorder (MDD) changes after interve...
Informed by a community engagement process, we have developed a pragmatic, open-label, hybrid feasibility-implementation study of Group Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy (GPAT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As psychedelic-assisted therapies begin to enter the broader mental health arena, engaging communities in the design of research and care models i...
In recent decades, the psychedelic psilocybin has been studied as a potential treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), offering an alternative to traditional antidepressants. However, the brain changes underlying the clinical effects of different interventions remain unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of psilocybin and a conventional antidepres...
Abstract Psilocybin induces profound alterations in consciousness, yet prevailing neural models often describe a monolithic change in brain connectivity that may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of the psychedelic state. To test the hypothesis of a composite neural state, this study applied a data-driven framework, Connectome Independent Component A...
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition in which prenatal stress and long-lasting disruptions of excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) balance have been implicated as key vulnerability factors. Although established pharmacological and behavioral treatments are effective for many individuals, they are not universally ...
Psilocybin, the main psychoactive compound in Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, has gained considerable attention for its therapeutic potential. Current research focuses only on isolated psilocybin, neglecting the broader pharmacological and cultural use of the whole mushroom. This perspective advocates for an integrative approach that includes standardised P. c...
Abstract Background and Aims Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is a novel, transdiagnostic treatment in which the 5-HT2A receptor agonist psilocybin is combined with psychotherapy. Studies to date have evaluated PAP's effects on depression, substance use, and end-of-life adjustment. Relatively less attention has been given to its effects on anxiety sym...
Background: Advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD) is generally regarded as a stage of irreversible functional decline. Psilocybin is known to transiently alter large-scale brain network dynamics and to induce plasticity-related mechanisms in preclinical models, yet clinical data in advanced dementia remain lacking. Case presentation: We report the case of an oct...
Memory encoding depends on the joint convergence of substrate readiness, internal drive, environmental input, and a permissive temporal-physiological state. The same logic recurs across vertebrate learning systems: hippocampal-dependent spatial and schema-modulated memory (the Navigia substrate in the Systema Behavorum taxonomy), filial imprinting in the chi...
Background and objective: Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders worldwide and affect all age groups. Current pharmacological treatments, such as selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) and benzodiazepines, have limitations in terms of adverse effects and efficacy, which highlights the need for alternative therapies....
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is growing evidence that psychedelics and associated treatment modalities may offer therapeutic benefits across a range of psychiatric conditions. Anorexia nervosa (AN), a serious and often treatment-resistant illness associated with significant morbidity and mortality, is one such condition for which psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT...
Non-human models, including fish, are increasingly important for investigating how pharmacological agents such as hallucinogens influence behavior, physiology, and cellular processes. These models help to reveal underlying mechanisms and to support assessments of toxicological impact, efficacy, and safety. In this study, we used isogenic lineages of the amph...
Abstract Introduction Post-treatment Lyme Disease (PTLD) is a post-infectious syndrome characterized by fatigue, hypersomnia, sleep-disturbance, musculoskeletal pain and/or cognitive difficulties. As part of an open-label pilot study of psilocybin-assisted treatment for PTLD, we explored potential for psilocybin-assisted treatment to remedy sleep-related dis...
