A “UK first” trial will investigate whether psilocybin - the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms’ - can help prevent relapse in people recovering from opioid addiction. The psilocybin study, led by researchers at Imperial College London, will involve 28 participants who have recently undergone detoxification from ‘street’ opioids. Participants will receive...
Introduction to the Special Section on Psychedelics Research and Treatment Dominic Sisti Against a backdrop of post-pandemic malaise, diseases of despair, and a fragmented mental health care system, psychedelics have enjoyed a resurgence of interest as powerful psychotherapeutic agents and as catalysts of personal growth. The true power of these substances-s...
Psilocybin analogues have been synthesized comprising a non-hydrolysable P-C bond to evaluate the biological activity and the selectivity towards 5-HT2A R, 5-HT2B R and the TNAP receptor.
Research on psychotropics is gaining more popularity worldwide and support from drug regulatory agencies, which recognise the unmet medical needs of certain patient communities, such as patients with mental disorders and patients with cancer who experience depression. Cannabinoids and psilocybin have shown promising results in preclinical studies and clinica...
Journal Article Flies on 'Shrooms: Studying the Psychotherapeutic Potential of Psilocybin using Drosophila Get access Nicoletta Faraone Nicoletta Faraone Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar American Entomologist, Volume 69, Issue 4, Winter 2023, Pages 32-35, https://doi.org/10.1093/ae/tmad063 Published: 19 December 2023
There is a renewed interest in psychedelic drugs as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In particular, psilocybin has shown promise for the treatment of refractory depression 1 and major depressive disorder 2, and has also been explored as a treatment for tobacco and alcohol abuse 3, 4. However, despite suggestive evidenc...
Psilocybe mushrooms, otherwise known as “magic” mushrooms, owe their psychedelic effect to psilocin, a serotonin subtype 2A (5-HT2A ) receptor agonist and metabolite of psilocybin, the primary indole alkaloid found in Psilocybe species. Metabolomics is an advanced fingerprinting tool that can be utilized to identify the differences among fungal life stages t...
Psilocybe "magic mushrooms" are chemically well understood for their psychotropic tryptamines. However, the diversity of their other specialized metabolites, in particular terpenoids, has largely remained an open question. Yet, knowledge on the natural product background is critical to understand if other compounds modulate the psychotropic pharmacological e...
The discovery and identification of mushroom toxins has long been an important area in the fields of toxicology and food safety. Mushrooms are widely favored for their culinary and medicinal value; however, the presence of potentially lethal toxins in some species poses a substantial challenge in ensuring their safe consumption. Therefore, the development of...
Psychedelic substances have gained significant attention in recent years for their potential therapeutic effects on various psychiatric disorders. This review delves into the intricate cellular neurobiology of psychedelics, emphasizing their potential therapeutic applications in addressing the global burden of mental illness. It focuses on contemporary resea...
Long-term adverse experiences following psychedelic use can persist for weeks, months, or even years, and are relatively unexplored in psychedelic research. Our convergent mixed-method study gained quantitative and qualitative data from 608 participants who reported extended difficulties following psychedelic experiences. Data was gathered on the context of ...
In recent years, there has been considerable enthusiasm among research groups focused on developing novel therapies for treatment-resistant depression, and a wider community that has had experiences using recreational drugs, in more systematic evaluation of the therapeutic value of these compounds (Goodwin et al., 2022; Young, 2023). This has also been assoc...
Psychedelic indolethylamines have emerged as potential medicines to treat several psychiatric pathologies. Natural sources of these compounds include ‘magic mushrooms' ( Psilocybe spp.), plants used to prepare ayahuasca, and toads. The skin and parotid glands of certain toads accumulate a variety of specialized metabolites including toxic guanidine alkaloids...
ABSTRACT Intracellular calcium (Ca 2+ ) is ubiquitous to cell signaling across all biology. While existing fluorescent sensors and reporters can detect activated cells with elevated Ca 2+ levels, these approaches require implants to deliver light to deep tissue, precluding their noninvasive use in freely-behaving animals. Here we engineered an enzyme-catalyz...