Psilocybin is a serotonergic psychedelic with growing evidence for efficacy in mood disorders, and its therapeutic potential in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions is increasingly recognised but remains understudied. We systematically evaluated clinical and preclinical evidence on psilocybin's effects on obsessive and compulsive behavi...
In a suburb of Vancouver, Canada, a nondescript three-story building sits alongside a strip of parking lots. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary commercial office space. But inside is something more extraordinary: rows of shelves stacked with plastic tubs full of magic mushrooms-mushrooms that contain the hallucinogenic chemical psilocybin. In a year...
Psychedelic research is progressing at breakneck speed and is creating new challenges for drug developers, regulatory authorities, and legislators. Most “classic” psychedelics undergoing clinical investigation are C-I controlled drugs with perceived high potential for abuse and no medical use. These and next-generation psychedelic drug-candidates require sci...
Depression is primarily treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are limited by delayed onset of effects and low rates of remission. Recent studies showed that serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin can reduce depressive symptoms both rapidly and enduringly. Such effects have been associated with the activation of the seroton...
Depression is primarily treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are limited by delayed onset of effects and low rates of remission. Recent studies showed that serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin can reduce depressive symptoms both rapidly and enduringly. Such effects have been associated with the activation of the seroton...
A meta-analysis comprising 17 randomized trials has found that rates of control group improvement in depression studies were lower in psilocybin trials than in studies of esketamine or a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). The results suggest that psilocybin's overall efficacy in the treatment of depression might be overestimated.
Psilocybin, an indoleamine alkaloid derived from various fungal species, is the subject of renewed, rigorous investigation for its therapeutic potential in psychiatry. This compound, a prodrug for the active metabolite psilocin, functions primarily as a partial agonist at the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor. Its administration within a structured psychotherap...
Chronic pain and mood disorders co-occur, exacerbate one another and share neurobiological mechanisms, but whether a single intervention could promptly alleviate both conditions remains unclear. Here, in two chronic pain models, we show that a single dose of psilocybin induces a rapid and sustained reversal of both mechanical allodynia and anxiodepression-li...
Background/Objectives We present case histories of severe adverse effects associated with Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD), a disorder of neuroperception involving visual and other senses that is due to the treatment of various neuropsychiatric disorders with hallucinogens. This includes the case of a young woman who developed visual halluc...
Abstract Background Psychedelic and dissociative drugs, including psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and ketamine, have garnered significant interest for their therapeutic potential in treating various mental health disorders. However, their psychoactive properties pose substantial risks when used in conte...
ROLE OF PSYCHEDELICS IN PSYCHIATRY: A TRUE THERAPEUTIC REVOLUTION OR A TREND? Psychedelics, long marginalized, are now gaining renewed interest in psychiatry for their therapeutic potential. Substances like psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA are being studied for treating conditions such as treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and an...
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...
Both meditation and psychedelics are widely studied for their therapeutic potential in mental health. Recent research suggests potential synergies between mindfulness practice and psychedelics, though empirical studies have primarily focused on psilocybin. This study investigates the distinct and combined effects of mindfulness practice and an ayahuasca-insp...
Psilocybin is found in a family of mushrooms commonly known as Psilocybe. We aimed to study the antinociceptive efficacy of psilocybin using formalin-induced noxious stimuli, a model that comprises both acute and persistent pain in rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Psilocybin (0.1, 0.3, and 1 mg/kg, IP) or vehicle was administered, and 6 h late...
Clinicians and researchers are showing increased interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy for patients who don't show improvement from using conventional antidepressants. This updated review integrates recent developments, including data on lesser-studied compounds like DMT and 5-MeO-DMT, findings from large clinical trials, and evolving regulatory landscape...
