Abstract Rationale The elderly population is rapidly growing. Overwhelming epidemiologic data has demonstrated worse health outcomes with increasing age for a multitude of lung diseases (COVID being one of numerous examples). There is an increasingly urgent need for a more complete understanding of the molecular pathways and biological processes underlying a...
Mystical experiences are characterized by a profound sense of interconnectedness and transcendence of ordinary reality. These experiences can facilitate feelings of connectedness with oneself and others and have been documented as leading to significant positive changes in thoughts, emotions, and behavior. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the...
Reliable documentation of the traditional use of serotonergic psychedelics has long been confined to the Americas. Prevailing narratives often overstate the global prevalence and uniformity of traditional psychedelic use, extrapolating from a limited set of well-documented cases. Here, we report evidence of psilocybin mushroom use among Basotho traditional h...
This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized data from 13 clinical trials (n=606) evaluating psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression. Despite early enthusiasm, the pooled standardized mean difference (-0.79, 95% confidence interval: -3.98 to 2.40, p=0.63) revealed no statistically significant...
Background: Psilocybin, the main psychoactive compound found in Psilocybe mushrooms, has gained increasing attention due to its potential therapeutic effects in neuropsychiatric disorders [1]. Beyond its central effects, increasing evidence highlights the relevance of the gut-brain axis, suggesting that psychedelics may also influence intestinal microbiota c...
Background: Psilocybin, a key psychoactive compound found in Psilocybe mushrooms, has gained increasing attention due to its therapeutic potential in neuropsychiatric disorders [1]. However, comparative preclinical data between isolated psilocybin and whole mushroom extracts remain scarce, particularly regarding behavioural reinforcement and peripheral toxic...
Background: Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms contain the tryptamines psilocybin and psilocin, which are recognized for their therapeutic potential in mental health [1]. Additionally, due to their psychedelic effects, these mushrooms are also used for religious and recreational purposes. The increasing use of these tryptamines and other psychoactive substances ha...
Psilocybin is a federally illegal psychedelic substance that carries positive (e.g., treatment for mood disorders) and negative (e.g., emotional distress) consequences. In 2020, Oregon legalized psilocybin for adult use (21+) at the state level, restricted to designated service centers. In Fall 2024 and Spring 2026 we summarized and compared Oregon’s legal/r...
Abstract Background and aims Psilocybin, a psychoactive compound found in fungi commonly referred to as “magic mushrooms,” is consumed for both spiritual and recreational purposes. However, psilocybin use in Puerto Rico remains understudied. This exploratory cross-sectional survey aimed to describe patterns of use, motivations for consumption, explanatory fa...
Psychedelics, such as psilocybin, reorganise large-scale brain connectivity, yet how these changes are reflected across electrophysiological (electroencephalogram, EEG) and haemodynamic (functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI) networks remains unclear. We present Brain-MGF, a multimodal graph fusion network for joint EEG-fMRI connectivity analysis. For ...
Apart from the psychedelic psilocybin, the metabolite spectrum of Psilocybe "magic mushrooms" comprises sesquiterpenes, a class of natural products known to exhibit receptor-modulating bioactivities. However, the composition of the sesquiterpene profile has largely remained an open question. Here, we report the characterization of five Psilocybe cubensis ses...
Background: Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) has shown promise for alcohol use disorder (AUD) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, the effects of open-label administration following blinded treatment are unclear. Here, we present safety and efficacy data from an open-label extension of a Phase II RCT (NCT02061293) examining PAT for AUD. Methods:...
Psilocybin, chemically known as (4-phosphoryloxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine, 4-PODMT), is derived from the psychoactive mushroom genus, Psilocybe. Of the four active metabolites, psilocin readily enters systemic circulation. The psychoactive effects of psilocin are thought to arise through partial agonist effects at the 5-HT2A receptor. Psychedelic drugs, inclu...
Nach einer Pause gibt es heute wieder Evidenz-Quickies, und zwar gleich mehrere, dafür aber kürzer und weniger ausführlich als zuletzt. Und dieses Format ist jetzt zweigeteilt: (a) Für alle, denen die Nachricht genügt, gibt es oben die Quickies in Kürze. (b) Alle, die weiterlesen wollen, finden die detaillierten Fassungen unten. Viel Freude und hoffentlich i...
ABSTRACT Accidental ingestion of psilocybin-containing mushrooms can cause poisoning and hallucinations, making their rapid detection a public health priority. Conventional methods such as HPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS, TLC, CE, and ELISA provide sensitivity but are often destructive, time-consuming, or impractical for real-time applications. This study introduces a Ra...
In April 2024, FSQ Forensic Chemists attended Queensland’s largest mushroom growing operation. Seized items included: 219 50 L plastic tubs of mushrooms in growth medium, bags of dried mushroom material, sterilised grain bags and spores in liquid. In consultation with QPS, six exhibits were selected for illicit drug analysis. Fresh mushrooms were harvested a...
The psychedelic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis is cultivated worldwide for recreational and medicinal use. Described initially from Cuba in 1906, there has been substantial debate about its origin and diversification. The prevailing view is that P. cubensis was inadvertently introduced to the Americas when cattle were introduced to the continent from Africa and...
Abstract Background and Aims Psilocybin is a psychedelic compound that may hold promise for a wide range of human health conditions, yet the identification of therapeutic processes and mechanisms of action remains exploratory. We conducted a scoping review of pre-clinical behavioural investigations of psilocybin in non-human animals to identify behavioural e...
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if psilocybin, given with psychological support, is safe and helps treat anorexia nervosa in young adults. Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that currently has no approved medicine. Psilocybin is a psychedelic substance that may help the brain form new connections, which could make it easier for people ...
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...
