Chronic pain states remain challenging to control with current drug therapies. Here, we demonstrate that a single dose of psilocybin produces a sustained anti-nociceptive effect in chronic neuropathic pain models in male and female mice, mediated primarily by 5-HT2A receptors. Critically, psilocybin significantly potentiates the analgesic efficacy of gabapen...
Serotonergic psychedelics such as N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and 4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (psilocybin) show therapeutic promise for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders but may be limited by liabilities from serotonin (5-HT)-2A mediated psychoactive effects and potential cardiotoxicity via 5-HT2B activation. To address these limitation...
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong condition marked by challenges in social communication and repetitive behaviors. Current treatments, primarily behavioral therapies, often fail to address the core symptoms. Recent research has explored the potential of psychedelics, such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA, as a new therapeutic approach. While these sub...
Psychedelics show therapeutic potential for treating psychiatric disorders. While studies have emphasized the roles of cortical pyramidal cells, GABAergic neurons also express serotonin receptors and are therefore likely targets of psychedelics. In this study, we determine the effect of psilocybin on the activity dynamics of major GABAergic cell types in the...
It is unclear how serotonin 2A receptors (5-HT2A Rs) in cortical layer 5 pyramidal neurons (L5 PyrNs) differentially contribute to psilocybin-induced hallucinations versus neuroplasticity. Here we show that psilocybin promotes synapse formation and maturation while accelerating the elimination of pre-existing synapses. Cell type-specific manipulation further...
Psychedelic drugs are re-emerging as promising scientific and clinical tools. However, despite a rapidly expanding literature on their therapeutic value, the neural mechanisms underlying psychedelic effects remain unclear. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of acute psychedelic effects, conducted independently by several research gro...
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...
Disorders of consciousness pose major therapeutic challenges owing to the complexity of underlying brain dysfunctions. Current pharmacological interventions explored in disorders of consciousness target distinct molecular systems, including dopaminergic modulators (amantadine, levodopa, apomorphine, bromocriptine, selegiline, methylphenidate, and modafinil),...
Psychedelic drugs produce effects on the mind that manifest as an apparent expansion of consciousness often accompanied by hallucinations. Psychedelics, which act as agonists at serotonin 5-HT2A receptors in the brain, include psilocybin, 5-methoxydimethyltryptamine, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (tryptamine derivatives), mescaline (a phenethylamine derivative)...
psychiatric disorders, beta-carbolines, trace amine, phosphoproteomics, social hierarchy. Scientific interest in psychedelic substances has re-emerged, offering new perspectives on the treatment of neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders.Historically, psychedelics have been associated with a wide spectrum of positive and negative effects, encompassing ri...
AIMS: The recent regulatory approval of esketamine in adults heralded the renaissance of research into psychedelic compounds. However, the relevance of this resurgence for children and adolescents remains unclear. This review examines the rationale for investigating psychedelics in pediatric psychopharmacology. METHODS: We reviewed recent literature, regulat...
The primary objective of this study is to investigate the safety, feasibility, and tolerability of psilocybin treatment in individuals with functional impairment due to psychiatric symptoms. The secondary objective of this study is to determine whether individuals with functional impairments due to psychiatric symptoms will experience statistically significa...
Upwards of 50% of people do not respond to the primary treatment modalities for major depressive disorder (MDD), which has led to increased attention and use of alternative methods, including exercise and psychedelics. While interventions using either exercise or psychedelics have demonstrated largely positive results in isolation, their synergistic potentia...
A novel class of hybrid molecules is described in which nicotinic acid (vitamin B3) is covalently conjugated to substituted tryptamine scaffolds via an amide bond. Twelve compounds are presented in total; eleven represent new chemical entities. The series encompasses 4-hydroxy-, 5-methoxy-, 4-acetoxy-, 4-phosphoryloxy-, and N-alkyl-substituted variants, incl...
Classic psychedelics, such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), have emerged as potent modulators of neuroplasticity and metaplasticity in the adult brain, offering novel therapeutic strategies for neuropsychiatric disorders. Recent findings reveal that beyond their transient psychotropic effects, these compounds...
Neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to modify synaptic connections and reorganize neural circuits, underpinning cognitive function, emotional regulation, and recovery from injury. Recent advances have redefined adult neuroplasticity as more dynamic and therapeutically accessible than previously thought, spurring investigation into pharmacologi...
In this study, participants will received either psilocybin (the active ingredient found in certain mushrooms) or an inactive placebo (a look-alike tablet with no active drug). The psilocybin is supplied by Filament Health (Burnaby, British Columbia). After psilocybin ingestion, the body quickly converts it into psilocin, which is the form that produces the ...
Serotonergic psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide, and psilocybin, and the entactogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine exhibit agonist activity at the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2B receptor, a signalling pathway known to mechanistically mediate drug-induced valvular heart disease. This systematic review evaluates whether chronic or repeated use of psyc...