Fruitful comparison of psychedelic, spiritual, and psychotic experiences requires a degree of phenomenological nuance. Some shared features of these phenomena, such as encounters and communications with supernatural entities, are obfuscated by scientific and clinical terminology. Other supposed distinctions are based on an atemporal view of dynamic experienc...
Data on medication interactions with psychedelics are limited. Here we present what may be the first published report of a hypertensive emergency following the combination of psilocybin mushrooms with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). A42-year-old man with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder took 1 g of Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, while presc...
Several fungi belonging to the genus Psilocybe, also called “magic mushrooms”, contain the hallucinogenic drugs psilocybin and psilocin. They are chemically related to serotonin (5-HT). In addition to being abused as drugs, they are now also being discussed or used as a treatment option for depression. Here, we hypothesized that psilocybin and psilocin may a...
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Results from randomized clinical trials of psilocybin in depressive disorders highlight the therapeutic potential of serotonergic psychedelic compounds in mental health disorders. The synthetic 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor agonist 4-hydroxy- N, N -diisopropyltryptamine (4-OH-DiPT) is structurally similar ...
We are in the midst of a polycrisis, with any number of thoughts on how to approach the intersecting global crises of environmental, social, political, and other issues. One line of thinking for re...
The use of psilocybin to treat alcohol use disorder is very promising, but its mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. We combined behavioural, pharmacological and gene expression analyses to decipher the mechanisms of action of psilocybin, for the first time, when injected into the brain. Male Long Evans rats underwent chronic operant ethanol self-ad...
Introduction: Substance use disorder (SUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are major public health crises, affecting millions of Americans. Current treatment options include behavioral therapies and medications. In this review, we explored psilocybin’s efficacy in treating SUD and AUD. Methods: Key terms were used to search databases to identify articles that...
In vivo, psilocybin is rapidly dephosphorylated to psilocin which induces psychedelic effects by interacting with the 5-HT2A receptor. Psilocin primarily undergoes glucuronidation or conversion to 4-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (4-HIAA). Herein, we investigated psilocybin’s metabolic pathways in vitro and in vivo, conducting a thorough analysis of the enzymes...
BACKGROUND: Psilocybin offers new hope for treating mood disorders due to its rapid and sustained antidepressant effects, as standard medications require weeks or months to exert their effects. However, the mechanisms underlying this action of psilocybin have not been identified. AIMS: To investigate whether psilocybin has rapid and sustained antidepressant-...
BACKGROUND: Although Basidiomycota produce pharmaceutically and ecologically relevant natural products, knowledge of how they coordinate their primary and secondary metabolism is virtually non-existent. Upon transition from vegetative mycelium to carpophore formation, mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe use L-tryptophan to supply the biosynthesis of the psyched...
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Classical psychedelics such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and N,N -dimethyltryptamine (DMT) are showing promising results in clinical trials for a range of psychiatric indications, including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorder. These compounds are characterized by broad pharm...
Abstract Psilocybin, the natural hallucinogen produced by Psilocybe (“magic”) mushrooms, holds great promise for the treatment of depression and several other mental health conditions. The final step in the psilocybin biosynthetic pathway, dimethylation of the tryptophan-derived intermediate norbaeocystin, is catalysed by PsiM. Here we present atomic resolut...
Serotonin emerges as a pivotal factor influencing the growth and functionality of β-cells. Psilocybin, a natural compound derived from mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus, exerts agonistic effects on the serotonin 5-HT2A and 5-HT2B receptors, thereby mimicking serotonin’s behavior. This study investigates the potential impacts of psilocybin on β-cell viability,...
Introduction The use of the psychedelic compound psilocybin in conjunction with psychotherapy has shown promising results in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, though the underlying mechanisms supporting these effects remain unclear. Psilocybin is a Schedule I substance that is dephosphorylated in vivo to form an active metabolite, psilocin. Psilacetin,...
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Primary metabolites of mushroom tryptamines, psilocybin and baeocystin (i.e., psilocin and norpsilocin), exhibit potent agonist activity at the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2A ) in vitro but differ in their 5-HT2A -mediated effects in vivo. In particular, psilocin produces centrally mediated psychedelic effect...
