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...
Psychedelics including psilocybin, dimethyltryptamine, and lysergic acid diethylamide are known to disrupt the normal flow of time perception, for example, producing time dilation, compression, and loss of time. These temporal anomalies provide interesting clues about how the brain processes time, what consciousness is, and what produces the sense of self. T...
Psilocybin, and its active metabolite psilocin, have seen renewed interest due to studies suggesting potential therapeutic utility. 5-Hydroxytryptamine2A receptors (5-HT2ARs) are primary mediators of the psychoactive effects of psychedelics in animals and humans, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Functional magnetic reso...
Many neuropsychiatric conditions, including depression, involve synaptic loss and atrophy of the prefrontal cortex. The rapid regrowth of cortical neurons has been hypothesized to explain the rapid and enduring therapeutic effects of psychedelics and the dissociative anesthetic ketamine. However, safety concerns related to hallucinogenic/dissociative propert...
Psychedelic-assisted therapies are re-emerging as credible options in psychological care amid a high global burden of mental ill-health and limited response to first-line treatments. Once marginal, psychedelics are now part of mainstream research and policy debate, while remaining illegal or tightly restricted in many jurisdictions. Classic and atypical comp...
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...
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...
Introduction: Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) affects approximately 30-50% of patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) who fail to respond to at least two adequate antidepressant trials. This condition presents substantial clinical and functional challenges, and no universally accepted treatment algorithm currently exists. Emerging therapeutic stra...
BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been a resurgence of scientific interest in psychedelics, including psilocybin, for their potential in treating neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the reward-related effects of psilocybin and its impact on behavior remain underexplored. AIMS: We aimed to evaluate the potential rewarding effects of high doses of psiloc...
Introduction Psychoactive Psilocybe spp. mushrooms pose significant public health risks. We report a cluster of Psilocybe keralensis poisonings in Chengdu, China, highlighting its unique clinical features and cardiovascular complications.Case Series Four patients ingested 16-90 g of wild mushrooms (misidentified as an edible species, but later molecularly co...
The serotonin 2C receptor (5-HT2C) is a G protein-coupled receptor implicated in multiple physiological and psychological processes and has been investigated as a therapeutic target for neuropsychiatric conditions such as obesity, drug abuse, and depression. With renewed interest in serotonergic psychedelics for treating depression, 5-HT2C may contribute to ...
Exploring the intricate relationship between brain's structure and function, and how this affects subjective experience is a fundamental pursuit in neuroscience. Psychedelic substances offer a unique insight into the influences of specific neurotransmitter systems on perception, cognition and consciousness. Specifically, their impact on brain function propag...
Serotonergic psychedelics have shown promise in clinical trials for treating an array of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite these findings, our understanding of how these drugs mechanistically exert their therapeutic effects remains incomplete. While researchers have regularly employed rodent p...
Classic psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, and ayahuasca/N,N-dimethyltryptamine, are increasingly being studied as therapeutics for myriad health conditions; however, predicting individual responses is notoriously difficult. An arguably underappreciated variable potentially moderating responses to psychedelics is age. Older ...
Professor Gregor Hasler stands at the forefront of revolutionary psychedelic research and neuroplasticity studies, transforming our understanding of mental health treatment through groundbreaking scientific discoveries. As Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he directs the Molecular Psychiatry Lab, Hasler has pioneered resea...
Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which is characterised by cognitive decline, memory loss, and behavioural changes. Patients suffering from dementia often experience emotional distress, sadness and depression which also impacts the wellbeing of their caregivers. Recent research has explored the potential of psychedelics, such as psilocybin...
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Drug discrimination procedures have made important contributions to the pre-clinical investigation of psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). One of the most important being to highlight the critical role of central 5-HT2A rece...
Psychedelic Minimalism: The Case Against Music in Psychedelic Therapy SettingsIn response to: Kaelen et al. (2018), “The Hidden Therapist: Evidence for a Central Role ofMusic in Psychedelic Therapy.”Introduction: Reframing the Role of SettingIn recent years, renewed attention has been given to the centrality of set and setting inpsychedelic-assisted therapy....
