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Ginger E. Nicol

16 papers in the library · 510 citations · publishing 2020-2026

Papers

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“Am I a candidate for magic mushrooms?” A mystery shopper study of Oregon psilocybin service centers

Health Affairs Scholar August 27, 2026 Danielle R Adams, Morgan Hartman, Lisa Gong et al.

Abstract Introduction Oregon is the first US state to permit supervised psilocybin services through a nonmedical, wellness-based model. We examined what prospective clients with psychiatric histories encounter when contacting service centers, including how staff communicate about safety, eligibility, and cost. Methods We conducted a mystery shopper study of 26 licensed service centers in Oregon...

Hallucinogen-Psychosis Associations Are Confounded by Baseline Psychiatric History.

The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry June 10, 2026 Jacob T. Steinle, Suraj Shankar, Joshua S. Siegel et al.

Background: Current drug policy debates often center on whether hallucinogen-related hospital admissions indicate a causal relationship with psychosis. This study examines the extent to which observed associations between hallucinogen use and psychosis are mediated by preexisting psychiatric conditions, providing important evidence for psychedelic policy formulation. Methods: We conducted a...

The science of psychedelic medicine.

Nature Medicine February 6, 2026 Joshua S. Siegel, Conor Liston, Ginger E. Nicol et al. 10 citations

Classic psychedelics typically act at the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor to profoundly alter brain function and consciousness. Research on these compounds has accelerated. Major strides have been made in understanding their unique mechanisms of action and clinical potential. This Review outlines the state of psychedelic science, spanning cellular mechanisms, systems neuroscience and clinical...

Psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonism alters neurovascular coupling and differentially affects neuronal and hemodynamic measures of brain function

Nature Neuroscience October 13, 2025 Jonah A. Padawer-Curry, Oliver J. Krentzman, Chao‐cheng Kuo et al. 9 citations

Human neuroimaging studies report that psychedelics induce serotonin-2A receptor-dependent changes in functional brain reorganization, presumably reflecting neuromodulation. However, these studies often overlook the potent vasoactive effects of serotonin. Here we identified psilocybin-induced alterations in hemodynamic response functions during human functional magnetic resonance imaging,...

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-02069-z (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Premovement neuronal activity Hemodynamics Neuroimaging Haemodynamic response +7

Psilocybin’s acute and persistent brain effects: a precision imaging drug trial

Scientific Data June 5, 2025 Subha Subramanian, Travis Rick Renau, Demetrius Perry et al. 4 citations

Psilocybin (PSIL) is a psychedelic drug and a promising experimental therapeutic for many psychiatric conditions. Precision functional mapping (PFM) combines densely repeated resting state fMRI sampling and individual-specific network mapping to improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and effect size in brain imaging research. We present a randomized cross-over study in which PFM was used to...

Shrinking the know-do gap in psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Nature Human Behaviour February 24, 2025 Ginger E. Nicol, Danielle R Adams, Eric J Lenze et al. 4 citations

There is a push to shrink the anticipated 17-year research-to-practice gap for psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), offering precarious hope to those with disabling mental health conditions. However, numerous questions regarding how PAT works, how well it works, for whom and in what context remain. Substantial changes to current systems of care, including regulatory approvals, clinical training...

Moving psychedelic-assisted therapies from promising research into routine clinical practice: Lessons from the field of implementation science

Translational Behavioral Medicine October 17, 2024 Danielle R Adams, Heidi L Allen, Ginger E. Nicol et al. 7 citations

Abstract Psychedelics (e.g., 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA], lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD], psilocybin) are molecules that have the potential to produce rapid therapeutic effects when paired with psychotherapy. Randomized clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAT) have shown promising results for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance use...

Psilocybin desynchronizes the human brain.

Nature August 1, 2024 Joshua S. Siegel, Subha Subramanian, Demetrius Perry et al. 241 citations

A single dose of psilocybin, a psychedelic that acutely causes distortions of space-time perception and ego dissolution, produces rapid and persistent therapeutic effects in human clinical trials1-4. In animal models, psilocybin induces neuroplasticity in cortex and hippocampus5-8. It remains unclear how human brain network changes relate to subjective and lasting effects of psychedelics. Here...

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07624-5 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Psychedelics Brain connectivity Consciousness Mental health

Psilocybin Desynchronizes Brain Networks

Biological Psychiatry April 29, 2024 Joshua S. Siegel, Subha Subramanian, Nico U.f. Dosenbach et al. 14 citations

1 Summary The relationship between the acute effects of psychedelics and their persisting neurobiological and psychological effects is poorly understood. Here, we tracked brain changes with longitudinal precision functional mapping in healthy adults before, during, and for up to 3 weeks after oral psilocybin and methylphenidate (17 MRI visits per participant) and again 6+ months later....

Effects of Mindfulness Training and Exercise on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

JAMA December 13, 2022 Eric J Lenze, Michelle Voegtle, J Philip Miller et al.

Episodic memory and executive function are essential aspects of cognitive functioning that decline with aging. This decline may be ameliorable with lifestyle interventions. To determine whether mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), exercise, or a combination of both improve cognitive function in older adults. This 2 × 2 factorial randomized clinical trial was conducted at 2 US sites...

Psychedelic Drug Legislative Reform and Legalization in the US

JAMA Psychiatry December 7, 2022 Joshua S. Siegel, James E. Daily, Demetrius Perry et al. 168 citations

Importance Psychedelic drugs are becoming accessible in the US through a patchwork of state legislative reforms. This shift necessitates consensus on treatment models, education and guidance for health care professionals, and planning for implementation and regulation. Objective To assess trends in psychedelics legislative reform and legalization in the US to provide guidance to health care...

Mindfulness Training for Depressed Older Adults Using Smartphone Technology: Protocol for a Fully Remote Precision Clinical Trial.

JMIR Research Protocols October 27, 2022 Abigail Schweiger, Thomas L Rodebaugh, Eric J Lenze et al.

Precision medicine, optimized interventions, and access to care are catchphrases for the future of behavioral treatments. Progress has been slow due to the dearth of clinical trials that optimize interventions' benefits, individually tailor interventions to meet individual needs and preferences, and lead to rapid implementation after effectiveness is demonstrated. Two innovations have emerged...

Prolonged ketamine infusion modulates limbic connectivity and induces sustained remission of treatment-resistant depression

Psychopharmacology January 22, 2021 J. Siegel, Ben J Palanca, Beau M Ances et al. 53 citations

Ketamine produces a rapid antidepressant response in over 50% of adults with treatment-resistant depression. A long infusion of ketamine may provide durable remission of depressive symptoms, but the safety, efficacy, and neurobiological correlates are unknown. In this open-label, proof-of-principle study, adults with treatment-resistant depression (N = 23) underwent a 96-h infusion of...

Mindfulness, Education, and Exercise for age-related cognitive decline: Study protocol, pilot study results, and description of the baseline sample.

Clinical Trials October 2020 Julie Loebach Wetherell, Hayley S Ripperger, Michelle Voegtle et al.

Age-related cognitive decline is a pervasive problem in our aging population. To date, no pharmacological treatments to halt or reverse cognitive decline are available. Behavioral interventions, such as physical exercise and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, may reduce or reverse cognitive decline, but rigorously designed randomized controlled trials are needed to test the efficacy of such...