Correction: Acute and long-term effects of psilocybin on energy balance and feeding behavior in mice
Translational Psychiatry November 7, 2025 Nicole Fadahunsi, Jens Lund, Alberte Wollesen Breum et al. correction
No Summary
Translational Psychiatry
ISSN 2158-3188
113 papers in the library · 4,252 citations · publishing 2014-2026
Papers
Psilocybin's effect on human brain synaptic plasticity.
Translational Psychiatry July 15, 2026 Annette Johansen, Pontus Plavén-sigray, Martin K Madsen et al.
A single dose of psilocybin (0.3 mg/kg) did not produce a statistically significant increase in synaptic density across all fifteen healthy participants. However, those who received psilocybin in a therapeutic-like room reported more intense mystical-type experiences, longer-lasting psychological benefits, and showed greater increases in synaptic density in the frontal cortex and hippocampus compared to those dosed inside an MRI scanner. The findings indicate that environmental context modulates psilocybin's neuroplastic effects, with implications for psychedelic-assisted therapies.
The effect and neural changes underlying mindfulness meditation training in patients with comorbid internet gaming disorder and depression: A randomized clinical trial.
Translational Psychiatry February 18, 2026 Xuefeng Xu, Huabin Wang, Shaoyu Cui et al.
Mindfulness meditation (MM) reduced depression, addiction severity, and cravings in patients with internet gaming disorder and co-occurring depression (IGD-D) more than progressive muscle relaxation did. After 8 training sessions over one month, brain scans showed that MM strengthened functional connectivity in networks involved in executive control, emotion regulation, and self-referential thought. These connectivity changes correlated with several neurotransmitter systems, including serotonin and dopamine receptors. The findings suggest MM works by enhancing top-down control and disrupting negative reinforcement mechanisms, making it a promising therapy for IGD-D.
Electrophysiological effects of psilocybin co-administered with midazolam.
Translational Psychiatry February 14, 2026 Michael H Sutherland, Christopher R. Nicholas, Richard C Lennertz et al.
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, induces neural plasticity and alters consciousness, while midazolam, a benzodiazepine, blunts plasticity and induces sedation. In an open-label pilot study, 25 mg of oral psilocybin was given alongside intravenous midazolam at doses that allowed a full psychedelic experience but blunted memory. Electroencephalography (EEG) data showed that 15–30 minutes after dosing, when midazolam was at its target concentration, beta power increased and spectral exponent decreased. As psilocybin's effects emerged over the next six hours, Lempel-Ziv complexity and spectral exponent increased, while broadband power decreased, especially in delta, theta, and alpha bands. The findings suggest psilocybin's effects persist with midazolam, supporting its use in mechanistic studies.
A role of splenic heme biosynthesis pathway in the persistent prophylactic actions of arketamine in lipopolysaccharide-treated mice.
Translational Psychiatry July 25, 2023 Li Ma, Long Wang, Youge Qu et al.
Relapse is common in remitted major depressive disorder. Arketamine, an (R)-enantiomer of ketamine, has prophylactic actions in an inflammatory model of depression, but the mechanisms are unclear. In mice, a single injection of arketamine (10 mg/kg) blocked lipopolysaccharide-induced increases in spleen genes of the heme biosynthesis II pathway (Alas2, Fech, Hmbs). Expression of these genes correlated with spleen weight and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Spleens from depressed patients showed higher ALAS2 and FECH expression. Pretreatment with a heme precursor (5-aminolaevulinic acid) worsened inflammation and depression-like behavior, while a heme inhibitor (succinyl acetone) had prophylactic effects. The heme biosynthesis pathway may be a target for preventing relapse.
IGF-1 release in the medial prefrontal cortex mediates the rapid and sustained antidepressant-like actions of ketamine
Translational Psychiatry May 17, 2022 Satoshi Deyama, M. Kondo, Shoichi Shimada et al.
Ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects depend on the sustained release of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of male mice. Blocking IGF-1 in the mPFC before or after ketamine injection prevented its antidepressant-like effects in behavioral tests. IGF-1 acted independently of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Infusing IGF-1 into the mPFC produced antidepressant-like effects even in mice with lipopolysaccharide-induced depression, via activation of mTORC1. The findings indicate that persistent intra-mPFC IGF-1 signaling is essential for ketamine's antidepressant actions.
Lithium augmentation of ketamine increases insulin signaling and antidepressant-like active stress coping in a rodent model of treatment-resistant depression
Translational Psychiatry November 25, 2021 Blair J. Price, Brooke Morath, Mayo Clinic et al.
In a rodent model of antidepressant resistance, combining lithium with ketamine produced a robust antidepressant-like effect, as shown by reduced immobility and shorter latency to immobility in the forced swim test. The combination also increased blood levels of mTOR and insulin. In the prefrontal cortex, the treatment altered signaling proteins differently in two subregions: mTOR and Akt phosphorylation increased in the infralimbic area, while mTOR phosphorylation decreased in the prelimbic area. These findings suggest lithium may augment ketamine's effects in treatment-resistant conditions, linked to peripheral insulin and region-specific prefrontal signaling.
Body-mind relaxation meditation modulates the thalamocortical functional connectivity in major depressive disorder: a preliminary resting-state fMRI study.
Translational Psychiatry October 23, 2021 Fangfang Chen, Xueyu Lv, Jiliang Fang et al.
Body-mind relaxation meditation (BMRM) alters thalamocortical functional connectivity in medication-naive adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls. Before the intervention, MDD patients showed reduced connectivity between the bilateral precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex and specific thalamus subregions, and increased connectivity between the left occipital thalamus and left medial frontal cortex. After BMRM, these aberrant connections normalized in MDD patients, and both groups showed decreased connectivity between the left rostral temporal thalamus and left inferior occipital region. These changes suggest BMRM may strengthen connections between the thalamus and default mode network, which support attention and self-related processes. The small sample size limits generalizability.
The continuity of effect of schizophrenia polygenic risk score and patterns of cannabis use on transdiagnostic symptom dimensions at first-episode psychosis: findings from the EU-GEI study
Translational Psychiatry August 10, 2021 D. Quattrone, U. Reininghaus, A. Richards et al.
Genetic risk for schizophrenia and cannabis use each contribute to specific symptom patterns across psychotic disorders, not just diagnostic categories. Among 617 first-episode psychosis patients, higher schizophrenia polygenic risk scores were linked to more severe negative and positive symptoms, regardless of diagnosis. In 979 controls, the same genetic risk was associated with all dimensions of psychotic experiences. Daily or current cannabis use was tied to more positive symptoms in both patients and controls, beyond the effect of genetic risk. The findings support a dimensional view of psychosis, where genetic liability relates to symptom severity and cannabis use specifically increases positive symptoms.
Involvement of NMDA receptors containing the GluN2C subunit in the psychotomimetic and antidepressant-like effects of ketamine
Translational Psychiatry December 1, 2020 Mireia Tarrés-Gatius, L. Miquel-Rio, L. Campa et al.
Ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects but also perceptual disturbances similar to those caused by PCP. The brain networks involved are not fully understood, but both drugs activate thalamo-cortical networks by blocking NMDA receptors in the reticular thalamic nucleus. This study examined whether the GluN2C subunit of the NMDA receptor, densely expressed in the thalamus and cerebellum, mediates these effects using wild-type and GluN2C knockout mice of both sexes. GluN2C deletion dramatically reduced ketamine-induced circling behavior in both sexes, but the antidepressant-like effect was fully preserved. Some sex differences in c-fos expression and glutamate levels were observed. The GluN2C subunit may distinguish between ketamine's antidepressant and psychotomimetic actions, and cerebellar NMDA receptors may contribute to some behavioral effects.
Do AKT1, COMT and FAAH influence reports of acute cannabis intoxication experiences in patients with first episode psychosis, controls and young adult cannabis users?
Translational Psychiatry May 12, 2020 C. Hindocha, D. Quattrone, T. Freeman et al.
Heavy cannabis use is linked to psychosis, but it is unclear which users are susceptible. This study examined whether variations in three genes—AKT1, COMT, and FAAH—affect cannabis experiences, including psychotic-like and euphoric effects. Data came from 720 participants: first-episode psychosis patients, controls, and young adult cannabis users. Psychotic-like experiences were more common in patients, while euphoric experiences were more common in young users. However, none of the genetic variations were associated with these experiences, nor did they interact with participant group. The findings contradict previous research suggesting these genes modulate cannabis's psychotogenic effects.
Aberrant salience network functional connectivity in auditory verbal hallucinations: a first episode psychosis sample
Translational Psychiatry March 27, 2018 P. Mallikarjun, P. Lalousis, T. Dunne et al.
Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are linked to altered connectivity between brain networks involved in salience, internal thought, and sensory processing. In patients experiencing their first episode of psychosis, those with AVH showed increased resting-state functional connectivity between the salience network and the default mode network, and between the salience network and the cerebellum, but reduced connectivity between the claustrum and the insula, compared to healthy controls. These patterns may reflect impaired appraisal of internal activity and compensatory overactivity in auditory and memory networks, contributing to the generation and individual content of hallucinations.
AKT1 genotype moderates the acute psychotomimetic effects of naturalistically smoked cannabis in young cannabis smokers.
Translational Psychiatry February 16, 2016 C J A Morgan, T P Freeman, J Powell et al.
Daily cannabis smoking doubles the risk of developing a psychotic disorder, but specific vulnerability factors have been unclear. Genetic variation may modify this risk. In 442 healthy young cannabis users, those with a particular variation in the AKT1 gene (rs2494732) showed a greater acute psychotic response to cannabis, along with dependence on the drug and baseline schizotypal symptoms. Working memory was worse in females after acute cannabis use, with some indication that a COMT gene polymorphism affected working memory when drug-free. These findings suggest the AKT1 pathway as a potential target for preventing and treating cannabis psychosis.