Microevidence for microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study of subjective effects, behavior, creativity, perception, cognition, and brain activity
Federico Cavanna, Stephanie Müller, Laura Alethia de la Fuente, Federico Zamberlán, Matías Palmucci, Lucie Janeckova, Martin Kuchař, Carla Pallavicini, Enzo Tagliazucchi
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) December 7, 2021 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2021.11.30.470657 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Placebo-controlled Double-blind |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | Individuals planning to microdose with psilocybin mushrooms |
| Dose | 0.5 g dried mushrooms |
| Topics | Psilocybin Microdosing |
| Keywords | Placebo Hallucinogen Cognition Perception Pharmacology Audiology |
| Citations | 8 |
| Key findings | Expectation effects may explain at least some of the anecdotal benefits attributed to microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms, as the active dose produced stronger acute effects but null or impairing effects on other measures. |
Abstract
Abstract The use of low sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelics (“microdosing”) has gained popularity in recent years. Although anecdotal reports claim multiple benefits associated with this practice, the lack of placebo-controlled studies limits our knowledge of microdosing and its effects. Moreover, research conducted in laboratory settings might fail to capture the motivation of individuals engaged in microdosing protocols. We recruited 34 individuals planning to microdose with psilocybin mushrooms ( Psilocybe cubensis ), one of the materials most frequently used for this purpose. Following a double-blind placebo-controlled design, we investigated the effects of 0.5 g dried mushrooms on subjective experience, behavior, creativity, perception, cognition, and brain activity. The reported acute effects were significantly more intense for the active dose compared to the placebo, which could be explained by unblinding. For the other measurements, we observed either null effects or a trend towards cognitive impairment and, in the case of EEG, towards reduced theta band spectral power. Our findings support the possibility that expectation effects underlie at least some of the anecdotal benefits attributed to microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms.