Acute psilocybin effects on CBF and ICA diameter
Figshare 2026 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.31064788.v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 28 |
| Population | Healthy human participants |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Dose | 0.2–0.3 mg/kg |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Cerebral blood flow Internal carotid artery Carotid arteries Anesthesia Cardiology Hemodynamics Cerebral circulation Cerebral perfusion pressure Middle cerebral artery Magnetic resonance imaging Cerebral blood volume Circulatory system |
| Key findings | Psilocybin reduces whole-brain cerebral blood flow and internal carotid artery diameter in a dose-dependent manner, with higher plasma psilocin levels linked to greater reductions. |
Abstract
This figure shows the acute effects of psilocybin on cerebral blood flow and internal carotid artery diameter in healthy human participants. Whole-brain cerebral blood flow was measured using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling MRI at baseline, during the peak and late phases following psilocybin administration (0.2–0.3 mg/kg, N = 28). Cerebral blood flow maps illustrate widespread cortical reductions at peak plasma psilocin levels. Plasma psilocin concentrations were negatively associated with both whole-brain cerebral blood flow and internal carotid artery diameter, indicating dose-dependent effects. MRI acquisition, preprocessing, and statistical modelling procedures are described in detail in Larsen et al. (Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 2025).