Reshaping human neurons.
Jessica L Maltman, Javier González-Maeso
Elife March 31, 2026 DOI: 10.7554/elife.110981 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cortical neurons |
| Intervention | Psilocin |
| Topics | Neuroplasticity Psilocybin Serotonin |
| Keywords | Bdnf Human Psychedelics |
| Key findings | Psilocin increases structural complexity and strengthens synaptic connections in human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cortical neurons. |
Abstract
Human neurons derived from stem cells show increased structural complexity and stronger synaptic connections after exposure to psilocin, the active metabolite of the psychedelic psilocybin.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on neuroplasticity, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Neurons in vitro and in vivo | 2018 | Laboratory study | |
| Connectome-harmonic decomposition of human brain activity reveals dynamical repertoire re-organization under LSD. Human brain | 2017 | Experimental study | |
| Short term changes in the proteome of human cerebral organoids induced by 5-MeO-DMT. Human cerebral organoids | 2017 | Experimental study | |
| Focused attention meditation changes the boundary and configuration of functional networks in the brain One human participant | 2020 | Single-case experimental design with intensive longitudinal data | n = 1 |
| Ibogaine signals addiction genes and methamphetamine alteration of long-term potentiation. Rat brain models | 2002 | Review with experimental data |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Synaptic Dysfunction in Depression: Potential Therapeutic Targets Science October 4, 2012
- Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Cell Reports June 1, 2018
- Psychedelics promote neuroplasticity through the activation of intracellular 5-HT2A receptors Science February 16, 2023
- The neural basis of psychedelic action. Nature Neuroscience October 24, 2022
- Females in Psychedelic Research: A Perspective for Advancing Research and Practice. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science July 11, 2025
and 3 more in the library