The psychedelic-peptide paradox: a hormetic hypothesis.
C. Sue Carter
Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology June 2, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2025.100303 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Narrative review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Psychedelic compounds Entheogens Psychotropic substances Hormesis Low-dose effects Adaptive response Therapeutic potential Medical benefits Clinical applications Healing properties Bioactive peptides Biological mediators |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Vasopressin and oxytocin have central roles in the behavioral and physiological consequences of psychedelic interventions, with effects mediated through interactions with the autonomic nervous and immune systems in a process called 'stress response hormesis.' |
Abstract
The purpose of this narrative review is to examine the hypothesis that two neuropeptides, vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) and their receptors have central roles in the behavioral and physiological consequences of psychedelic interventions. Transient consequences of psychedelics can include anxiety and in some cases sickness responses such as nausea and vomiting, which may involve VP and other components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Stressful experiences are often followed by a pulsatile release of OT. The effects of OT depend on interactions with VP and may be more apparent following stressful experiences including those associated with psychedelic drugs. Effects of both the VP-OT system and psychedelics also are mediated through interactions with the autonomic nervous system and the immune system, contributing to a process called "stress response hormesis." The hypotheses arising from a hormetic perspective could guide novel approaches to understanding dose- and time-dependent psychedelic functions and to the treatment of emotional and physical disorders.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on microdosing, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big physics, small doses: the use of AMS and PET in human microdosing of development drugs | 2003 | Review | |
| Phase 0/microdosing approaches: time for mainstream application in drug development? | 2020 | Review | |
| Microdosing and drug development: past, present and future | 2013 | Review | |
| Microdosing and Other Phase 0 Clinical Trials: Facilitating Translation in Drug Development | 2016 | Review | |
| Expectancy Effects in Psychedelic Trials. | 2024 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Psilocybin as serotonergic therapy in epilepsy: Narrative review of potentials and limitations. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology July 21, 2026
- Eligibility for psychedelic therapy: Clinical trial medical exclusion criteria and their implications for hospital practice. General Hospital Psychiatry 2026
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and 79 more in the library