Psilocybin has no immediate or persistent analgesic effect in acute and chronic mouse pain models
Akila Ram, Austen B Casey, Robert C. Malenka, Vivianne L. Tawfik, Boris D. Heifets, Nicholas Gregory, Timothy D. Girard
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) July 7, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.07.06.663398 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preclinical study |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Dose | a range of doses |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Chronic pain Acute pain Analgesic agents Anesthesia Pharmacology |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Psilocybin is not analgesic across a range of doses in multiple pain assays and models of acute and chronic inflammatory, neuropathic, or musculoskeletal pain in mice. |
Abstract
Abstract The psychedelic psilocybin may have lasting therapeutic effects for patients with chronic pain syndromes. Some clinical and preclinical data suggest these putative benefits derive from direct analgesic effects. However, this possibility has not been comprehensively tested in preclinical models. Here, we show that psilocybin is not analgesic over a range of doses across multiple pain assays and models of acute and chronic inflammatory, neuropathic, or musculoskeletal pain in mice.