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.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo Mice | 2021 | Observational cohort | |
| Harnessing psilocybin: antidepressant-like behavioral and synaptic actions of psilocybin are independent of 5-HT2R activation in mice Mice | 2021 | Experimental study | |
| Psychedelics reopen the social reward learning critical period Mice | 2023 | Experimental study in mice | |
| Correlation between the potency of hallucinogens in the mouse head-twitch response assay and their behavioral and subjective effects in other species. C57BL/6J mice | 2020 | Experimental study with dose-response experiments | |
| Effects of psilocybin on hippocampal neurogenesis and extinction of trace fear conditioning Mice | 2013 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Psilocybin ameliorates neuropathic pain-like behaviour in mice and facilitates gabapentin-mediated analgesia. Communications Biology April 24, 2026
- Use of psilocybin for chronic pain: a scoping review with current evidence and prospection of literature and technology for future applications Caderno Pedagógico October 31, 2025
Cites 34
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage Cancer Archives of General Psychiatry September 7, 2010
- Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression. New England Journal of Medicine November 3, 2022
- Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder JAMA Psychiatry August 24, 2022
and 29 more in the library