Elife March 31, 2026 Jessica L Maltman, Javier González-Maeso
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.
Archives of Toxicology March 31, 2026 Kamil Jurowski, Damian Kobylarz, Maciej Noga
Understanding the toxicity of serotonergic tryptamines is becoming increasingly important from both clinical and forensic perspectives, yet experimental data for these compounds remain extremely limited. Despite their growing medical relevance and widespread non-medical use, there is still no systematic evaluation of their toxicological risks. This study presents the first comprehensive in...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) March 30, 2026
Psilocybin-assisted therapy has emerged as a promising intervention for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), yet standardized and transparent therapeutic frameworks remain limited. This therapist manual was developed for the EPIsoDE trial, a phase IIb randomized clinical study investigating the efficacy and safety of psilocybin with adjunct psychotherapy in patients with TRD (NCT04670081). The...
The British Journal of Psychiatry March 30, 2026 Katharine A. Smith, Edward Harcourt, Andrea Cipriani 1 citation
Psychedelics are increasingly described as a new therapeutic approach in a variety of mental disorders including depression. Oral psychedelics such as psilocybin have an acute effect evolving over 6-8 h and are generally given in combination with psychological support. There is debate on the exact role of this support and how and by whom it should be delivered. This has significant implications...
Substance Use & Misuse March 28, 2026 Graeme Knibb, Ruby Ward, Paul Christiansen et al.
Background: Self-stigma refers to the internalization of negative societal beliefs and has been associated with reduced self-efficacy, self-esteem and treatment avoidance among substance users. However, little research has explored antecedents of self-stigma such as substance use motives. This may be particularly salient for psilocybin which is used both as a therapeutic agent and a...
Elife March 27, 2026 Målin Schmidt, Anne Hoffrichter, Mahnaz Davoudi et al. 3 citations
Psilocybin is studied as innovative medication in anxiety, substance abuse and treatment-resistant depression. Animal studies show that psychedelics promote neuronal plasticity by strengthening synaptic responses and protein synthesis. However, the exact molecular and cellular changes induced by psilocybin in the human brain are not known. Here, we treated human cortical neurons derived from...
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology March 27, 2026 James D. Johnson, Runyi Tian, Yasaman Etemadi et al.
Psilocybin can produce sustained benefits in affective and trauma-related disorders, yet if and how it reshapes sensory representations of learned valence associations remains largely unclear. To address this, we used longitudinal two-photon calcium imaging in awake C57BL/6 mice to examine how psilocybin modulates layer 2/3 auditory cortex activity at single-cell and population levels. Evoked...
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management March 27, 2026 Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Geovanna Maria Isidoro, Cremilson de Paula Silva
CONTEXT: People living with serious illness frequently experience intense existential suffering related to awareness of finitude. Psychedelic-assisted therapies have been associated with reductions in death anxiety and existential distress, yet the experiential processes underlying transformations in the relationship with finitude remain insufficiently understood. OBJECTIVES: To synthesize...
PsyArXiv March 26, 2026 Broc A. Pagni, Stephen Ross, Sarah E. Mennenga et al. preprint
Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder: Open-Label Extension of a Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial
Brain Sciences March 26, 2026 Piotr Skalski, Katarzyna Pękacka-falkowska, Agnieszka Pluto-Prądzyńska et al.
Background/Objectives: Psilocybin has re-emerged as a promising intervention for neuropsychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, anxiety associated with life-threatening illness, obsessive compulsive disorder, and substance use disorders. However, conventional randomized controlled trials (RCTs)-the current gold standard in evidence-based...
Communications Biology March 26, 2026 Veronica Mäki-marttunen 1 citation
Uncovering the neural basis of psychedelics’ potent effects on brain activity and conscious experience has great potential for understanding their therapeutic effects. Numerous studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) uncovered a strong effect of psychedelics on global properties of fMRI signal, but how they map to underlying neural phenomena remains to be further explored. In...
Mini reviews in medicinal chemistry March 24, 2026 Shivaputra A Patil, Holly C Hunsberger
Psilocybin, chemically known as (4-phosphoryloxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine, 4-PODMT), is derived from the psychoactive mushroom genus, Psilocybe. Of the four active metabolites, psilocin readily enters systemic circulation. The psychoactive effects of psilocin are thought to arise through partial agonist effects at the 5-HT2A receptor. Psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin, are having a...
Frontiers in Neuroscience March 23, 2026 Malkanthi Evans, Andrew Charrette
While the limitations of existing treatment options have spurred investigations into the applicability of psychedelic therapies for chronic and treatment-resistant psychological disorders, there remain significant unresolved issues pertaining to how these treatments should be regulated and the implementation of an ethical framework for their widespread delivery in practice.Research...
EvidenzUpdate March 22, 2026 Denis Nößler
Nach einer Pause gibt es heute wieder Evidenz-Quickies, und zwar gleich mehrere, dafür aber kürzer und weniger ausführlich als zuletzt. Und dieses Format ist jetzt zweigeteilt: (a) Für alle, denen die Nachricht genügt, gibt es oben die Quickies in Kürze. (b) Alle, die weiterlesen wollen, finden die detaillierten Fassungen unten. Viel Freude und hoffentlich interessante Lektüre! 🍄 Psilocybin bei...
Journal of Raman Spectroscopy March 19, 2026 Mingyu Sun, Xiaoyu Zhao, Fandi Kong et al.
ABSTRACT Accidental ingestion of psilocybin‐containing mushrooms can cause poisoning and hallucinations, making their rapid detection a public health priority. Conventional methods such as HPLC, GC–MS, LC–MS, TLC, CE, and ELISA provide sensitivity but are often destructive, time‐consuming, or impractical for real‐time applications. This study introduces a Raman spectroscopy–based approach for...
Discover Mental Health March 19, 2026 Àlvar Farré-colomés, Olga Rublinetska, Oscar Soto-Angona
Psilocybin-assisted therapies are innovative therapeutic approaches, particularly in the treatment of depression. However, there are sparse studies providing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) evidence elucidating the underlying biological mechanisms that support clinical outcomes. This review aims to comprehensively gather all the evidence reported in psilocybin studies using fMRI...
JAMA Psychiatry March 18, 2026 James I. Hudson, Harrison G. Pope 1 citation
Can a guided psychedelic experience with psilocybin successfully treat refractory depression? In other words, setting aside any simple direct biological drug effect, can psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy1 alleviate suffering via what William James would call a mystical experience?2
JAMA Psychiatry March 18, 2026 Lea J. Mertens, Michael Koslowski, Felix Betzler et al. 9 citations
Importance: Psilocybin shows promise in treating depression, although limitations of previous research warrant further research. Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of oral psilocybin, 25 mg, with adjunct psychotherapy in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a 2-center, triple-blinded (investigator, participant, rater), phase 2b, active...
Frontiers in Computer Science March 16, 2026 Akey Sungheetha, R. Rajesh Sharma, Oluwasegun Julius Aroba et al.
Introduction This computational modeling study introduces a novel Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) framework for optimizing single-dose psilocybin treatment protocols through personalized intervention modeling using publicly available mental health datasets. All results presented are derived from novel simulated data and predictive modeling only, not from real-time clinical...
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health March 13, 2026 Marc-Antoine Crocq, Philippe Auby
Aims The recent regulatory approval of esketamine in adults heralded the renaissance of research into psychedelic compounds. However, the relevance of this resurgence for children and adolescents remains unclear. This review examines the rationale for investigating psychedelics in pediatric psychopharmacology. Methods We reviewed recent literature, regulatory documents, and clinical trial...
Journal of Psychopharmacology March 13, 2026 Francisco Moreno, Katja Ehrmann Allen, Christopher B. Wiegand et al. 3 citations
BACKGROUND: Current treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive-behavioral therapy, are often insufficient. Psilocybin, a 5HT2a agonist psychedelic, has shown promise for treating OCD, but rigorous evidence is still needed. AIMS: This randomized clinical trial evaluated safety, tolerability, and benefit of multiple psilocybin doses...
JAMA March 12, 2026 Joshua C. Black, Gabrielle E. Bau, Ryan Cook et al. 2 citations
This survey study examines the estimated increase in 12-month psilocybin use in Oregon and Colorado associated with decriminalization.
Figshare March 11, 2026 Jenna Houff, Andrew Williams, Obie Allen et al.
Clinical trials suggest that a single dose of psilocybin may be an effective treatment for substance use disorders. Choice impulsivity is a value-based decision-making bias that predicts drug-intake escalation and is commonly associated with substance use disorders. The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex regulates choice impulsivity and is enriched with 5-HT2A receptors that mediate effects of...
JAMA Network Open March 10, 2026 Mw Johnson, Gideon P. Naudé, Peter S. Hendricks et al. 6 citations
Importance: Annual tobacco-related death estimates are 480 000 in the US and 8 million worldwide, surpassing mortality for other abused substances. Most smoking cessation interventions result in modest long-term success. Objective: To compare prolonged smoking abstinence rates in smokers receiving psilocybin plus cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with those receiving the nicotine patch plus...