Psychedelic mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus contain the psychoactive tryptamines psilocybin and psilocin, compounds currently under clinical investigation for the treatment of depression and other psychiatric conditions. However, the accurate quantification of these alkaloids in fungal matrices remains analytically challenging. Here, we report an optimized extraction protocol and a robust,...
Serotonergic psychedelics and 3,4-methylendioxtmethamphetamine (MDMA) are promising treatments for mental disorders with a continuously evolving evidence base. We searched Pubmed/Scopus/clinical trial registries up to 08july2025 for double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing MDMA or serotonergic psychedelics in patients with mental disorders. Primary outcomes were change in...
Loneliness is one of the most robust risk factors for morbidity and accelerated mortality among older adults, and effective interventions are needed. However, interventions to reduce loneliness have shown limited success, especially in this population. Indeed, research suggests that simply increasing social contact might not combat loneliness; instead, addressing the cognitive and emotional...
Ketamine and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) achieve rapid remission in treatment-resistant depression. However, their mechanisms of action—the understanding of which is essential for refining therapeutic precision—remain unclear1, 2–3. Here, using mouse models, we identify adenosine signalling as a central pathway that underlies the antidepressant effects of these interventions. Results from...
Psychedelics are being investigated as therapies for major depression and other mood disorders, but the “tripping” experience remains poorly understood. This paper argues that the epistemic dimensions of psychedelic experience should be considered more carefully, both to characterize better the psychedelic state and to develop and explain therapeutic approaches. I propose a tripartite framework...
PsychopharmacologyNovember 5, 2025Milad Soltanzadeh, Wang Zheng, Shona G. Allohverdi et al.1 citation
RationaleKetamine and psilocybin have demonstrated therapeutic potential for mental disorders, including major depressive disorder, yet they engage distinct mechanisms of action. Ketamine, a dissociative hallucinogen, acts by blocking N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR), whereas psilocybin primarily targets serotonin receptors. These divergent mechanisms are reflected in their...
Metabolic EngineeringNovember 5, 2025Cui Guo, Nguyen N T Luu, Maryem M Adwer et al.5 citations
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is emerging as a highly promising approach for treating depression, with psilocybin, a psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, gaining the most recognition for its efficacy in treating post-traumatic stress disorder and treatment-resistant depression. However, its low natural abundance makes extraction costly, necessitating alternative production methods. While...
Abstract For many, cognitive and affective health declines through typical aging. Although cognitive and affective symptoms are often studied in isolation, they share substantial overlap, and arise, in part, from common biological processes. Aging is accompanied by diminished neural plasticity, heightened neuroinflammation, and widespread alterations in the epigenome. These molecular changes...
Religious and spiritual (R/S) practices and experiences invoke measurable neurocognitive processes that enhance resilience and recovery from affective disorders. Converging evidence from functional neuroanatomy and network studies demonstrate R/S practices recruit brain networks that regulate self-referential processing, salience attribution, executive control, reward, and social bonding....
Background: Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic compound, has demonstrated long-term antidepressant effects, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic modifications, particularly 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), may play a role in its therapeutic action. Unlike passive demethylation, which requires cell division and...