Cell Reports Medicine
May 7, 2026
Mihai Avram, Aurore Menegaux, Felix Müller et al.
1 citation
The clinical trial NCT03866252 investigates the antidepressant effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 61 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) randomized to low-dose LSD (LD-LSD; 2 × 25 μg) or moderate-to-high-dose LSD (HD-LSD; 100 μg followed by 200 μg) 4 weeks apart. Although the trial reports positive clinical outcomes, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we test...
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
May 4, 2026
Kevin H. Yang, Nora Satybaldiyeva, Wayne Kepner et al.
1 citation
IntroductionMicrodosing involves consuming low doses of psychoactive substances, typically between 1/5th and 1/20th of a recreational dose. Despite increasing public attention to cannabis and psychedelics amid evolving drug policies, epidemiologic data on microdosing remain limited.MethodsA cross-sectional, web-based survey (Characterizing the Epidemiology of Cannabidiol Use Survey) of 1,523...
Sleep
May 1, 2026
Denise C. Vidot, Bria-Necole Diggs, Amrit Baral et al.
Abstract Introduction Psychedelic use and interest in its therapeutic potential are rapidly increasing; yet its relationship with insomnia remains poorly understood. This study aims to estimate differences in insomnia severity by type of psychedelic consumed among a cohort of 18-to-35-year olds. Methods Data are from the Herbal Heart Study - Sleep Ancillary (N=100) cannabis consumers....
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 1, 2026
Brian O'Mahony, Colm Harrington, Andrew Harkin et al.
Psychedelic drugs are increasingly under investigation as potential therapeutic agents for mental health conditions and are being increasingly used recreationally. Psychedelic use may result in an episode of intense psychological distress, commonly referred to as a "bad trip." Bad trips represent a potentially volatile, erratic, and dangerous situation, which may, in extreme cases, require...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 1, 2026
Otto Simonsson, Taylor Lyons, Joseph Marks et al.
Previous research suggests that psychedelics may, under certain conditions, decrease authoritarian attitudes, but larger and more rigorously designed studies are needed to confirm these findings. We aimed to examine the effects of psychedelic use on authoritarian attitudes. Using data from three separate studies with different designs and populations, we investigated the relationship between...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 1, 2026
Otto Simonsson, Sunjuri Sun, Laura W. Wesseldijk et al.
While psychedelics have shown initial promise in the treatment of migraine, experimental studies have relied on small and homogenous samples, which limit the reliability and generalizability of findings. These limitations underscore the complementary value of other research designs that leverage larger and more representative samples. This cross-sectional study included three cohorts of twins...
Repository for Publications and Research Data
April 30, 2026
Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S. Barrett et al.
Objectives: For English, the validated part of Psychedelic Experience Scale (PES48) is a four-factor structure called the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30). The other validated part of the PES48 consists of four more factors: two more mystical factors (paradoxicality and connectedness, which together with the MEQ30 form the MEQ40), and two more non-mystical factors (visual experience...
Psychopharmacology
April 29, 2026
Anne-Fiona Griesfeller, Lotte Kooman, Lilian Kloft-Heller et al.
RATIONALE: Reports of resurfaced repressed memories during psychedelic experiences have circulated for decades and still emerge today. However, the veracity of repressed memories remains debated, and the mechanisms through which psychedelics might recover alleged repressed memories are unclear. OBJECTIVES: This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of the literature on repressed memory in...
Journal of Medical Internet Research
April 27, 2026
Karilynn M Rockhill, Elizabeth A Bemis, Nicole Schow et al.
2 citations
Mainstays of pharmacoepidemiology are large, representative, behavioral surveys, which focus on many drugs with few detailed behaviors. Smaller, targeted studies measure drug-specific patterns but without explicit generalizability assumptions; the evidence generated is narrow. In this cross-sectional survey study, we outline an estimation framework based on data fusion and combine two surveys:...
Journal of Mental Health Disorders
April 18, 2026
Vipul Janardan, Amit Khanna, Om Prakash et al.
Psychedelics a class of psychoactive compounds such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and dimethyltryptamine (DMT) are undergoing a scientific renaissance. Studies since 2020 have shown their therapeutic promise in mental health treatment. This Commentary synthesizes historical usage, current neuroscientific and clinical evidence, and explores ethical and regulatory frontiers for...
April 17, 2026
Sara Arciniegas Ruiz, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, Hagit Eldar-Finkelman
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain condition characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and mood changes. Available treatments often provide limited relief, highlighting the need for new therapeutic approaches. Repurposing offers a faster and more cost-effective path to innovation. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), historically known for its psychedelic effects, has...
Psychedelic Medicine
April 9, 2026
Alex C. Kwan
Psychedelics rose to prominence in the 1960s, around the same time when neurobiologists identified the midbrain raphe as the brain’s primary source of serotonin. It is therefore no surprise that early studies on classical psychedelics like d -lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) focused on their effects within this brainstem nucleus. This review traces the arc of discovery: from the initial report...
L'Encephale
April 9, 2026
Amel Bouloufa, Sarah Delcourte, Thomas Delannay et al.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) represents a colossal worldwide burden of health, affecting more than 350 million individuals. While traditional antidepressants with mechanisms of action at the serotonin, dopamine, or norepinephrine pathways are routinely prescribed, approximately one-third of patients fail to achieve adequate remission and develop treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This...
Journal of Australian studies
April 3, 2026
A. Watts, E. Clark, Jennifer Munday
ABSTRACT Between 1967 and 1975, psychiatrist Dr Howard Whitaker directed a program for the legal use of LSD and psilocybin in Victoria, Australia. His controversial practices were marred by misconduct, unscientific methods and evidence of malpractice. This study explores Whitaker’s LSD-assisted therapy in the 1970s through interviews with former staff of Mayday Hills Psychiatric Hospital in...
Brain and Behavior
April 1, 2026
Hamish Grime, Eugenia Drini
1 citation
Psycholytic therapy, utilizing psychoactive compounds such as d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to enhance psychoanalytically oriented therapy, was once the most common form of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Despite its historical prominence, little attention has been given to the reasons behind its decline, and there is a lack of standardized guidance for new clinical trials. This review...
Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
April 1, 2026
Jordana Kazdan, Karim S Ladha, Muhammad Ishrat Husain
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and chronic pain are independently debilitating conditions that frequently co-occur. This comorbidity poses a significant clinical challenge, resulting in greater symptom severity, higher disability, and worse prognosis than either condition alone. Current therapies often address each disorder in isolation, leaving individuals with comorbid MDD and chronic pain...
Psychedelic Medicine
March 28, 2026
Levi Neal, Hannah E. Shaw, Brenda M. Gannon et al.
Background: There are currently three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder (OUD), but none of them are especially effective, some can precipitate withdrawal in dependent individuals, and all of them require daily administration. In the appropriate settings, single administrations of psychedelics can elicit persistent anti-addiction effects in humans and in laboratory animals, but...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
March 26, 2026
Aly Shah Aziz
Abstract Adolescent refractory mental health disorders are rising globally, contributing to long-term morbidity and substantial societal burden. Conventional psychotropic medications and psychotherapeutic approaches sometimes fail to provide adequate relief, necessitating an interest in novel investigational interventions. Classic psychedelic compounds—Psilocybin, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide...
Neurology Bulletin
March 23, 2026
Azat R. Asadullin, Elvina A. Akhmetova, Ilia S. Efremov et al.
BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders remain a global public health problem. In recent decades, the drug market has undergone substantial changes, with traditional drugs increasingly replaced by new psychoactive substances characterized by high toxicity and strong addictive potential. Their distribution via the Internet and social media impedes control and increases risks to public health. AIM:...
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...