July 12, 2026
Octavian Brinzei
Australia became the first country to establish a national regulatory pathway permitting authorised psychiatrists to prescribe 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Authorised Prescriber Scheme. Two and a half years after implementation,...
Journal of neurogenetics
July 12, 2026
Albert M Dong, Yi Han, Zheng Xu et al.
Psilocybin, a prominent psychedelic, recently emerged as a potential therapeutic agent for psychiatric disorders, yet the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving its effects remain poorly understood. To address these knowledge gaps, we focused on the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a forebrain region that regulates reward, motivation, and emotion. Systemic administration of psilocybin (3 mg/kg)...
Open MIND
July 9, 2026
Luke Baxter
Using serum samples collected from the PsiDeR trial—a randomised, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled study of a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin for treatment‑resistant depression (protocol: BMJ Open 2021;11:e056091)—we will investigate whether inflammatory marker trajectories and baseline inflammatory status are associated with antidepressant response at week 3 (endpoint). The inflammatory...
Neuropsychopharmacology
July 7, 2026
Wojciech Pasławski, Daniel Doyon, Carl Johan Ekman et al.
Psilocybin is a rapid-acting antidepressant, but its mechanism of action in major depressive disorder remains unclear. In this secondary analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trial with multimodal CSF and blood biomarker measurements, psilocybin selectively reduced CSF galanin and noradrenaline, implicating that normalization of these co-transmitters is a key pharmacodynamic signature.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update
July 1, 2026
Patients with treatment‐resistant depression who received psilocybin‐assisted psychotherapy showed clinically meaningful improvement in depressive symptoms relative to placebo, a Phase 2b trial has found. However, the study did not show a significant effect on the primary outcome of treatment response 6 weeks after the first of two doses of psilocybin. Study results were published online March...
Neuropsychiatrie : Klinik, Diagnostik, Therapie und Rehabilitation : Organ der Gesellschaft Osterreichischer Nervenarzte und Psychiater
June 30, 2026
Cielo A Estela-Fernandez, Reem Mohamed Yousif Elsheikh, Dal Bianco Beatrice et al.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a heterogeneous, debilitating disorder. A distinct subgroup within the MDD spectrum is identified to have treatment-resistant depression (TRD). There is an impetus to find alternative treatments for TRD to reduce disease burden and improve quality of life. Psychedelics have been used in the treatment of various psychiatric disorders since the 1950s, with...
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior
June 30, 2026
Lucie Ladislavová, Viera Kútna, Kristýna Mazochová et al.
Psilocin (4-hydroxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine) is a substituted tryptamine alkaloid and a nonselective serotonergic agonist acting predominantly at 5-HT2A/C receptors, with substantial binding to 5-HT1A and 5-HT2B receptors. Microdosing is the practice of taking a very small, sub-perceptual dose, typically 5% to 10% of a full recreational dose, to improve mood, creativity, and focus without...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
June 26, 2026
Paulina Clara Dagnino, Irene Acero-Pousa, Robin Carhart-Harris et al.
preprint
Abstract A central challenge in neuroscience is understanding how the human brain is organised to support optimal functioning and adaptability. One approach to characterise complex brain dynamics is by artificially perturbing whole-brain models. Here, we asked whether whole-brain organisation under perturbation in major depressive disorder (MDD) changes after intervention with psilocybin and...
International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science
June 24, 2026
Aleksandra Łoś, Kacper Szkodziński, Inga Jakubczyk et al.
Introduction: Depressive disorders are one of the greatest public health challenges worldwide, affecting up to 16% of the population over a lifetime and significantly impacting quality of life, disability, and premature mortality. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability, despite the availability of numerous treatment options. In 20–50% of patients, traditional...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
June 23, 2026
Lenka Seillier, Alexandre Seillier, Morgan A. Zvolska et al.
BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder is one of the most debilitating psychiatric disorders worldwide. First-line treatments such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have significant limitations, including delayed onset of therapeutic effects and treatment resistance in about 30% of patients. Increasing evidence suggests that acute administration of serotonergic psychedelics, such as...