There has been an increasing interest in the use of classic psychedelics (such as psilocybin) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) for treating mental health conditions. Individuals often describe psychedelic sessions as among the most significant experiences in their lives, emphasizing the sense of awe, connectedness, and spiritual transformation taking place. While the psychedelic...
Expectations strongly shape participant experiences in clinical trials, contributing to placebo effects that complicate interpretation of outcomes. While quantitative tools exist to measure expectations, their subjective and multidimensional nature, especially for individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), remains underexplored. This study aimed to explore the motivations and...
Brain and BehaviorJune 1, 2026T Rowe, T Hurzeler, Ellen Towers et al.1 citation
Psychedelics have received considerable attention due to their potential in treating psychiatric disorders. The "setting" during psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is recognized as playing a central role in the experience, during which music features prominently. Although music is theorized as directing and shaping psychedelic sessions, its precise contribution to acute experience and...
The impact of classic psychedelics (5-HT2A receptor agonists) on personality traits has been studied for decades, and it has been hypothesized that the mechanisms underlying these changes are linked to agonism at cortical serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors. However, research results are contradictory. Therefore, the present paper aims to systematically evaluate the effects of psychedelics on...
Os transtornos psiquiátricos representam importante problema de saúde pública mundial, frequentemente associados a elevada morbidade, incapacidade funcional e impacto significativo na qualidade de vida. Apesar dos avanços terapêuticos disponíveis, muitos pacientes permanecem refratários aos tratamentos convencionais, estimulando a busca por novas abordagens terapêuticas. Nesse contexto, os...
Despite renewed investigations into classical psychedelic compounds, their pharmacokinetic profiles remain incompletely understood. This systematic review collated data from healthy adult volunteers on the pharmacokinetic properties of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), mescaline, and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MEO-DMT). We identified 32 eligible...
Serotonergic psychedelics are increasingly investigated as treatments for affective disorders. Concerns persist regarding their potential to induce hypomania or mania, particularly in individuals with bipolar spectrum vulnerability. Whether these substances precipitate transient mood switches or contribute to persistent bipolar illness or diagnostic transition remains unclear. We conducted a...
Biosecurity evaluations of language models typically ask whether models produce hazardous output. This paper asks a complementary question: when a model refuses, is that refusal structurally sound, or does it disappear under modest changes to prompt framing, formatting, or output length? Across five architectures, no model cleanly discriminated benign from hazard. Gemma 2 2B-IT never genuinely...
Retail sales of intoxicants, including derived intoxicating cannabis products (DICPs) such as delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and hallucinogenic mushrooms, have rapidly increased throughout the US, despite their sale being federally illegal. This study assessed DICP and hallucinogenic mushroom availability in US smoke shops with differing DICP and psilocybin laws. In May-October 2025, using...
Abstract Background and Purpose Music plays a central role in psychedelic-assisted therapy, yet few methodologies exist to create and assess therapeutic playlists. This study aimed to illustrate a methodology for developing and evaluating a music playlist for a clinical psilocybin trial using an integrative framework grounded in theory, intentionality, and metrics. Methods A playlist was...