Abstract Background Recent clinical findings have highlighted the therapeutic potential of serotonergic psychedelics, including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), in the treatment of affective disorders. Despite these advances, the mechanisms driving their beneficial effects remain partially understood. Aims & Objectives This study sought to assess the prophylactic effects of LSD in rodent...
Abstract Background Psilocybin, a prodrug metabolized to psilocin, a serotonin 2A receptor agonist, has reemerged as a promising therapeutic option for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Clinical trials conducted mainly in North America and Europe have demonstrated that psilocybin administered with psychological support can produce rapid and sustained antidepressant effects with favorable...
Abstract Background Serotonergic psychedelics have recently re-emerged as promising therapeutic agents in psychiatry, showing positive outcomes in clinical trials for treatment-resistant depression, major depression, and PTSD. However, their effects on the immune system are poorly characterized. It remains unclear whether these compounds exert immunomodulatory effects that contribute to their...
NEW & NOTEWORTHY The Chicken Coop Theory formalizes arousal as a position in a six-dimensional neuromodulatory state space rather than a switch controlled by any single system. Histaminergic latching, cholinergic warming, noradrenergic startling, dopaminergic dispensing, serotonergic nesting, and orexinergic anchoring are each grounded in a functional invariant, and six canonical clinical...
ABSTRACT Psychedelic compounds exhibit diverse pharmacological and clinical effects, underscoring the need for further research and the development of clear guidelines to support their safe and effective clinical use. Growing interest in psychedelics has also increased attention toward the relationship between nutrition, dietary habits, and psychiatric disorders. This narrative review presents...
OBJECTIVE: This review critically examines psilocybin, with particular emphasis on its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, including its serotonergic, neuroplastic, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. It integrates historical context, preclinical and clinical evidence, and evaluates emerging therapeutic potential, safety, microdosing practices, and pharmacological interactions. METHODS: A...
Abstract Psychedelic drugs can induce intense changes in perception and thought, and some also promote long-lasting adaptations in brain circuits that are being explored for treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. How these compounds differ at the level of intracellular signaling, and how hallucinogenic drugs diverge from related non-hallucinogenic forms, is poorly understood. A central...
Objectives: This narrative review synthesizes current evidence regarding the modulation of psilocybin responsivity by female sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) across the lifespan, aiming to identify molecular mechanisms, clinical implications, and critical knowledge gaps for personalized psychedelic medicine. Methods: Databases including PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and ANZCTR...
AIM Pathological dissociation is a complex clinical symptom widely observed across various psychiatric disorders. Dissociative symptoms prolong the duration of hospitalization and are associated with a poor clinical prognosis. Although several pathological models (e.g., the frontal-limbic overmodulation model and the defense cascade model) have been proposed to interpret dissociative symptoms,...
BACKGROUND Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, is metabolized to psilocin, the compound responsible for its psychoactive effects. Psilocybin has demonstrated therapeutic potential for neuropsychiatric conditions. While recent trials have primarily used orally administered synthetic psilocybin, alternative formulations and delivery methods may offer...