Psilocybin shows potential in neuropsychiatric disorders but has a complex relationship with epilepsy and seizures. We reviewed literature up to November 2025 to identify studies relevant to psilocybin's effects on seizures and epilepsy, including our research on serotonergic modulation. Core studies addressing the research question and supplementary mechanistic evidence were included for...
SUMMARY How psychedelics act on cortical dendrites to produce long-lasting structural plasticity remains poorly understood. Here, we characterize the effects of psilocybin on dendritic calcium dynamics in pyramidal tract neurons of the mouse medial frontal cortex. Psilocybin transiently increases calcium event rates in apical dendritic tufts over a time course that parallels the drug’s...
Serotonergic psychedelics have attracted considerable interest as promising therapeutic agents. However, the molecular mechanisms linking their acute hallucinogenic-like effects to longer-lasting neuroplastic responses remain incompletely understood, partly because of the scarcity of native neural models suitable for mechanistic studies. Here, we developed a neural stem cell-derived in vitro...
New psychoactive substances (NPSs) often emerge on the illicit drug market with limited pharmacological or toxicological data. Synthetic cathinones are the second largest NPS group, often mimicking the effects of classical stimulants such as cocaine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Such stimulants primarily target dopamine (DAT), norepinephrine (NET) and serotonin (SERT) transporters,...
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The psychedelic therapeutics field continues to evolve beyond classical hallucinogens toward integrated treatment platforms that combine optimized pharmacology, drug delivery, and clinical implementation. Recent patent applications disclose selective 5-HT2A receptor activators, precision aerosol delivery technologies for psychedelic compounds,...
The serotonin 1B receptor can be studied in vivo with PET using [^11C]AZ10419369, and has been linked to both the pathophysiology and treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Ketamine and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) both exert rapid and potent antidepressive effects, and although these treatments may not act directly on the serotonin system, they both cause dose-dependent increases in...
There is limited or indirect evidence suggesting that combined use of MDMA and SSRIs may increase the risk of serotonin syndrome. Healthcare providers should be vigilant in identifying symptoms and discourage such drug interactions.
Molecular PsychiatryJuly 7, 2026Axel F. Rosado, Abigail L. Yu, Jen-Hau Yang et al.
Classic serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin act as agonists at cortical serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptors (5-HT 2A R), inducing psychedelic effects in humans and head-twitch responses (HTRs) in rodents. Another class of psychedelic drugs called entactogens, exemplified by MDMA, function primarily as monoamine releasers and typically evoke minimal HTR despite causing serotonin release. The...
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Provided herein are novel 6,5-bicyclic compounds as 5-HT2A receptor agonists, pharmaceutical compositions, use of such compounds in treating depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and headaches, and processes for preparing such compounds.
Abstract Serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptors (5-HT 2 AR) modulate corticolimbic circuits regulating fear extinction. Although activation of these receptors has been shown to facilitate fear extinction, the behavioral consequences of 5-HT 2 AR antagonism during extinction is not well defined. Here, we examined the systemic effects of two 5-HT 2 A receptor antagonists, the mixed 5-HT 2 A/ 2 C...