Tag

Psilocybin

All articles tagged with #psilocybin

health1 day ago•4 min saved

One Psilocybin Dose May Deliver Months of Depression Relief

In a small randomized trial of 35 participants with recurring depression, a single dose of psilocybin plus psychological support reduced depressive symptoms within days and provided benefits for just over three months versus placebo, where over half the psilocybin group no longer met depression criteria by six weeks, compared with limited improvement in the placebo group. After a year, the gap narrowed as placebo participants improved, highlighting the influence of expectations and the challenges of blinding. The study suggests psilocybin could help broader forms of depression but requires cautious interpretation and further research.

via ScienceAlert|

#depression #health #mental-health

health8 days ago•4 min saved

Psychedelic single-dose therapy boosts cocaine abstinence in small trial

A randomized JAMA Network Open trial found that a single psilocybin dose, paired with psychotherapy, increased cocaine abstinence versus placebo among 36 participants, highlighting a potential new treatment since there are no FDA-approved cocaine-use meds. Experts say psilocybin may act as a catalyst for behavioral change via neuroplasticity, not as a maintenance drug. However, the small size, specific exclusions (no comorbid depression/anxiety), and recruitment nuances limit generalizability, and larger trials are needed. Notably, the study included a majority of Black participants, a first for psychedelic trials.

via The Guardian|

#clinical-trial #cocaine-addiction #health

science11 days ago•9 min saved

One Psilocybin Dose May Rewire the Brain for Weeks

A UCSF and Imperial College London study found that a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin increases brain entropy during the experience and is followed by lasting changes in brain connectivity for about a month, alongside reported boosts in psychological insight and well-being. The results suggest the psychedelic experience itself may drive durable mental health benefits and could inform optimized psilocybin-based therapies.

via SciTechDaily|

#brain-entropy #nature-communications #neural-connectivity

science21 days ago•3 min saved

One-Time Psilocybin Dose May Prompt Lasting Brain Changes

A small study found that a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin in 28 volunteers produced detectable brain structural changes a month later via diffusion tensor imaging, with reduced diffusion along certain front-to-middle brain tracts, possibly due to fiber pruning or growth of unmyelinated fibers. An immediate surge in brain entropy during the experience correlated with deeper psychological insights and improved wellbeing a month afterward. Findings are preliminary given the small sample size and the indirect nature of DTI measurements, but they contribute to understanding how psychedelics might support mental health.

via The Guardian|

#brain-entropy #brain-plasticity #diffusion-tensor-imaging

science21 days ago•5 min saved

One Psilocybin Dose Triggers Lasting Brain Changes and Mood Boost

A study of 28 psilocybin-naive adults finds a single 25 mg dose can reconfigure brain activity and boost psychological well-being for up to a month. Researchers tracked brain changes with EEG, DTI, and fMRI, and found that higher brain entropy during the trip, along with greater psychological insights the next day, correlated with longer-term wellbeing improvements. The trial included a placebo session (1 mg) before the full dose, and participants could often tell which session contained the drug, which modestly limits the findings. The results help explain how psychedelic experiences may contribute to therapy, though some scientists caution that brain entropy is not a definitive biomarker and call for more sensitive measures.

via ScienceAlert|

#brain-entropy #mental-health #neuroimaging

science21 days ago•6 min saved

Tiny psilocybin study links intense trips to brain wiring changes

A small 28-participant study finds that after a 25 mg psilocybin dose, diffusion tensor imaging shows changes in water diffusion along neural fibers—especially in tracts linking the prefrontal cortex with other brain regions—with stronger trips associated with larger changes; about 70% of participants reported improved well-being 2–4 weeks later, suggesting psychedelic-induced brain plasticity, though results are exploratory and require replication in larger trials.

via NBC News|

#brain-plasticity #diffusion-tensor-imaging #neuroimaging

health25 days ago•15 min saved

Psilocybin-assisted therapy shows potential to help people quit smoking

A BBC Health report describes a randomized trial where a single high dose of psilocybin (about 30 mg, with 10 CBT sessions) plus talk therapy led to significantly higher smoking cessation than nicotine patches: 52% abstinent at six months in 82 participants vs 25% in the patch group. These findings, echoing earlier smaller studies, suggest psychedelics can trigger neuroplastic changes and a shift in priorities that support quitting, and are driving a larger NIH-funded, multi-site follow-up study to confirm efficacy and understand mechanisms. However, experts caution the sample was small and not highly diverse, so results may not generalize, and long-term safety and durability remain to be seen.

via BBC|

#clinical-trials #health #neuroplasticity

health1 month ago•3 min saved

FDA Accelerates Development and Access to Psychedelic Mental Health Treatments After Executive Order

Following a presidential executive order, the FDA announced actions to speed development and access to treatments for serious mental illness, including national priority vouchers for psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder and for PTSD treated with methylone, approval of an early-phase study of noribogaine hydrochloride for alcohol use disorder (the first U.S. trial of an ibogaine derivative), and imminent final guidance to shape serotonin-2A agonist trials—emphasizing rigorous science and safety, especially for veterans.

via fda.gov|

#clinical-trials #fda #health

neuroscience2 months ago•20 min saved

Psilocybin’s 5-HT2A activation linked to lasting brain plasticity in mice

A mouse study shows psilocybin dose-dependently activates the brain’s 5-HT2A receptors in the prefrontal cortex, with an inverted-U relationship for acute behaviors. The following day, moderate doses reduced anxiety-like exploration and higher doses decreased depression-like immobility, coinciding with changes in microtubule dynamics and increased synaptic plasticity proteins—primarily in the prefrontal cortex, not the amygdala—suggesting a neural mechanism for lasting antidepressant effects, though results in animals may not directly translate to humans.

via PsyPost|

#5-ht2a #amygdala #neuroplasticity

neuroimaging2 months ago•28 min saved

Psilocybin reshapes brain rhythms and connectivity, predicting psychedelic intensity

An EEG study of 25 healthy volunteers shows psilocybin shifts the brain from a resting state to a dynamically engaged pattern by reducing slow theta/alpha power and increasing fast beta/gamma activity, with enhanced connectivity in the default mode network and parietal networks that correlates with the intensity of the psychedelic experience. Baseline fast-wave activity in frontal/emotional regions also predicted response to the drug. Using a double-blind, randomized crossover design (10–20 mg psilocybin vs placebo), researchers highlight potential biomarkers to guide psychedelic-assisted therapies, while noting limitations from the small, healthy-sample size and the need for clinical population studies and autonomic markers like heart-rate variability.

via PsyPost|

#brain-rhythms #default-mode-network #eeg

psychopharmacology2 months ago•26 min saved

Magic mushrooms' effects may hinge on a multi-compound entourage, not just psilocybin

A Scientific Reports study using computational modeling suggests eight bioactive compounds in psilocybin-producing mushrooms may interact with brain targets and produce effects via an entourage effect, with some compounds potentially binding serotonin receptors even more strongly than psilocybin and beta-carbolines inhibiting monoamine oxidase A to prolong serotonin signaling; results are theoretical and based on simulations, and experimental work including cerebral organoids is planned to validate them.

via PsyPost|

#entourage-effect #monoamine-oxidase-a #psilocybin

health2 months ago•4 min saved

Psilocybin shows promise to beat nicotine patches for quitting smoking

A Johns Hopkins study found that a single high dose of psilocybin paired with cognitive behavioral therapy helped more smokers quit after six months than nicotine patches, with 17 abstinent in the psilocybin group versus 4 in the patch group and roughly 50% fewer cigarettes on average between the quit date and six-month follow-up. The study notes limitations (no placebo, participants were mostly educated and not racially diverse, and many had prior psychedelic experience) and plans a larger trial to confirm efficacy and explore scalability and cost-efficiency.

via New York Post|

#cognitive-behavioral-therapy #health #johns-hopkins

nationworld2 months ago•3 min saved

Lil Jon's Son Nathan Smith: Accidental Drowning Linked to Psilocybin

Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled Lil Jon's son Nathan Smith's death an accidental drowning in the setting of psilocybin use; a blood test detected psilocin, the active compound of psilocybin. Smith, also known as DJ Young Slade, was found Feb. 6 in a Milton, Georgia pond after being reported missing Feb. 3; authorities found no foul play. Smith was an NYU graduate and music producer.

via kare11.com|

#accidental-death #drowning #lil-jon

music2 months ago•14 min saved

Lil Jon’s Son Nathan Smith Died in Accidental Drowning Linked to Psilocybin

Nathan Smith, Lil Jon’s 27-year-old son (DJ Young Slade), died in early February from an accidental drowning with psilocybin in his system, per the Fulton County Medical Examiner. He went missing on Feb. 3 and was found in a Milton, Georgia pond on Feb. 6; Lil Jon announced the burial on Feb. 18. The death is not believed to be suspicious.

via Rolling Stone|

#autopsy #drowning #lil-jon

health3 months ago•6 min saved

Psilocybin-based therapy shows rapid relief in treatment-resistant depression, eyeing FDA approval

Compass Pathways reported two positive late-stage trials of a synthetic psilocybin treatment that rapidly reduces symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant depression, potentially becoming the first psychedelic medicine to gain full regulatory approval if the FDA approves it early next year.

via The Economist|

#compass-pathways #depression #fda