Psychedelic Drugs

New research published in Experimental Neurology provides some initial evidence that the psychedelic substance known as LSD has nootropic properties. The study found that LSD increased markers of neuroplasticity in human brain organoids, increased novelty preference in rats, and improved...

Psilocybin, the active compound in “magic mushrooms,” has been shown to be a promising treatment for various mental health issues. New research published in Scientific Reports found that people who microdose psychedelics displayed greater improvements in mental health and mood...

Scientists have taken an important first step into studying the effects of the psychedelic drug psilocybin -- the active substance in "magic" mushrooms -- at a cellular and genetic level. Their findings, published in Scientific Reports, indicate that a single...

Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, has been shown to be an promising treatment of mood and addictive disorders. Psilocybin is associated with general long-lasting positive psychological effects in healthy individuals as well. New research published in Frontiers in...

A new randomized controlled study of LSD microdosing has failed to find evidence that the psychedelic practice results in improvements to mood or cognition.

Despite a number of clinical trials showing that psilocybin can rapidly treat depression, including for cancer-related anxiety and depression, little is known about how psilocybin actually works to relieve depression in the brain.

The dopaminergic system appears to play an important but overlooked role in LSD's effects on consciousness, according to new research published in the journal Psychopharmacology. The findings provide new insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms responsible for the unique effects of...

Psilocybin-assisted therapy has shown promise as a treatment for depression. New research published in Cannabis finds that cannabis users expected that cannabis-assisted therapy could produce similar subjective experiences and have similar therapeutic benefits for the treatment of depression as psilocybin-assisted...

A new study has found a positive association between mindfulness practice, psychedelic use, and overall psychological wellbeing. The findings have been published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

People who report past-year use of the psychedelic drugs LSD (more commonly known as "acid") and salvia divinorum are more likely to report experiencing depression and/or suicidality in the same year, according to new research published in the journal Addictive...

An analysis of a large international drug survey suggests that psilocybin is a relatively safe drug, with only 0.2% of magic mushroom users having sought emergency medical care after use. The findings, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, further suggest that such...

People with depressive symptoms appear to think it is relatively important that guides for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy have personally used the psychedelic substance themselves, according to a new study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

The drug MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) might not produce depressive "comedowns" when used in a controlled clinical setting, according to new research published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. The findings offers some initial evidence that declines in mood and cognition in the...

Opioid abuse is a prevalent and very dangerous substance use disorder. Psychedelic use has been proposed as a treatment for various substance use disorders, leading people to question if it would be an effective treatment for opioid abuse. A study...