Psychedelic Drugs

"When beliefs change after psychedelics, attribution of consciousness to various entities tends to increase. We cannot know how likely such changes are to happen, nor can we really make big claims about how strong these effects are in general, but...

Psilocybin is the primary mind-altering substance in psychedelic “magic” mushrooms. Preliminary research has indicated that combining psilocybin with supportive psychotherapy can result in lasting improvements in patients with major depressive disorder and the findings have resulted in glowing media coverage....

The psychedelic substance psilocybin causes transient changes to the sleep-wake architecture of laboratory mice, according to new preliminary research published in Translational Psychiatry. The findings provide new details about how the drug impacts sleep-related brain activity.

The psychedelic substance known as ibogaine blocks some addiction-related effects of alcohol in mice, according to new research published in Frontiers in Pharmacology.

Low doses of MDMA do not appear to cause negative effects in rodent models of addiction and depression, according to new research published in Psychopharmacology. But doses higher than 3 mg/kg result in observable impairments.

New research provides evidence that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy can improve and extend lives of patients with chronic and severe posttraumatic stress disorder while also reducing healthcare costs. The findings have been published in the journal PLOS One.

Zebrafish might seem an odd choice in studying human health, but they share 70 per cent of their genes with us and are a popular nonhuman organism used by scientists to study biological processes. They are also incredibly social, making...

A new randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study helps to bridge the gap between previous research that had examined LSD as a model of psychosis and research on the therapeutic value of psychedelic drugs. The findings, which appear in the journal Psychological...

A new study published in Frontiers in Psychology provides an in-depth look at the types of otherworldly experiences that people have when they take a high dose of the psychedelic substance dimethyltryptamine (DMT). The findings provide new insight on the...

The use of psilocybin -- the active component of "magic" mushrooms -- is associated with a decreased likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior, according to new research. The findings have been published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

Findings from the journal Scientific Reports suggest that psychedelic drugs can alter a person’s core beliefs about the nature of reality, consciousness, and free will. After taking psychedelics, participants’ views tended to sway from physicalism to supernatural beliefs, and these changes lasted...

Consuming small doses of psilocybin at regular intervals -- a process known as microdosing -- does not appear to improve symptoms of depression or anxiety, according to new research published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. The placebo-controlled study casts doubt...

New research sheds light on the different types of subjective experiences produced by five different types of psychedelic substances. The study, published in Psychopharmacology, used computer algorithms to analyze thousands of anonymously published reports about the effects of psychedelic drugs.

People who take psychedelics are more likely to report psychosis-like symptoms, but this is largely explained by the presence of other mental health conditions and the use of other psychoactive drugs. This finding comes from a study published in the...

Recent findings published in the journal ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science suggest that psilocybin, in conjunction with psychotherapy, reduces suicidal ideation and loss of meaning among patients with life-threatening cancer. These mental health improvements were maintained months to years following treatment. Cancer...