Science

Magic mushrooms may help reverse stress-induced memory deficits, new study suggests

The study, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, found that when administered under specific conditions, the mushroom extract restored spatial learning and memory impairments and increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein essential for brain plasticity. These effects were observed in rats subjected to a chronic unpredictable mild stress protocol, a widely used…

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Psilocybin helped doctors and nurses who worked through the pandemic

Researchers ran a double-blind, randomized trial in Washington State from February-December 2022. Their study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on December 5, 2024. This randomized clinical trial found that psilocybin therapy resulted in a significant, sustained reduction in symptoms of depression experienced by clinicians after frontline work during the…

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The first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of psychedelics [was] published in 2012… 

[In December 2024]; a [new] synergistic, multi-level understanding of psychedelics; a novel, synergistic understanding of psychedelics arising from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of three hierarchical levels of analysis: (1) subjective experience (phenomenology), (2) neuroimaging and (3) molecular pharmacology. The Altered States of Consciousness (ASC) scale is one popular questionnaire that captures several of these subjective…

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Isolation of psychedelic-responsive neurons underlying anxiolytic [anxiety] behavioral states

…performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing in psychedelic-activated neurons in mouse medial prefrontal cortex. The psychedelic 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI), a 5HT2A receptor agonist with anxiolytic-like effects in mice, activated a specific subset of neurons in this brain region. Equipped with a fluorescent map of the neurons activated by DOI, the team [David E. Olson, et. al]… used optogenetics,…

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Scientists uncover fascinating link between psychedelic experiences and heart activity

“Most psychedelic research has focused on the brain, but I became increasingly convinced that we were overlooking something crucial. This idea was reinforced by the growing field of somatic therapy and the way psychedelics seem to help reconnect people’s minds with their bodies,” said study author Valérie Bonnelle, an independent researcher who received a PhD…

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…’terrifying’ threat from xylazine…

“Almost 100% of our drug supply is fentanyl and 80% to 90% of that fentanyl is adulterated with xylazine,” said Dr. Elizabeth Krans, a physician and researcher at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh. Xylazine is a potent animal tranquilizer normally used by veterinarians. For reasons that aren’t completely clear, drug gangs began mixing it into…

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Cactus dreams: Revealing the secrets of mescaline making

In a new study published in Molecular Plant, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers have made the first, crucial move toward ensuring sustainable production of mescaline: They have revealed, step by step, how exactly it is manufactured in peyote. “Learning how to copy this natural process with biotechnology will help ensure a steady supply of mescaline for the development…

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Psychedelic mushrooms are getting much, much stronger

Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, one of the species most commonly consumed, are among the most heavily inbred… Cultivators are using genetic sequencing and are hybridizing cultivars from ever more distant lineages to hunt for improvements, plus sheer aesthetic novelty. Technological advancements have allowed for fungal cells to more easily be manipulated during breeding, and developments in chromatographic…

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Psilocybin increases optimistic engagement over time: computational modelling of behaviour in rats

The model revealed that after receiving psilocybin, rats achieve more rewards through increased task engagement… As optimism bias is associated with increased engagement with the world and depression is linked to diminished optimism… all experimental procedures were conducted in accordance with the Australian Code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes and…

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