Mental Health

Excerpt: Depression affects an estimated 300 million people worldwide and is a leading cause of disability. Psilocybin has shown promise in reducing symptoms of depression after one or two doses with few side effects and no current evidence of causing addiction. However, studies published to date have not investigated factors that may moderate psilocybin’s effects, including type of depression, past use of psychedelics, dosage, and publication biases. To address this, […]

Excerpt: A new study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology is the first to characterize the psychological impacts of psilocybin among people with bipolar disorder. The findings indicate that many people with bipolar disorder who consume psilocybin, the primary psychoactive component of psychedelic “magic mushrooms,” believe that the experience is helpful. However, many also report adverse outcomes, such as manic symptoms. Psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression is gaining attention due to

Excerpt: Psilocybin, better known as the stuff that makes mushrooms magic, is the next big wellness industry—and a new frontier for mental health. If you hadn’t noticed psilocybin’s move toward the mainstream, a company like Numinus will come as a surprise. Led by founder and CEO Payton Nyquvest, Numinus is a brand-fantasy of the next iteration of wellness: clean, straightforward, empathetic, inclusive and self-aware. It’s one of several Canadian companies—Field

Excerpt: Patients in Alberta will now be able to legally consider adding psychedelic-assisted therapy to the list of treatment options available for mental illnesses. Alberta psychiatrists and policymakers suggest that they are getting ahead of the curve by creating regulations to ensure the safe use of these hallucinogenic substances in a therapeutically supported environment. As of Jan. 16, the option is available only through registered and licensed psychiatrists in the

A single dose of psilocybin, a psychedelic and serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) agonist, may be associated with antidepressant effects. The mechanism behind its antidepressive action is unknown but could be linked to increased synaptogenesis and down-regulation of cerebral 5-HT2AR. Here, we investigate if a single psychedelic dose of psilocybin changes synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) and 5-HT2AR density in the pig brain. Twenty-four awake pigs received either 0.08 mg/kg psilocybin