Psychedelic Science & Policy

Oregon study shows psilocybin therapy helped low-income people fight depression Psilocybin therapy can help low-income people suffering from depression, according to a new study from Oregon researchers.

"[P]articipants reported improvements in their sleep, physical ability, cognitive function, social ability, fatigue, anxiety, and the impact of pain on their everyday lives. Three months later, researchers found [...] the reductions around the impacts of pain became statistically insignificant."

Psilocybin triggers an activity-dependent rewiring of large-scale cortical networks Psilocybin holds promise as a treatment for mental illnesses. One dose of psilocybin induces structural remodeling of dendritic spines in the medial frontal cortex in mice. The dendritic spines would ...

"Our study hints at an exciting avenue for future research to combine neuromodulation with psychedelics to precisely target specific circuits for neural plasticity." bioRxiv 2025 August

This is good to hear. Thank you @beccakacanda.bsky.social!

UNM Scientists Test Experimental Psychedelic Drug to Alleviate the Emotional Toll of a Life-Threatening Diagnosis University of New Mexico researchers are joining a multi-site clinical trial of an experimental psychedelic drug intended to alleviate the mental suffering many patients experience when they receive a...

Dr. Lawrence Leeman of the University of New Mexico describes how the REKINDLE clinical trial will test the effectiveness of RE104 (a synthetic prodrug similar to psilocybin) in treating patients who have received a life-altering disease diagnosis.

Check out our latest paper in Nature Neuroscience (rdcu.be/ey7yk). This was a great collaboration with some very surprising results! Seems that a glutamate burst and proximate IEG expression might not be necessary for structural neuroplasticity induced by 5-HT2A partial agonists.

Psychedelics and Non-hallucinogenic Analogs Work Through the Same Receptor, Up to a Point Understanding exactly how psychedelics promote new connections in the brain is critical to developing targeted, non-hallucinogenic therapeutics that can treat neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric di...

Greg Watry of @ucdlands.bsky.social wrote a wonderful article about the #UCDavisIPN's @natureportfolio.nature.com most recent Neuroscience publication. Find out why our associate director, John A. Gray said, "Science is full of surprises."

Read the article here: www.ucdavis.edu/news/psyched...

"With growing attention towards psilocybin treatment, the associated risk of medical liability for physicians involved in prescribing psilocybin or facilitating psilocybin treatment becomes increasingly important to study." J Law Med Ethics 2025 July

Psychoactive substances: novel molecular insights and therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's disease - Translational Neurodegeneration Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder that causes severe cognitive decline and poses a significant burden on global health systems. Despite extensive research, effective treat...

"Psychedelics such as LSD and DMT, have shown intriguing results in regulating neuroplasticity and inflammation, but their use in [Alzheimer's disease] treatment is still largely experimental and requires rigorous clinical validation." Transl Neurodegener. 2025 July

Filament Health to supply psilocybin for two Phase II studies Filament Health has collaborated with UCL to provide its botanical psilocybin drug candidate, PEX010, for two Phase II research studies.

"Filament Health has collaborated with University College London (UCL) in the UK to provide its botanical psilocybin drug candidate, PEX010, for two Phase II research studies."

WVU Researcher Discovers Potential Mental Health Treatment Through Psychedelic Fungi - West Virginia Public Broadcasting A West Virginia researcher is working at the cutting edge of the study of psychedelics. Corinne Hazel is a West Virginia University microbiology student. This spring, she found a fungus that was barel...

Inside Appalachia producer Bill Lynch speaks with Corinne Hazel and Daniel Panaccione about their research on fungi in morning glory plants that make psychedelic ergot alkaloids.

The Legal Architecture of Psychedelic Therapy: Risks, Responsibilities, and Reimbursement Realities Key legal, ethical, and compliance considerations for managed care professionals navigating the evolving landscape of psychedelic-assisted therapy include regulatory risks, data privacy challenges, re...

Alana Hippensteele analyzes issues relevant to psychedelic health care professionals, such as informed consent, standard of care, licensing, data collection, HIPAA conflicts, cybersecurity, breach liability, insurance coverage and reimbursement, and more.

UK Government supports ACMD plan to enable research with schedule 1 medicines such as psilocybin and MDMA Despite the resurgence of research into the clinical efficacy and mechanism of action of psychedelic drugs such as such as psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and MDMA they are currently in Schedule 1 of the Misuse...

www.drugscience.org.uk/uk-governmen... - light at the end of the tunnel for #psychedelics research and treatment we hope

Massachusetts Psychiatric Society Endorses Bill To Decriminalize Psilocybin Possession “We are encouraged by the growing body of rigorous research exploring the use of psychedelics, including psilocybin in treating treatment-resistant types of mental illness.” By Jack Gorsline, HorizonM...

Dr. Jhilam Biswas speaks on behalf of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society to express the Society's support for decriminalizing the simple possession of psilocybin.

The Molly Maker: 5 Questions for PharmAla founder Nick Kadysh Kadysh discusses PharmAla’s MDMA and the logistics of the international MDMA supply chain.

(29) The Molly Maker: 5 Questions for PharmAla founder Nick Kadysh themicrodose.substack.com/p/the-molly-...

Extraordinary Books at Psychedelic Science 2025 Watch three exciting book presentations that Drugreporter recorded at PS25 in Denver. Timothy Leary’s son, Zach Leary, presented his new book Your Extraordinary Mind; Wendy Tucker, Ann Shulgin’s daugh...

Watch three exciting book presentations that Drugreporter recorded at PS25 in Denver, by Timothy Leary’s son, Zach Leary, Wendy Tucker, Ann Shulgin’s daughter and Diego Ugalde.

"Whether these therapies live up to their billion-dollar potential in mental health and beyond may depend less on the molecules themselves, and more on the industry’s ability to deliver them safely, ethically and at scale."

European Medical Journal, 2025 July

LSD's rapid antidepressant effects are modulated by 5-HT2B receptors Recent clinical trials show that serotonergic psychedelics, including the prototypical hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), possess a great …

"Together, these findings indicate that LSD, acutely administered, acts as a rapid-onset antidepressant in naïve rat, but not in naïve mice, through mechanisms involving activation of 5-HT2B receptors." Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy 2025

Filament Health Announces Two Phase 2 Research Trials In Partnership With University College London Filament Health Announces Two Phase 2 Research Trials In Partnership With University College London

Two psilocybin studies led by @rosmcalpine.bsky.social, @mjaglinska.bsky.social, @kjedlovszky.bsky.social, @orisshenyan.bsky.social, and others.

www.filament.health/news/filamen...

A psychedelic drug disorganizes cortical traveling waves. Groovy work.
Complex slow waves in the human brain under 5-MeO-DMT
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
#neuroscience

Psychedelic therapy centers can open in Avon beginning in August Therapeutic centers that use psychedelic compounds to treat patients will be able to open in Avon beginning in August. On Tuesday, Avon finished establishing where and under what limitations natural m...

Avon, Colorado approves rules for psilocybin healing centers

"The town’s regulations on natural medicine healing centers will go into effect 30 days following the July 22 approval, at which point natural medicine businesses can begin to open in Avon."

report by @vaildaily.bsky.social

YouTube video by The Psychedelic Scientist 3 Ways Psychedelics Treat Depression

Dr. Manesh Girn describes how psychedelic therapy can help with depression by overcoming isolation and restoring connection, healing trauma and emotional wounds, and enhancing flexible thinking.

Ibogaine Clinics Closer Than Ever in Colorado The Natural Medicine Advisory Board is weighing this, with the governor's support. The drug shows therapeutic promise, along with some risks.

Colorado’s Natural Medicine Advisory Board is now weighing this historic move, with the governor's support. Ibogaine has shown promise for SUD and other conditions, reports Alexander Lekhtman, though safety risks post some pratical and ethical questions:

Dispatch: The Neurobiology of Psychedelics Gordon Research Conference — Plasticity, Psychotherapy, and Perception (Part 1) - Psychedelic Alpha Here, we share Dr. Alaina Jaster’s observations from the inaugural Neurobiology of Psychedelics Gordon Research Conference, where leading scientists gathered to explore various realms of psychedelic…

Check out my keynote & Day 1 dispatch of #GRCPsychedelics 🧠 via @psychedelicalpha.bsky.social

psychedelicalpha.com/news/dispatc...

Psychedelic use in individuals living with eating disorders or disordered eating: findings from the international MED–FED survey - Journal of Eating Disorders Background There are few effective treatments for eating disorders (EDs), and new interventions are urgently needed. The MEDication and other drugs For Eating Disorders (“MED–FED”) survey investigated...

"Our findings suggest that classic psychedelics are widely used by individuals with a lived experience of an ED and that this naturalistic use of psychedelics is self-reported as having positive outcomes on ED symptoms and general mental health." J Eat Disord 2025 July

Quantitative and qualitative influences of spiritual connection and natural imagery on perception of art in clinical psychedelic dosing settings - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Quantitative and qualitative influences of spiritual connection and natural imagery on perception of art in clinical psychedelic dosing settings

"[T]he use of artistic elements depicting the natural world may be an effective entry point to create connections with psychedelic dosing settings that are comfortable for individuals that have no prior engagement with any psychedelic group, subculture, or microclimate." Scientific Reports 2025 July

Psilocybin as a Psychophysical Adaptogen in Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Those living with chronic pain and comorbid functional disabilities are often confronted by a physically and emotionally transformative experience, im…

"[T]he enduring experiences afforded by psilocybin as a psychophysical adaptogen may help to shift individual perspectives, thereby permitting individuals to initiate or reengage with their rehabilitation efforts from a place of equanimity and purpose." J. Pain 2025 July

Colorado plans for rollout of ibogaine as the next regulated psychedelic plant medicine in healing centers Regulators plan to integrate ibogaine treatment into Colorado’s psychedelic healing industry. Still, the drug faces an uncertain future.

Colorado plans for rollout of ibogaine as the next regulated psychedelic plant medicine in healing centers

Exploring the Therapeutic Effects of Psychedelics Administered to Military Veterans in Naturalistic Retreat Settings - PubMed This is the first study to investigate psychedelic retreats as a holistic therapy for veterans' mental health alongside community reintegration. Psilocybin and ayahuasca retreats significantly improve...

"Psilocybin and ayahuasca retreats significantly improved veterans’ mental well-being, quality of life, PTSD, anxiety, depression, sleep, concussion, and post-deployment reintegration." Brain Behav. 2025 July

"The Czech Senate has approved a major reform of the country’s criminal code, including a significant shift in drug policy. Key changes include [...] the medical legalization of [psilocybin] mushrooms."

YouTube video by MIND Foundation The Consciousness Reboot: Using Extreme Altered States to Reset Mental and Physical Health

Dr. Jack (Giancarlo) Allocca discusses the concept of bodyset, and the use of 5-MeO-DMT as a catalyst for inducing altered states to "serve as a biological 'reboot,' disrupting entrenched patterns and catalyzing deep physiological transformation." from @mind-foundation.bsky.social