31% of people with distressing psychedelic experiences met criteria for PTSD

Key Findings

🏥 UK researchers outline how psilocybin could work in the NHS

• Researchers propose a model for delivering psilocybin treatment through publicly funded health services like the NHS

• The approach combines oral psilocybin (which has effects lasting 6-8 hours) with psychological support, though the exact role of this support remains debated

• The model aims to ensure equitable access to these treatments for all patients, not just those who can afford private care

🔬 Psilocybin dampens bad memories in mouse brains

• In mice, psilocybin selectively reduced brain responses to aversive stimuli and sounds previously linked to negative experiences

• The drug didn't affect responses to rewards or newly formed negative associations—only well-established aversive memories

• Brain imaging showed psilocybin increased coordination between neurons initially, then later reduced it specifically among cells encoding negative associations

✨ Mystical experiences linked to mood improvements across conditions

• Across 13 clinical trials with 410 participants, 69% of studies found positive relationships between mystical-type experiences and reduced anxiety/depression

• The link was stronger in people with life-threatening diseases (80% of studies) compared to those with depression alone (63%)

• The relationship appeared to depend on factors like timing of symptom assessments and therapeutic context

🌱 Scientists engineer plants to produce multiple psychedelics

• Researchers reconstructed complete biosynthetic pathways for five natural psychedelics in plants: psilocin, psilocybin, DMT, bufotenin, and 5-methoxy-DMT

• They combined genetic functions from plants, fungi, and animals to create more efficient production systems

• The approach also enabled creation of halogenated analogs that don't occur naturally but may have therapeutic potential

🩺 Australian clinicians see psychedelics as tools to "unlock stuckness"

• Focus groups with 18 clinicians and service leaders revealed three different views of psilocybin therapy: last resort treatment, tool for overcoming therapeutic plateaus, or catalyst for rapid progress

• Clinicians emphasized the need for careful integration, robust support, and aftercare alongside concerns about access and eligibility

• Both groups understood psilocybin therapy as complex, dependent on medication, therapist skill, client readiness, and care context working together

⚠️ Computer models predict toxicity risks for LSD-like compounds

• Researchers used multiple computational platforms to predict toxicity for five LSD derivatives commonly found as new psychoactive substances

• Predicted lethal doses ranged from 49-85 mg/kg in rats, with 1V-LSD and 1cP-LSD showing highest pulmonary risks (92% and 81% respectively)

• ALD-52 and 1cP-LSD showed consistent alerts for potential genetic damage across prediction models