Psychedelic Science Newsletter
Issue #36May 11, 20267 studies

Psilocybin helped 18 out of 20 people stay off cocaine for 6 months

The psychedelic research pipeline delivered some major results this week, with studies spanning everything from cocaine addiction to brain rewiring. Here's what caught our attention.

๐Ÿ„ Psilocybin shows promise for cocaine addiction in small trial

  • 40 people with cocaine use disorder got either psilocybin (25mg per 70kg body weight) or placebo, plus therapy

  • Psilocybin recipients had 29% more cocaine-free days and were 18 times more likely to stay completely abstinent through 180 days

  • 82.5% were men, 82.5% were Black, and 65% had annual incomes of $20,000 or lessโ€”populations often underrepresented in clinical trials

Why it matters: No medications are currently proven effective for cocaine use disorder, making this one of the first controlled trials to show sustained abstinence rates with any treatment approach.

๐Ÿฅˆ Top 2% journal ๐Ÿ”— JAMA network open Randomized Controlled Trial ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ May 7

Key Findings

๐Ÿง  Single psilocybin dose rewired brains for a month

  • 28 psychedelic-naive participants got brain scans before and after 25mg psilocybin

  • Brain connectivity became less modular (more integrated) and white matter showed decreased axial diffusivity in prefrontal areas

  • Changes in brain network integration correlated with improved well-being at one month

๐Ÿ’ก Suggests psilocybin may create lasting brain changes that support improved mental health outcomes.
๐Ÿฅˆ Top 2% journal ๐Ÿ”— Nature communications Journal Article ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ May 5

๐Ÿ’Š Ketamine infusions cut depression and suicidal thoughts fast

  • Meta-analysis of 26 trials with 1,166 patients found ketamine significantly reduced suicidal symptoms within 24 hours

  • Depression scores dropped dramatically at 4 hours (effect size -1.74) and remained lower for up to a week

  • Serious adverse events were unrelated to ketamine, with most side effects being transient

๐Ÿ’ก Provides strong evidence that IV ketamine works quickly for severe depression when other treatments have failed.
๐Ÿฅ‡ Top 1% journal ๐Ÿ”— JAMA psychiatry Journal Article ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ May 6

๐Ÿ”ฌ LSD changed brain structure in depression patients

  • 35 depression patients got brain scans before and after LSD treatment (either 25ฮผg twice or 100ฮผg then 200ฮผg)

  • Higher-dose LSD increased fractional anisotropy in brain white matter tracts including internal capsule and fornix

  • Brain structure changes correlated with depression improvements at 2, 6, and 12 weeks

๐Ÿ’ก Suggests LSD's antidepressant effects may involve physical rewiring of brain connections.
๐Ÿฅˆ Top 2% journal ๐Ÿ”— Cell reports. Medicine Journal Article ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ May 8

๐Ÿ“Š 24 million Americans have tried microdosing cannabis

  • National survey of 1,525 adults found 9.4% had microdosed cannabis, 5.3% psilocybin, 4.8% LSD, and 2.2% MDMA

  • Cannabis microdosing was primarily for medical reasons (41.2%), while psychedelics were more recreational

  • Microdosing was more common among people with poorer mental health and in states with liberal drug policies

๐Ÿ’ก Reveals widespread use of sub-therapeutic doses despite federal illegality, especially in permissive policy environments.
๐Ÿฅ‰ Top 5% journal ๐Ÿ”— American journal of preventive medicine Journal Article ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ May 7

๐Ÿญ Psilocybin helped stressed mice overcome fear

  • Chronically stressed mice given psilocybin showed increased dendritic spine density in frontal cortex neurons

  • These mice also showed enhanced fear extinction compared to control mice

  • Results demonstrate psilocybin's effects persist even in animals with pre-existing stress

๐Ÿ’ก In mice, suggests psilocybin could help reverse stress-related brain changes and improve fear processing.

๐ŸŽต Music may amplify psychedelic therapy effects

  • Review found music activates 5-HT2A receptors and BDNF-TrkB signaling pathways similar to psychedelics

  • Music can guide emotional processing during psychedelic experiences and facilitate therapeutic breakthroughs

  • Combined approach shows promise for depression, PTSD, and addiction treatment

๐Ÿ’ก Music may act as a 'hidden therapist' that enhances the brain changes psychedelics create.
๐ŸŽ–๏ธ Top 10% journal ๐Ÿ”— Current neuropharmacology Journal Article ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ May 5

Implications

This week's research suggests psychedelics are moving from experimental curiosities to potential medical tools, with evidence spanning addiction, depression, and brain plasticity. The combination of strong clinical results and measurable brain changes points toward a new class of psychiatric treatmentsโ€”though most studies remain small and early-stage.

Studies in this issue

Primary sources used for this newsletter.

  1. Psilocybin as a Treatment for Cocaine Addiction: A Randomized Clinical Trial
    main storyJAMA network open2026-05-07PMID 42096204
  2. Brain changes in people after their first use of psilocybin
    key findingNature communications2026-05-05PMID 42086570
  3. How common microdosing of cannabis, psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA is among US adults and why they do it
    key findingAmerican journal of preventive medicine2026-05-07PMID 42092643
  4. Changes in brainโ€™s communication pathways after LSD treatment in people with major depression
    key findingCell reports. Medicine2026-05-08PMID 42102823
  5. How Psychedelics and Music Work Together in Therapy
    key findingCurrent neuropharmacology2026-05-05PMID 42083530
  6. Brain changes and improved fear reduction after psilocybin in long-term stressed mice
    key findingbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2026-05-04PMID 42079081
  7. Ketamine infusions and fast relief of suicidal thoughts and depression symptoms in major depression
    key findingJAMA psychiatry2026-05-06PMID 42090166

Continue reading

All Psychedelic Science issues