At-home ketamine injections cut depression scores by more than half in 3,870 patients

Key Findings

🍄 Psilocybin mushrooms linked to temporary functional improvements in advanced Alzheimer's — a single case

A case report describes an 80-year-old woman with 10 years of Alzheimer's disease, including 5 years of near-complete loss of speech and independent function, who received 5g of psilocybin-containing mushrooms (Enigma strain).

• ~19 hours after administration, spontaneous autobiographical speech emerged
• Over subsequent days and weeks: urinary continence restored, improved walking, autonomous dressing, increased emotional responsiveness, and sustained conversation
• The acute phase included autonomic activation, suspected fever, and a prolonged deep sleep-like state

This is a single case report — no control, no comparison group, and causality cannot be established. The authors explicitly note this does not imply disease reversal.

🧠 LSD improved motor learning and reduced stress one week later in a controlled trial

45 healthy adults (24 women) in a randomized crossover trial received 100 µg LSD or placebo, then were tested for up to one week.

• Offline motor learning (improvement in a sequence typing task that occurs after practice, not during) was significantly better the day after LSD vs. placebo
• One week later: perceived stress was reduced and aspects of cognitive flexibility were increased in the LSD group
• LSD acutely decreased brain signal amplitudes tied to auditory processing (N1 and P2 responses), and P2 was still altered one week later
• No changes in BDNF (a protein linked to brain plasticity) were detected in the blood

😴 Ketamine's antidepressant effects may be tied to how it changes deep sleep brain waves

A placebo-controlled study compared 91 unmedicated patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) to 42 healthy volunteers, measuring slow-wave activity (SWA — the brain's deep-sleep signal linked to sleep quality and recovery) during the first period of non-REM sleep.

• At baseline, TRD patients had lower SWA than healthy volunteers
• Ketamine (not placebo) increased SWA in TRD patients — and the increase was largest in those who responded to treatment
• Ketamine had no effect on SWA in healthy volunteers
• TRD patients also slept longer, fell asleep faster, and had better sleep efficiency after ketamine
• The SWA boost was smaller in older TRD patients

💊 The cough medicine DXM has psychedelic effects starting at 100 mg — but the evidence base is thin

A systematic review of dextromethorphan (DXM — the active ingredient in many OTC cough syrups) identified 8 studies with just 104 total participants examining its psychedelic properties.

• Psychedelic effects began at 100 mg; hallucinatory and mystical experiences intensified at 300–400 mg
• Adverse effects (nausea, vomiting, motor impairment, cognitive slowing) became more prominent above 200 mg
• Risk of bias was rated as 'some concerns' or 'high' across most studies; evidence certainty was low for primary outcomes
• Doses tested ranged from 100 to 960 mg across studies

📊 Most mental health professionals are cautiously open to psychedelic therapy for addiction — but knowledge gaps are large

A systematic review of 6 studies covering 966 mental health professionals examined attitudes toward psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) for substance use disorders.

• The majority held a cautiously optimistic view of PAT
• A minority raised concerns about safety, efficacy, and practical integration into clinical settings
• Knowledge and familiarity with PAT were the strongest predictors of a positive attitude
• The review found a significant gap in professional education and training on the topic

🐭 Chronic stress may block ketamine's conflict-reducing effects — in mice

In a mouse study, researchers used a three-compartment conflict task (where mice must choose between reward and potential danger) to test how chronic stress hormone exposure interacts with ketamine.

• 3 weeks of corticosterone (the rodent stress hormone equivalent of cortisol) increased conflict behavior without causing loss of pleasure (anhedonia)
• Ketamine reduced conflict behavior in control mice — but had no effect in the corticosterone-exposed mice
• The stress exposure specifically prolonged the time it took mice to initiate action in conflict situations

This is an animal study; whether these mechanisms translate to humans is unknown.

🎵 Music is used in most psychedelic therapy trials — but with no standard approach

A systematic review of 36 studies on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy found that 25 mentioned using music, primarily in trials for depression and PTSD using psilocybin and MDMA.

• Significant variation existed in how playlists were created, what music was selected, and how it was used during sessions
• No standardized protocol for music use exists across the field
• Most studies focused on depressive disorders and PTSD as the target conditions