LSD does more than desynchronize the brain
A Université de Montréal news item reports that LSD does more than desynchronize the brain. No further details are available in the text.
Today
New psychoactive substances – the current situation in Europe (European Drug Report 2026)
The European Drug Report 2026 from the EU Drugs Agency addresses the market for new psychoactive substances. According to the headline and short text, new compounds appear on the market every year.
Letters: Ami Chen Mills, Psychedelics & Trump
A letters-to-the-editor piece that mentions psychedelics, Trump and Ami Chen Mills; the headline alone gives no further detail.
Psychedelic Harvard – History
An article from Lucys Magazin describes Harvard University as a justified claim to being the birthplace of American psychedelics. No further details are available in the provided text.
Chaos or at peace with the world: The complex ways psychedelics transform the brain
A Genetic Literacy Project piece addresses how psychedelics transform the brain. No further details are available from the headline.
First state-licensed psychedelic-assisted therapy center opens in Pikes Peak Region
According to the headline, the first state-licensed psychedelic-assisted therapy center has opened in the Pikes Peak Region.
First psilocybin therapy center in the Pikes Peak region
A Colorado local news outlet reports the opening of the first psilocybin therapy center in the Pikes Peak region. No further details are available from the headline.
Yesterday
Ketamine therapy for depression
An ORF report covers ketamine therapy for depression. No further details are available in the text.
USC Launches Clinical Trial of Psilocybin and Mindfulness Meditation for Depression
The University of Southern California has launched a clinical trial of psilocybin combined with mindfulness meditation for depression. No further details are available from the headline.
First therapy center to offer psilocybin mushrooms for therapy
According to a FOX21 News Colorado report, a therapy center will be the first to offer psilocybin mushrooms for therapeutic use. The available text provides no further details.
Scientists Used a Magic Mushroom Compound to Calm an Extremely Aggressive Fish
According to the headline, a magic mushroom compound was used to calm an extremely aggressive fish. No further details are available from the title alone.
"I screamed because I wanted to die": How a woman from Bern overcame her alcohol addiction with "magic mushrooms"
An article in Der Bund reports that a woman from Bern says she overcame her alcohol addiction with magic mushrooms. No further details are available from the headline.
Protected: MAPS and Founder Rick Doblin Submit Written Comments to FDA on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Standards
MAPS and founder Rick Doblin have submitted written comments to the FDA on standards for psychedelic-assisted therapy. The post is password-protected, so no further details are available.
Why Drug Companies Are Rushing to Market Ketamine Medicines
A New York Times article addresses why drug companies are rushing to bring ketamine medicines to market. Only the headline is available.
Podcast: Early Healthcare Forum Takeaways, FDA's Ibogaine Blueprint, and Compass Talks Pricing
A Psychedelic Alpha podcast episode covers takeaways from the Early Healthcare Forum, an FDA ibogaine blueprint, and Compass Pathways pricing talks.
Microdosing LSD can improve your brain function – if you're a woman
A headline in The Independent reports that microdosing LSD can improve brain function, and only in women. No further details are available.
Beyond Symptom Reduction: Interconnectedness and Self-Transcendent Emotions During MDMA Sessions Predict Flourishing, Not Symptom Change, in Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment
This secondary analysis of a randomized waitlist-controlled trial (N = 20) examined self-transcendent experiences during MDMA-assisted therapy for generalized social anxiety disorder. Connection-oriented experiences predicted greater post-treatment belonging, gratitude and purpose in life, but not reduced social anxiety. The authors describe the findings as groundwork for larger mechanistic trials.
Microdosing LSD shows some cognitive benefits - but only for women.
According to the headline, microdosing LSD shows some cognitive benefits, but only in women. No further details are available.
Caution before canonisation: a clinical and implementation science perspective on psychedelics
A review examines psychedelic therapies through clinical, methodological, ethical and implementation science lenses. The authors argue that current trials mainly show proof-of-concept efficacy under controlled conditions rather than readiness for large-scale adoption. They call for stronger evidence on durability, safety monitoring, comparative effectiveness and real-world implementation.
Response to Świeczkowski et al. (2025) on "Public attitudes toward psychedelics in Poland"
A response in the journal Postępy Psychiatrii i Neurologii addresses an earlier paper on public attitudes toward psychedelics in Poland.
Integrative options for the management of anxiety and depression in people with cancer.
This review summarizes the prevalence and diagnosis of anxiety and depression in people with cancer and outlines guideline-recommended integrative therapies. It also covers emerging approaches, including psychedelic-assisted therapy, and discusses common methodological issues and future research directions.
Evaluation of the Effects of Different Doses of Ayahuasca on Intelligence and Verbal Memory in Healthy Volunteers: A Preliminary, Exploratory, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study tested the effect of a single ayahuasca dose on intelligence and verbal memory in 28 healthy volunteers. No persistent changes were found at 21 days; on delayed recall, the 0.5 mL/kg group performed worse than placebo at 4 hours. The authors describe the findings as preliminary and useful for planning larger trials.
How Psilocybin Alters Consciousness: Psychedelics can create a "hidden order" in brain activity that could explain how these drugs affect our sense of self.
A Scientific American article reports, according to its headline, that psychedelics can create a "hidden order" in brain activity. This could explain how they affect the sense of self.
Clinical Evidence on Psilocybin and Its Representation in Media Reporting: A Systematic Review
A systematic review compared 70 clinical trials of therapeutic psilocybin (2014 to 2024) with 172 media articles (up to April 2025). Media reports more often presented benefits as established, extended them to indications such as PTSD and anxiety with little trial evidence, and mentioned safety less often than academic publications.
Intravenous Ketamine for Depressed and Suicidal Adolescents in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Double-Blind Trial
In a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of 29 suicidal adolescents with treatment-resistant depression, one group received a single low dose of intravenous ketamine and the other saline. Ketamine did not produce greater reductions in depression or suicidality scores than placebo, and dissociation signs were more frequent with ketamine. The authors consider the emergency department a feasible setting for rapid antidepressant treatment and call for larger studies.
Girona Listened to the Jungle: A Chronicle of the World Ayahuasca Forum
A chronicle reports on the World Ayahuasca Forum held in Girona. No further details are available in the provided text.
LSD microdosing boosts women's attention but not men's, Maastricht University reports
According to the headline, Maastricht University reports that LSD microdosing improves attention in women but not in men.
Psychedelic Icons: Humphry Osmond – History
The article profiles Humphry Osmond, a British psychiatrist (1917–2004) who later took a post at a mental hospital in Saskatchewan. Only an excerpt is available, so further details cannot be confirmed.
The Next Frontier of Psychedelic Science
AbbVie published a piece titled "The Next Frontier of Psychedelic Science". No further content is available.
Monday, October 19
Real Life - Magic Mushrooms: Do They Really Change Me? (2/3)
A WDR documentary series episode on magic mushrooms asks whether they can change people. The headline suggests personal experience reports.
Psilocybin Church Leader Asks 10th Circ. To Redo Ruling
The leader of a psilocybin church has asked the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to redo a ruling. Only the headline is available, so no further details are known.
Does the menstrual cycle change the psychedelic experience? 5 Questions with psychopharmacologists Natasha Mason and Eline Haijen-Bongers
In this interview, psychopharmacologists Natasha Mason and Eline Haijen-Bongers discuss how hormones might interact with psychedelic therapy. Only the teaser is available, so specific findings and study details are not reported.
Trump signs executive order accelerating research into psychedelic drug therapies
According to the headline, the US president has signed an executive order to accelerate research into psychedelic drug therapies. No further details are available in the text provided.
Whatever You Do, Don't Call Worldpeace DMT Twee
An Interview Magazine interview apparently addresses Worldpeace and DMT, according to the headline alone.
Esketamine vs. ketamine: what to ask before you refer
The KevinMD piece addresses differences between esketamine and ketamine in the context of referrals. Nothing further can be taken from the headline alone.
Dual benefit of esketamine-based opioid-free anesthesia on postoperative pain and mental health outcomes in patients undergoing bariatric surgery: a randomized controlled trial
A double-blind randomized trial of 84 patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy compared esketamine-based opioid-free anesthesia with opioid-based anesthesia using remifentanil. The esketamine group had significantly lower postoperative pain within 24 hours and better mental health at three months, without more adverse events. The findings suggest possible benefits for pain and mental health, though the setting is anesthesia.
Investigation of the pharmacological and circuit basis for psychedelic drug effects on interval timing in mice.
An animal study in male C57BL/6J mice examined how psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, affects timing performance in the temporal discrimination task. The effect was blocked by the 5-HT2A antagonist M100907 but not by the 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-100,635. Intra-prefrontal infusion of DOI mimicked systemic effects, suggesting the medial prefrontal cortex may mediate psychedelic effects on interval timing.
Low-Dose Buprenorphine Significantly Prolonging the Antisuicidal Effects of Ketamine Infusion in Major Depressive Disorder: Relationship Between Antidepressant and Antisuicidal Effects.
A paper in the American Journal of Psychiatry examines whether low-dose buprenorphine prolongs the antisuicidal effects of ketamine infusion in major depressive disorder. It also looks at the relationship between antidepressant and antisuicidal effects. Further details are only available from the headline.
Buprenorphine After Ketamine for Suicidal Ideation: Durability, Specificity, and Confounding
An article in the American Journal of Psychiatry examines buprenorphine after ketamine for suicidal ideation. According to the title, it addresses durability, specificity, and confounding.
Ketamine Extension or Buprenorphine Maintenance?
The headline asks whether ketamine extension or buprenorphine maintenance should be chosen. No further details are available.