Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
Researchers are actively testing psilocybin (the active part of “magic mushrooms”) as a possible treatment for several mental health problems. Early clinical trials—usually done under medical supervision with therapy before and after the drug session—have found quick improvements in some people with major depression, anxiety linked to serious illness, and other hard-to-treat conditions (but the studies are still small). (15135,15063,15056) Scientists propose several ways psilocybin might help, such as changing how brain networks communicate, boosting the brain’s ability to form new connections, and lowering brain inflammation. However, the exact reasons are not settled. Safety in careful clinical settings looks acceptable so far, but harms may be underreported, and unsupervised use can carry real risks. More and larger trials are needed, and many groups (for example people of color) were not well represented in early studies. (15132,15050,15135,15061,15095,15056)
Researchers reviewed studies of drugs that act on serotonin (so-called serotonergic psychedelics) and MDMA. They found that harms and bad reactions are not clearly defined in these studies and are probably reported less often than they actually happen. Some intense or frightening experiences during treatment might help people heal, but…
This review explains the fast-growing problem of so-called "legal highs", which are better called novel psychoactive substances or NPS. Unknown labs keep making slightly different chemicals to avoid bans, and this led to about 80 new substances being spotted in one year. The paper groups these drugs into five main…
Researchers looked at published papers about psychedelic drugs from the last century, using citation maps and other tools to see how the field changed up to March 2022. They found that research was small and mostly about safety for many decades, then grew a lot after the 1990s into a…
Researchers reviewed the fast-growing interest in psychedelic therapies. They found that even though hundreds of studies are under way, no psychedelic medicine is officially approved for any mental health condition yet. The review explains the kinds of drugs being tested, the conditions people hope to treat, and big challenges such…
This paper reviews research on ayahuasca and its main ingredient, DMT, and how they might help with mental health. Ayahuasca is a plant brew that makes DMT work when you drink it because it also contains chemicals that stop the body from breaking DMT down. Lab studies and a small…
This article reviews how drug laws in the United States are changing and clashing. Many states have moved to legalize or reduce penalties for marijuana and are testing whether psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA can help with mental health. At the same time, some places have pushed back and even…
This review explains how certain psychoactive drugs can cause hallucinations and why that matters. It says drugs such as psilocybin and LSD change brain chemicals called serotonin and dopamine, and that can make people see or hear things that are not there. Effects can be mild or very serious, sometimes…
This paper is a position review that looks at three drugs—SSRIs (a common antidepressant), psilocybin (a psychedelic), and MDMA—and how they change brain circuits that use serotonin. The authors note that all three are already used or being tested as treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They say we still…
