The trials and pre-clinical research into psilocybin’s therapeutic potential are being conducted by a host of private companies and research institutes. The data suggested that psilocybin may produce a deeper and faster effect, but the trial only involved 59 people, so wasn’t adequately powered to detect a significant difference.
This showed that psilocybin could match the antidepressant effects of the SSRI. This landmark study was organized by researchers at Imperial College London’s Centre for Psychedelic Research. In May 2021, psilocybin was used in one of the first trials to directly compare the antidepressant effects of a psychedelic and an antidepressant, in this case the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram. However, it is in trials for a wide range of indications, including: Psilocybin hasn’t been approved for the treatment of any conditions. There are a number of theories on how psilocybin produces psychedelic effects in the brain, including alterations to thalamic gating and increases to activity in the prefrontal cortex. These effects, which are dose-dependent, can include heightened perception, imagery, complex hallucinations and distortions of time. It is this receptor activation that is thought to produce psilocybin’s psychedelic effects. It is dephosphorylated to form its metabolite, psilocin, which can cross the blood-brain barrier and, given its structural similarity to serotonin, can easily activate the serotonin 5-HT 2A receptor. Psilocybin is part of a family of molecules called the indolamines, which includes DMT and LSD (see below) and also more common endogenous neurotransmitters, such as serotonin.
Illegal in most industrialized countries for nearly half a century, it has been decriminalized in several US cities, including Denver, CO over the last few years. Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic produced by over 200 species of mushroom, including Psilocybe cubensis, Psilocybe cyanescens and Psilocybe mexicana.
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