Can psychedelic drugs heal?

Many people think of psychedelics as relics from the hippie generation or something taken by ravers and music festival-goers, but they may one day be used to treat disorders ranging from social anxiety to depression, according to new research.

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Psychedelic drugs promote neural plasticity in rats and flies

Psychedelic drugs may have mind-altering powers in the physical sense, too. A new study has found psychedelics, specifically DOI, DMT, and LSD, can change brain cells in rats and flies, making neurons more likely to branch out and connect with one another. The work supports the theory that psychedelics could help to fight depression, anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Psychedelic drug use associated with reduced partner violence in men

Researchers have discovered that men who have used psychedelic drugs in the past have a lower likelihood of engaging in violence against their intimate partners.

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LSD blurs boundaries between the experience of self and other

LSD reduces the borders  between the experience of our own self and others, and thereby affects social interactions. Researchers have now found that the serotonin 2A receptor in the human brain is critically involved in these intertwined psychological mechanisms. This knowledge could help develop new therapies for psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia or depression.

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Why are some mushrooms 'magic?'

Psychedelic mushrooms likely developed their "magical" properties to trip up fungi-munching insects, suggests new research.

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Traditional Amazonian drug linked to improved sense of wellbeing, study suggests

A psychedelic drug traditionally used in South America improves people's general sense of wellbeing and may offer a treatment for alcoholism and depression, new research suggests.

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Psychedelic drugs may reduce criminal behavior

Newly published research suggests that common psychedelic drugs -- such as 'magic mushrooms', LSD and mescaline (a substance derived from the peyote cactus) -- may reduce criminal offenses. The new study found that psychedelic drugs are associated with a decreased likelihood of antisocial criminal behavior.

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'Magic mushrooms' may 'reset' the brains of depressed patients, study suggests

Patients taking psilocybin to treat depression show reduced symptoms weeks after treatment following a 'reset' of their brain activity.

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Human minibrains reveal effects of psychedelic substance

Scientists have identified changes in signaling pathways associated with neural plasticity, inflammation and neurodegeneration triggered by a compound from the family of dimethyltryptamine known as 5-MeO-DMT.

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Do we need to reform international drug treaties as more countries legalize cannabis?

The future of international drug control treaties is in doubt because of recent treaty-violating decisions to legalize cannabis use in Canada, the United States and Uruguay. A professor, whose 2014 review of 20 years of cannabis research made world headlines, thinks so. If decriminalization is the way of the future, he advocates a cautious approach to policy reform that would involve trialing and evaluating the effects of incrementally more liberal drug policies.

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Rethinking serotonin could lead to a shift in psychiatric care

A better understanding of how a key chemical messenger acts in the brain could lead to a radical shift in psychiatric care, according to a new research paper.

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Magic enzymes in 'magic' mushrooms analyzed

Little fungi pack a punch: 'Magic mushrooms' of the Psilocybe species produce psychoactive compounds that alter perception when ingested. Recently, the effects on the neuronal system caused by their ingredient psilocybin have attracted the interest of pharmacologists. Scientists have now identified four of the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of psilocybin. Researchers describe the biosynthetic pathway and introduce a synthetic route that could form the basis of biotechnological production.

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