Biomedicines
February 5, 2023
Erika Plazas, Nicoletta Faraone
40 citations
Indole alkaloids from magic mushrooms are promising alternatives to synthetic drugs for treating neuropsychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. These compounds have a rich history and broad biological properties, with the indole heterocycle being significant in drug discovery. The review reports the physicochemical and pharmacological characteristics of these alkaloids, highlighting their potential as safe and effective therapeutic agents.
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
August 5, 2025
Dotun Adeleye Adeyinka, Donelson R. Forsyth, Suzanne Currie et al.
7 citations
Psilocybin, from Psilocybe mushrooms, shows promise for treating neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders like major depressive disorder by promoting neuroprotection, neurogenesis, and neuroplasticity. It may help combat mild neurodegeneration by increasing synaptic density and supporting neuronal growth, with low addiction risk and few adverse effects. Animal models, including Drosophila and fish, have provided insights into its mechanisms, aiding high-throughput screening of neural development, behavior, and genetic pathways. While mammalian models are needed for pharmacokinetics and complex nervous system interactions, small non-mammalian models help identify early targets. This complementary approach suggests psilocybin could potentially halt or reverse neurodegenerative processes.
American Entomologist
December 1, 2023
Nicoletta Faraone
1 citation
Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, is being studied for its potential in psychotherapy, but its effects on the brain are complex. This article explores the use of fruit flies (Drosophila) as a model organism to investigate how psilocybin affects behavior and neural function, offering a simpler system to understand its mechanisms before moving to human studies. The flies' well-known genetics and short life cycles make them suitable for such research, potentially revealing how psilocybin influences neural plasticity and behavior.
Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience
January 1, 2026
Dayna Forsyth, Nicoletta Faraone, Simon G. Lamarre et al.
Psilocybin reduces aggression and activity in mangrove rivulus fish, an emerging model for studying psychoactive compounds. Waterborne psilocybin treatment significantly decreased activity levels and the frequency of swimming bursts, an aggressive behavior, toward a conspecific fish from a different lineage, with modest effects on other behaviors. Considerable intraspecific variation in behavioral response occurred among these homozygous fish, suggesting the effects were largely independent of genotype. The findings add to evidence supporting psilocybin's potential as a therapeutic agent.