Electrophysiological effects of psilocybin co-administered with midazolam.
Translational psychiatry February 14, 2026 Michael H Sutherland, Christopher R Nicholas, Richard C Lennertz et al.
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, induces neural plasticity and alters consciousness, while midazolam, a benzodiazepine, blunts plasticity and induces sedation. In an open-label pilot study, 25 mg of oral psilocybin was given alongside intravenous midazolam at doses that allowed a full psychedelic experience but blunted memory. Electroencephalography (EEG) data showed that 15–30 minutes after dosing, when midazolam was at its target concentration, beta power increased and spectral exponent decreased. As psilocybin's effects emerged over the next six hours, Lempel-Ziv complexity and spectral exponent increased, while broadband power decreased, especially in delta, theta, and alpha bands. The findings suggest psilocybin's effects persist with midazolam, supporting its use in mechanistic studies.