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Austen B. Casey

Stanford University

5 papers in the library · 21 citations · publishing 2023-2026

Papers

UNRAVELing the synergistic effects of psilocybin and environment on brain-wide immediate early gene expression in mice

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) February 21, 2023 Daniel Ryskamp Rijsketic, Austen B. Casey, Daniel A. N. Barbosa et al. 10 citations preprint

Psilocybin, given to mice in either their home cage or an enriched environment, increased neural activity in brain regions including the neocortex, caudoputamen, central amygdala, and parasubthalamic nucleus while decreasing activity in the hypothalamus, cortical amygdala, striatum, and pallidum. The effects of both the drug and the environment were strong and widespread but largely independent, with very few interactions between context and psilocybin treatment. This suggests that the brain's response to psilocybin is not strongly modulated by environmental setting at the level of immediate early gene expression.

DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.19.528997 Full text Psilocybin Expression computer science Neuroscience Gene expression +3

No evidence of immediate or persistent analgesic effect from a single dose of psilocybin in three mouse models of pain

Nature Communications January 22, 2026 Nicholas Gregory, Tyler Girard, Akila Ram et al. 5 citations

Psilocybin, a psychedelic compound, was tested for direct pain-relieving effects in mice with inflammatory, nerve injury, and muscle pain. Across a range of doses (0.3, 2, and 10 mg/kg) in both sexes, using multiple sensory and functional pain tests, psilocybin showed no analgesic effect except for reduced cold sensitivity. That reduction likely resulted from psilocybin-induced hypothermia rather than true pain relief. The findings suggest that any lasting therapeutic benefits of psilocybin for chronic pain are not due to direct analgesic action.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-68763-z Full text Psilocybin Analgesic Medicine Hallucinogen +10

History, pharmacology and therapeutic mechanisms of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)

British Journal of Pharmacology October 21, 2025 Austen B. Casey, Boris D. Heifets 3 citations

MDMA, known as the illicit drug ecstasy, shows promise when used alongside psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), though how it works remains unclear. This review traces MDMA's path from military interrogation aid to prohibited substance and now to clinical use. The authors identify three core subjective effects—prosocial behavior, reduced threat perception, and euphoria—and examine how each may contribute to both therapeutic benefits and abuse potential. They emphasize serotonin's central role in MDMA's effects while noting gaps in understanding its mechanism. The review also critiques preclinical models, highlights limitations like sex biases and assumptions about therapeutic alliance, and calls for clarifying mechanisms to develop safer, more effective MDMA-like treatments.

DOI: 10.1111/bph.70225 Full text Mechanism biology Drugs of abuse Clinical practice Therapeutic approach +5

Psilocybin has no immediate or persistent analgesic effect in acute and chronic mouse pain models

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) July 7, 2025 Akila Ram, Austen B. Casey, Robert C. Malenka et al. 2 citations preprint

Psilocybin does not produce direct analgesic effects in mice, despite suggestions from clinical and preclinical data that it might help chronic pain. Across multiple pain assays and models of acute and chronic inflammatory, neuropathic, and musculoskeletal pain, no dose of psilocybin was analgesic. The finding indicates that any therapeutic benefits for chronic pain syndromes are unlikely to come from direct pain relief.

DOI: 10.1101/2025.07.06.663398 Full text Psilocybin Hallucinogen Chronic pain Acute pain +4