Psilocybin, a psychedelic drug, is gaining interest for both recreational and clinical use. This review examines the potential of using zebrafish as a model organism in psilocybin research. It covers behavioral tests in zebrafish relevant to anxiety and social behavior, genetic manipulation methods for studying psilocybin's effects, known mechanisms of the drug, and its safety and toxicity profile. The review also discusses how psilocybin could be used in preclinical research for affective disorders. The authors conclude that zebrafish hold promise for future preclinical studies of psychedelic drugs.
A strong preference for natural over synthetic sources exists among users of psilocybin (75%), DMT (56%), and mescaline (56%), based on an anonymous online survey of 6,379 consumers from 85 countries. About half of respondents (50.8%) believe the source affects a psychedelic's psychological and physiological effects, while 34.4% are neutral. Despite preferring natural sources, 67.7% would switch to synthetic alternatives if it reduced environmental harm from overharvesting. The survey's respondents came mainly from anglophone regions.