Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews
October 1, 2023
Omer A Syed, Benjamin Tsang, Robert Gerlai
7 citations
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.
npj Mental Health Research
November 8, 2023
Omer A. Syed, Benjamin Tsang
4 citations
Microdosing psilocybin, taking roughly a tenth of a full psychedelic dose, is becoming increasingly popular. These sub-perceptual doses cause no psychedelic effects, but anecdotal reports suggest they improve mental wellbeing, boost creativity, attention, and sociability, and treat low mood and anxiety. Recent self-report survey studies demonstrate overwhelmingly positive effects of microdosing on users' mental health.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
May 9, 2025
Rotem Petranker, Benjamin Tsang, Omer A. Syed
3 citations
A narrative review of 12 studies on microdosing LSD, psilocybin, or DMT in rats, mice, and zebrafish found that microdosing caused little change in behaviors related to anxiety- and depressive-like states. The practice was well-tolerated across species, but specific safety concerns remain unaddressed. The authors recommend future research prioritize replication of existing findings, standardize methodologies, explore mescaline microdosing, examine sex-dependent effects, and extend studies to models of obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Headache
February 1, 2026
Faraidoon Haghdoost, Dilara Bahceci, Candice Delcourt et al.
Many people with cluster headache lack effective treatments. An online survey of 202 Australian adults with cluster headache found that 35% rated their treatments as not at all or somewhat ineffective, and 27% reported only partial effectiveness. The main treatment challenges were ineffectiveness (74%), side effects (54%), cost (53%), and access difficulties (39%). Among participants, 62% expressed interest in joining future clinical trials, with psilocybin being the highest-ranked treatment (66% very interested), followed by combination therapies (84% very interested or interested). The findings highlight inadequate treatment options and a strong patient interest in research, particularly on psilocybin and combination therapies.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
January 24, 2026
Omer A. Syed, Benjamin Tsang, Sean M. Nestor et al.
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) shows a large and significant antidepressant effect in treating major depressive disorder, based on a meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials involving 522 participants. Larger effects were associated with bodyweight-adjusted dosing, longer preparation, dosing, and integration sessions, and non-manualized psychotherapy, though subgroup differences were not statistically significant. The review provides preliminary guidance for clinicians designing PAT protocols.