Biological Psychiatry
February 1, 2026
Jin Zhang, Cong Lin, Xinyou Lv et al.
1 citation
Classic psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT modulate neuroplasticity and metaplasticity in the adult brain beyond their transient psychotropic effects. They activate serotonin 5-HT2A receptors and signaling cascades involving CaMKII, ERK, mTOR, and BDNF pathways, inducing synaptogenesis, dendritic spine remodeling, and immediate early gene transcription. The brain's extracellular matrix, particularly perineuronal nets (PNNs), regulates synaptic stability and is a key target of psychedelic action. Psychedelics transiently disrupt ECM integrity by loosening PNNs, reopening critical periods of plasticity and restoring circuit flexibility. These ECM-mediated metaplastic effects appear essential for sustained therapeutic outcomes in psychedelic-assisted therapy for depression, PTSD, addiction, and potentially neurodegenerative diseases.
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
July 24, 2025
Anjian Yang, Xinyou Lv, Hongshuang Wang et al.
1 citation
This viewpoint proposes that mysticism and fundamentalism can be understood as brain network disorders, where rigid neural patterns underlie inflexible belief systems. Psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, and DMT may disrupt these patterns, potentially increasing cognitive flexibility and challenging dogmatic thinking. The authors suggest this modulation could have therapeutic applications for extremism and certain mental health conditions, though the argument remains theoretical and not empirically tested.
ACS pharmacology & translational science
September 12, 2025
Junjie Zhang, Xiubo Du, Xinying Li et al.
Controlled reductions in oxygen availability—whether through psychedelics, near-death experiences, meditation, holotropic breathwork, or hypoxia therapies—may trigger calcium signaling pathways that promote synaptogenesis and the formation of new neural circuits. This process could enable functional rerouting rather than restoring damaged connections, supporting cognitive resilience and behavioral compensation in conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and psychiatric disorders. Terminal lucidity in late-stage dementia may be driven by transient hypoxia, highlighting the brain's latent capacity for rapid reorganization. Integrating insights from psychedelic research, hypoxia-based therapies, and neuroplasticity studies suggests a unifying framework that leverages altered oxygen homeostasis as a novel therapeutic strategy for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases.