Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
September 7, 2024
Zhen Xuen Brandon Low, Wei Shen Ng, Bey Hing Goh et al.
19 citations
A systematic review of 40 preclinical studies found that classical psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, and DMT can reduce inflammation. In 29 of 36 studies measuring inflammatory cytokines, at least one cytokine decreased after psychedelic administration. Effects on immune cell activity were mixed, with half of 10 studies showing an increase and half a decrease. The compounds alleviated pre-existing inflammation but promoted inflammation when given under normal conditions. These findings may guide future clinical trials on psychedelics for inflammatory conditions.
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
June 20, 2026
Zhen Xuen Brandon Low
Autism Spectrum Disorder involves social-communication deficits, cognitive rigidity, and atypical sensory processing, with current drugs providing only limited relief. Dysregulated serotonin signaling, impaired neuroplasticity, and chronic neuroimmune activation are central features. Serotonergic psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD, which act as 5-HT2A receptor agonists, may relax overly rigid cortical priors, reopen critical periods for social learning, and recalibrate neural circuits. They enhance synaptic plasticity via BDNF and mTOR signaling, modulate cortical oscillations, and suppress neuroinflammation. Systems-level frameworks suggest these compounds induce less constrained brain states that counteract hyper-segregated connectivity in ASD. Preclinical and early human studies report improvements in sociability, sensory responsiveness, and behavioral flexibility, but rigorous clinical trials are needed to establish safety and efficacy.