Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
June 19, 2018
David Erritzøe, Leor Roseman, Matthew M. Nour et al.
268 citations
In patients with treatment-resistant depression, psilocybin therapy was associated with a decrease in neuroticism and increases in extraversion and openness three months later. These personality shifts moved toward normative population averages and were predicted by the degree of insight experienced during the psilocybin session. Conscientiousness showed trend-level increases, while agreeableness did not change. The pattern partly resembles changes seen with conventional antidepressants, but the pronounced rises in extraversion and openness may be more specific to psychedelic therapy.
The British Journal of Psychiatry
January 27, 2012
Robin Carhart‐Harris, Robert Leech, Tom A. Williams et al.
241 citations
Psilocybin, a classic psychedelic drug, may enhance the vividness and visual imagery of positive autobiographical memories. In a small study of ten healthy participants, functional magnetic resonance imaging scans showed that under psilocybin, compared to placebo, recollection of positive memories produced additional visual and sensory cortical activations in the late phase of recall. Participants also rated memories as more vivid and visually rich after psilocybin, and higher vividness correlated with greater subjective wellbeing at follow-up. These findings suggest psilocybin could be useful in psychotherapy for facilitating recall of salient memories or reversing negative cognitive biases.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 9, 2015
Samuel Turton, D.j. Nutt, Robin Carhart‐Harris
48 citations
An analysis of the subjective experiences of psilocybin administered intravenously in an MRI scanner found effects consistent with prior reports on psilocybin's subjective effects. The article documents these phenomena and suggests further research is needed to explore the identified experiences.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
April 4, 2025
Claudio Agnorelli, Kate Godfrey, Gabriela Sawicka et al.
32 citations
Classic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, N,N-DMT) and non-classic psychedelics (ketamine, MDMA) enhance neuroplasticity—the nervous system's ability to adapt—through molecular, structural, and functional changes. Animal studies indicate these drugs induce meta-plasticity (heightened sensitivity to environmental stimuli) and hyper-plasticity (re-opening developmental windows for long-term structural changes), with implications for mood and behavior. Translating these findings to humans faces challenges due to limitations in current imaging techniques, but promising new directions include novel PET radioligands, non-invasive brain stimulation, and multimodal approaches. This review informs the development of targeted interventions for neuropsychiatric disorders.