Toxics
February 3, 2023
Luis Alberto Henríquez‐hernández, Jaime Rojas‐hernández, Domingo Jesús Quintana Hernández et al.
21 citations
Psychedelics are being studied for clinical use, but their potential for harm at different doses remains uncertain. This review of 33 relevant studies found that psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin are effective at very low doses, are not addictive, and are harmful only at extremely high doses, with no established lethal dose for humans. MDMA appears to be the most dangerous, though reports are biased by recreational misuse. The authors conclude that for psychedelics, it is not only the dose but also the user's mindset and environment that determine risk.
Current Psychology
November 21, 2024
Jaime Rojas‐hernández, Lucas F. Borkel, Domingo Jesús Quintana Hernández et al.
6 citations
Psilocybin was the most used psychedelic in both Spanish and South American populations, but MDMA was more common in Spain (78.5% vs. 37.1%) while mescaline was more common in South America (31.9% vs. 24.0%), especially among males. MDMA was the most combined psychedelic in Spain, whereas LSD was most combined in South America, pointing to recreational use. DMT predicted the most adverse effects during consumption, and MDMA predicted the most adverse effects after consumption. Being under 30 years old more than doubled the risk of adverse effects. The findings indicate that cultural background influences psychedelic use patterns.
ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science
July 16, 2025
Tobías Fernández‐borkel, Lucas F. Borkel, Jaime Rojas‐hernández et al.
3 citations
A proposed randomized controlled trial aims to determine whether the subjective psychedelic experience caused by psilocybin is necessary for its antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depression, or whether neurobiological actions alone suffice. The protocol compares three groups: psilocybin while conscious, psilocybin under propofol-induced general anesthesia (which eliminates subjective experience), and anesthesia with placebo. Clinical assessments and fMRI measures of brain connectivity will be collected. The authors hypothesize that the conscious psilocybin group will show superior improvements in depression and anxiety, and that increased brain fractal complexity and entropy will correlate with therapeutic gains. The results could clarify the causal role of conscious experience in psychedelic therapy.