Psilocybin and the Evolutionary Significance of Altered Neural States: Interaction-Based Perspectives Beyond Deterrence Models
January 28, 2026 Philip Rebensburg
Psilocybin, a psychoactive compound produced by certain fungi, may have evolved not as a simple deterrent against insects but as a molecule that alters neural and behavioral states to influence ecological interactions. The author argues that deterrence-based explanations fail to account for the compound's biosynthetic cost, its conserved effects on serotonin systems across species, and its patchy distribution across fungi. Comparing psilocybin to related tryptamines like DMT, which appear across fungi, plants, and animals, reveals convergent evolutionary patterns. The synthesis proposes an interaction-based framework where such compounds modulate organism–environment relationships through transient neural changes, offering testable predictions for future research.