Psychedelic-induced behavioral and developmental effects on zebrafish: a systematic review.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry October 20, 2025 Arthur L. De Oliveira, Danielle P. De Oliveira, Rafael G. Dos Santos et al.
A systematic review of 13 studies examined the developmental toxicity and behavioral effects of psychedelics in zebrafish. Substances included ayahuasca, DMT, ibogaine, LSD, MDMA, mescaline, noribogaine, psilocybin, and psilocin. Overall, psychedelics did not cause morphological abnormalities in embryo-larvae, though ayahuasca induced edemas and increased mortality at high concentrations. Ibogaine, MDMA, and LSD were linked to locomotor impairments after developmental exposure. DMT, psilocybin, and psilocin had anxiolytic effects on larvae, while LSD, MDMA, mescaline, and noribogaine reduced anxiety in adult fish. The findings suggest a safe toxicological profile at low concentrations, but whether they cause neurodevelopmental deficits in offspring remains unclear.