F1000Research
March 28, 2013
Teri Suzanne Krebs, Pål-ørjan Johansen
125 citations
In 2010, about 32 million people in the United States had used psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, or peyote at least once in their lives. Among those aged 21 to 64, 17% reported lifetime use, with 22% of males and 12% of females. The highest rate of use occurred in people aged 30 to 34, where 20% had used psychedelics, including 26% of men and 15% of women. These estimates come from a national survey of 57,873 individuals aged 12 and older.
F1000Research
January 1, 2019
Helané Wahbeh, Cedric Cannard, Jennifer Okonsky et al.
21 citations
In a controlled experiment with 13 healthy adult trance channels, voice recordings showed increased arousal and power differences in specific frequency bins when participants read a story in a channeling state compared to a no-channeling state. However, electroencephalography, electrocardiography, galvanic skin response, and respiration measures did not differ significantly between the two states, despite participants reporting distinct subjective experiences. The findings suggest that while voice parameters may reflect the channeling experience, other physiological measures do not capture it. Future research should explore alternative measures such as EEG connectivity, fMRI, and biomarkers.
F1000Research
September 23, 2021
Kevin Mckernan, Liam T. Kane, Yvonne Helbert et al.
10 citations
The Psilocybe genus produces psychoactive compounds like psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, and aeruginascin. The widespread ability to synthesize psilocybin is thought to come from a horizontal gene transfer of a ~20Kb gene cassette. A new high-quality reference genome from long-read sequencing revealed variation in this cassette and enabled shotgun sequencing of spores from many strains. Here, 81 new Psilocybe genomes were assembled and compared to the P. envy reference. Surprisingly, Psilocybe galindoi, Psilocybe tampanensis, and Psilocybe azurescens lack sequence coverage for the known synthesis pathway but show amino acid homology to an alternative pathway, suggesting convergent evolution of psilocybin synthesis.
F1000Research
June 15, 2021
Kevin Mckernan, Liam T. Kane, Seth Crawford et al.
10 citations
The genome of the psychoactive Psilocybe cubensis mushroom was assembled using high-fidelity single molecule sequencing. The genome is 46.6 megabases in size, has a guanine-cytosine content of 46%, and is arranged in 32 contigs with an N50 of 3.3 megabases. Completeness assessment shows 97.6% of conserved genes are present, with 1.2% duplicated. The psilocybin synthesis cluster is contained within a single 3.2 megabase contig. The genome data are publicly available through NCBI BioProject under accessions PRJNA687911 and PRJNA700437.
F1000Research
March 15, 2021
Prinya Musikaphongsakul, Kimheang Ya, Pakpoom Subsoontorn et al.
6 citations
A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model predicts concentrations of psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, in plasma and brain after intravenous and oral administration in rats and humans. The model, built from three published studies, uses seven organ compartments and shows good overall agreement with observed data, though oral doses are under-predicted and intravenous doses over-predicted. This tool may help design safer dosing regimens for therapeutic use.
F1000Research
July 22, 2021
Vivian Siegel, Benjamin Emmert-Aronson
5 citations
A structured, partnered meditative practice involving manual clitoral stimulation can trigger mystical-type experiences in both participants. In a survey of 780 practitioners recalling a single powerful session, 62% reported a complete mystical experience as measured by the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30), with an average total score of 3.35. A separate study of 56 partnered pairs found 23% reported a complete mystical experience, with an average score of 3.21. The experience was strongly correlated between partners, and the role of stroker or strokee also influenced the reported intensity. Whether the brain activity during this practice resembles that of other mystical experiences remains unknown.
F1000Research
January 10, 2025
Brandon M. Brooks, Francisco J. Cordero, Stephen L. Alchermes et al.
3 citations
Social pain—emotional distress from harm to social connections, such as exclusion or rejection—can intensify physical pain. This systematic review of 14 randomized controlled trials found that acetaminophen, deceptive and open-label placebos, mindfulness training, and psilocybin reduce social pain. Combining acetaminophen with forgiveness was more effective than either alone. Pharmacological interventions target neural pathways shared by physical and social pain. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological options are available for reducing social pain.
F1000Research
April 9, 2021
Kevin Mckernan, Liam T. Kane, Seth Crawford et al.
3 citations
Using high-fidelity single molecule sequencing, the genome of the psychoactive Psilocybe cubensis mushroom was assembled. The genome is 46.6 megabases in size, has a guanine-cytosine content of 46%, and is organized into 32 contigs with an N50 of 3.3 megabases. Completeness assessment shows 97.6% of conserved orthologs are present, with 1.2% duplicated. The psilocybin synthesis cluster is located on a single 3.2 megabase contig. The assembled genome sequence is publicly available through NCBI BioProject under accessions PRJNA687911 and PRJNA700437.
F1000Research
January 1, 2024
Nigel A Shaw
2 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are profound mental events occurring near biological death, often explained materialistically as hallucinations. Recent animal and clinical studies report a surge of high-frequency electroencephalogram (EEG) activity, specifically gamma-band activity (GBA), around the time of death, when cortical activity is otherwise low. This perimortem GBA burst has been proposed as the neural basis of NDE. This study examines three questions: whether standard GBA is contaminated by muscle artifacts, whether NDE-mimicking agents also involve GBA, and whether the surge originates subcortically (in the amygdala) and is recorded at the cortex via volume conduction. The authors conclude that while the GBA surge is genuine and intriguing, evidence does not support it as the neurobiological foundation for NDE.
F1000Research
June 25, 2021
Helané Wahbeh, Nina Fry, Paolo Speirn et al.
2 citations
Noetic experiences—inner wisdom, direct knowing, or intuition—are often kept private due to cultural taboos, despite growing evidence they may be real. An online survey of 521 English-speaking adults worldwide collected demographic data and four open-ended questions about such experiences. Thematic analysis identified five main themes: Ways of Engagement, Ways of Knowing, Types of Information, Ways of Affecting, and Ways of Expressing. Common codes included sharing with others, impacting decision-making, intuition or just knowing, meditation or hypnosis, inner visions, setting intentions, healing others, writing for self, and inner voice. Future research aims to explore these themes and develop standardized evaluation methods to inform curricula and therapies.