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Journal articleNutt DJ, Erritzoe D, Schlag A, et al., 2025,
A lexicon for psychedelic research and treatment
, Drug Science, Policy and Law, Vol: 11, ISSN: 2050-3245<jats:p>Psychedelics are undergoing a clinical research renaissance, with compounds such as psilocybin advancing to Phase 3 trials for treatment-resistant depression and receiving fast-track or breakthrough designations from regulatory agencies. Despite this progress, the field lacks standardized terminology to guide clinical development, dosing, safety monitoring, and regulatory classification. Here, we present a comprehensive framework for psychedelic nomenclature based on pharmacology, subjective effects, dosing, and therapeutic use. A pharmacological classification system is described, encompassing serotonergic, glutamatergic, kappaergic, GABAergic, and atypical psychedelics. Dose-dependent categories—microdose, minidose, mididose, and macrodose—are introduced to standardize the description of dosing levels and intended subjective effects. We also standardize vague terms like “short-acting” or “long-acting” with specific pharmacokinetic parameters, including route, onset, and duration of action. Safety considerations are also explored, particularly cardiovascular and psychological effects, and we discuss the need for risk mitigation protocols in higher-risk compounds like ibogaine. The evolving role of psychotherapy in psychedelic treatment is also examined, proposing terminology to distinguish between “psychedelic therapy” and varying levels of psychological support. A three-phase treatment model—preparation, dosing, and integration—is recommended as a minimum standard for safe and effective care. The lack of comparative research on psychotherapy modalities in psychedelic therapy is identified as a critical gap. Ultimately, a standardized lexicon and clinical framework will support clearer communication, improved trial design, and more equitable access as psychedelic therapies move toward widespread clinical use.</jats:p>
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Journal articleGodfrey K, Douglass H, Erritzoe D, et al., 2025,
The role of GABA, glutamate, and Glx levels in treatment of major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis
, PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY, Vol: 141, ISSN: 0278-5846 -
Journal articleAngyus M, Osborn S, Haijen E, et al., 2025,
Validation of the Imperial Psychedelic Predictor Scale (vol 54, pg 3539, 2024)
, PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE, Vol: 55, ISSN: 0033-2917 -
Journal articlePurple RJ, Gupta R, Thomas CW, et al., 2025,
Short- and long-term modulation of rat prefrontal cortical activity following single doses of psilocybin
, MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY, ISSN: 1359-4184- Cite
- Citations: 1
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Journal articleRosas De Andraca FE, Gutknecht A, Mediano P, et al., 2025,
Characterising high-order interdependence via entropic conjugation
, Communications Physics, Vol: 8, ISSN: 2399-3650High-order phenomena are pervasive across complex systems, yet their formal characterisation remains a formidable challenge. The literature provides various information-theoretic quantities that capture high-order interdependencies, but their conceptual foundations and mutual relationships are not well understood. The lack of unifying principles underpinning these quantities impedes a principled selection of appropriate analytical tools for guiding applications. Here we introduce entropic conjugation as a formal principle to investigate the space of possible high-order measures, which clarifies the nature of the existent high-order measures while revealing gaps in the literature. Additionally, entropic conjugation leads to notions of symmetry and skew-symmetry which serve as key indicators ensuring a balanced account of high-order interdependencies. Our analyses highlight the O-information as the unique skew-symmetric measure whose estimation cost scales linearly with system size, which spontaneously emerges as a natural axis of variation among high-order quantities in real-world and simulated systems.
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Journal articleZeifman R, Danias G, Agin-Liebes G, et al., 2025,
Psychedelic Therapy, Positive Emotional Experiences, and the Central Role of Self-Compassion.
, Res SqBACKGROUND: Psychedelics can acutely induce mystical experiences and elevated positive mood, which may contribute to the potential benefits of psychedelic therapy. However, there remains limited understanding of the occurrence and importance of specific positive emotional experiences within psychedelic therapy. Therefore, we examined the effects of psychedelics on positive emotional experiences and their association with improvements in mental health. METHODS: Study 1 was an observational study of naturalistic psychedelic use. Study 2 used data from a clinical trial that compared psilocybin with escitalopram in individuals with major depressive disorder. In this trial, participants completed two dosing sessions, where they received either 25mg or 1mg of psilocybin. In both studies, following their psychedelic experience or psilocybin dosing sessions, participants rated their acute experiences of seven specific positive emotional experiences (self-compassion, compassion toward others, gratitude, love, awe, ecstasy, and peace). RESULTS: Relative to low-dose psychedelic, medium and high-dose psychedelic use were associated with greater positive emotional experiences. Relative to 1mg psilocybin, 25mg psilocybin was associated with greater positive emotional experiences. Several positive emotional experiences predicted improvements in mental health and mediated treatment outcomes, with the strongest evidence for the effect of self-compassion (over and above mystical experience and positive mood). DISCUSSION: Positive emotional experiences, especially self-compassion, appear to play an important role within psychedelic therapy. Based on these findings, we highlight key considerations surrounding psychotherapeutic approaches to, and optimization of, psychedelic therapy. Future research should move beyond retrospective, self-reports of emotional experiences to fully capture their role within psychedelic therapy.
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Journal articleKanen J, Luppi A, Luo Q, et al., 2025,
97. NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL EVIDENCE FROM REINFORCEMENT LEARNING CONVERGE IN SUPPORT OF RELAXED BELIEFS UNDER LSD
, International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, Vol: 28, Pages: ii82-ii82, ISSN: 1461-1457<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>The REBUS (RElaxed Beliefs Under pSychedelics) and the anarchic brain model of psychedelic drug action proposes that confidence in beliefs – and thus expectations (priors) – are relaxed under these drugs. The brain makes inferences to minimize surprise, or discrepant expectations and outcomes (prediction error [PE]), and better model the world. We recently showed that the non-specific 5-HT2A receptor agonist LSD heightened sensitivity to PEs, reflected by speeded updating of value representations following better and worse than expected outcomes. Indeed, events that are surprising are inherently less expected. There is evidence that LSD produces ego dissolution that is positively correlated with disintegration of the default mode network (DMN), assessed using resting state functional connectivity (RSFC), and is correlated inversely with alpha oscillatory power. The DMN has been proposed to be a seat at the ego’s table and decreased alpha power has been posited to reflect relaxation of the cognitive hierarchy, mediated by 5-HT2A receptors on deep layer V pyramidal neurons in cortex.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Aims & Objectives</jats:title> <jats:p>Here we aim to demonstrate neural correlates of an objective, behaviorally derived marker of REBUS. Greater speed at which choice value increased following a reward PE – higher reward learning rates (RLRs) – was operationalized as enhanced sensitivity to surprise. We tested whether medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) RSFC within the DMN – a region often associated with value – and diminished alpha power correlated significantly with the RLR.</jats:p> </jats:sec>
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Journal articleBlest-Hopley G, Pasculli G, Ruffell SGD, et al., 2025,
Improved mental health outcomes and normalized spontaneous EEG activity in veterans reporting a history of Traumatic Head Injuries following participation in a psilocybin retreat
, Frontiers in Psychiatry, ISSN: 1664-0640Introduction Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, has shown therapeutic potential in treating mental health disorders by, amongst the many effects, promoting neuroplasticity and reorganizing functional connectivity across cortical and subcortical networks involved in emotion and cognition. Veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often experience chronic neurological and psychological symptoms such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. This study investigates the effects of psilocybin administered in retreat settings on veterans with a history of TBI, focusing on mental health outcomes and changes in brain connectivity as measured by EEG. Methods A total of 21 participants were recruited through the Heroic Hearts Project, which facilitated access to two six-day psilocybin retreats in Jamaica. Before the retreat, participants underwent three individual and three group coaching sessions to prepare for the experience. During the retreat, two psilocybin ceremonies were held, spaced 48 hours apart. Participants received an initial dose of 1.5g to 3.5g of dried psilocybin mushrooms, with the option to increase the second dose up to 5g. Psilocybin was administered in a tea format, under the supervision of experienced facilitators. Psychological outcomes were assessed using validated questionnaires (PCL-5, PHQ-9, STAI) at baseline (four weeks pre-retreat) and four weeks post-retreat. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to measure brainwave activity pre- and post-treatment. Paired t-tests were used to analyze changes in psychological scores, while EEG frequency band analysis assessed changes in brain function and connectivity. ResultsImprovements were observed across several mental health measures: PTSD (PCL-5 scores decreased by 50%, p=0.010), depression (PHQ-9 scores decreased by 65%, p<0.001), and anxiety (STAI scores decreased by 28%, p<0.001). EEG data showed decreased delta and theta power in frontal and temporal regions, indicating po
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Journal articleSocoro-Garrigosa M, Perl YS, Kringelbach ML, et al., 2025,
Perturbing whole-brain models of brain hierarchy: An application for depression following pharmacological treatment
, ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, Vol: 1550, Pages: 255-272, ISSN: 0077-8923 -
Journal articleBailey NW, Hill AT, Godfrey K, et al., 2025,
Experienced meditators show greater forward traveling cortical alpha wave strengths
, ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, Vol: 1550, Pages: 173-190, ISSN: 0077-8923- Cite
- Citations: 1
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