Psilocybin – Summary of knowledge and new perspectives

This review (2014) provides a history of psilocybin and a summary of its pharmacology within humans and animals, its psychedelic effects as measured via neuroimaging and psychometric assessments, whilst highlighting its potential for both therapy and abuse.

Abstract

“Psilocybin, a psychoactive alkaloid contained in hallucinogenic mushrooms, is nowadays given a lot of attention in the scientific community as a research tool for modeling psychosis as well as due to its potential therapeutic effects. However, it is also a very popular and frequently abused natural hallucinogen. This review summarizes all the past and recent knowledge on psilocybin. It briefly deals with its history, discusses the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and compares its action in humans and animals. It attempts to describe the mechanism of psychedelic effects and objectify its action using modern imaging and psychometric methods. Finally, it describes its therapeutic and abuse potential.”

Authors: Filip Tylš, Tomáš Páleníček & Jiří Horáček