Magic Mushrooms Without the Hallucinations

Scientists are exploring a new way to harness the medical promise of psychedelic compounds without the mind-bending side effects.

Researchers created modified versions of psilocin — the active form of psilocybin from “magic mushrooms” — that still target key serotonin pathways linked to depression and other brain disorders but appear to cause far fewer psychedelic-like effects.

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Ketamine for Depression

A new brain-imaging study has revealed how ketamine produces its fast antidepressant effects in people with treatment-resistant depression.

Researchers tracked changes in a critical brain receptor that helps neurons communicate and found that ketamine reshapes its activity in specific brain regions tied to mood and reward.

These shifts strongly matched improvements in patients’ symptoms. The findings could help scientists develop better ways to predict who will benefit from ketamine therapy.

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