SynthesisJournal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)2025
Catalyst for change: Psilocybin's antidepressant mechanisms-A systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The subtle science: a systematic review of psilocybin magic mushroom and truffle microdosing.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Real-World Psilocybin Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Retrospective Observational Study.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRecent clinical trials suggest promising antidepressant effects of psilocybin, despite methodological challenges. While various studies have investigated distinct mechanisms and proposed theoretical opinions, a comprehensive understanding of psilocybin's neurobiological and psychological antidepressant mechanisms is lacking.
aimsSystematically review potential antidepressant neurobiological and psychological mechanisms of psilocybin.
methodsSearch terms were generated based on existing evidence of psilocybin's effects related to antidepressant mechanisms. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines, 15 studies were systematically reviewed, exploring various therapeutic change principles such as brain dynamics, emotion regulation, cognition, self-referential processing, connectedness, and interpersonal functioning.
resultsWithin a supportive setting, psilocybin promoted openness, cognitive and neural flexibility, and greater ability and acceptance of emotional experiences. A renewed sense of connectedness to the self, others, and the world emerged as a key experience. Imaging studies consistently found altered brain dynamics, characterized by reduced global and within default mode network connectivity, alongside increased between-network connectivity.
conclusionsTogether, these changes may create a fertile yet vulnerable window for change, emphasizing the importance of a supportive set, setting, and therapeutic guidance. The results suggest that psilocybin, within a supportive context, may induce antidepressant effects by leveraging the interplay between neurobiological mechanisms and common psychotherapeutic factors. This complements the view of purely pharmacological effects, supporting a multileveled approach that reflects various relevant dimensions of therapeutic change, including neurobiological, psychological, and environmental factors.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.