A study being published in the journal Pharmacology Research & Perspectives found that psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, “exhibits significant therapeutic potential in the treatment of epilepsy.”
Psilocybin mushrooms.
Researchers from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, and Tarbiat Modares University conducted experiments using mouse seizure models to evaluate psilocin’s effects. The study utilized the pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) test for clonic seizures and the maximal electroshock (MES) test for generalized tonic-clonic seizures, alongside electrophysiological recordings to assess neuronal activity.
The findings indicate that psilocin at a moderate dose (3 mg/kg, i.p.) exhibited anticonvulsant effects. The involvement of various biological pathways was tested using specific inhibitors and receptor modulators. The administration of 1-MT, L-NAME, naltrexone, sildenafil, and AM-251 reduced psilocin’s anticonvulsant effects, highlighting the roles of the kynurenine pathway, opioidergic and nitrergic systems, cGMP signaling, and CB1 receptor activity.
Western blot analysis revealed an upregulation of 5-HT1A receptors, while 5-HT2A expression remained unchanged. Additionally, IDO and CB1 receptor expression levels were downregulated following psilocin treatment.
“Acute administration of psilocin exerts anticonvulsant effects that might be mediated at least in part through the kynurenine pathway, opioidergic, serotonergic, and nitrergic systems”, states the study’s researchers.
The study concludes by stating:
The results of the present study revealed the anticonvulsant properties of psilocin in doses of 3 and 5 mg/kg in PTZ and MES seizure models in mice. We demonstrated that psilocin exerts its effects, possibly via modulating 5-HT1A and CB1 receptors, the NO/cGMP pathway, and the IDO enzyme. Our findings indicate that psilocin exhibits significant therapeutic potential in the treatment of epilepsy; however, these results should be treated cautiously and need to be validated by further studies.
