Psychedelics and anesthetics create mirror image patterns in the brain

A new study offers a data-driven approach to differentiating conscious state

Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

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For something so familiar to human experience, consciousness is still a mystery.

Each day, people cycle through wakefulness and sleep, from a higher level of consciousness to a lower one.

What’s more, some people alter their conscious experience with drugs such as psychedelics, or have unconsciousness induced by anesthesia.

Researchers have investigated these altered states of awareness in an attempt to understand how consciousness is organized within the brain.

A new Michigan Medicine led study takes a data driven approach and for the first time reveals that psychedelics and anesthetics create “mirror image” patterns of large-scale brain organization, with opposite network features.

The team, led by Rui Dai, Ph.D., and Zirui Huang, Ph.D., of the Department of Anesthesiology and Center for Consciousness Science at Michigan Medicine, analyzed functional MRI data from study participants who were administered psychedelic compounds—LSD, psilocybin and nitrous oxide—and compared them to readouts of MRIs of the brain in a sleeping state or under sedation with propofol.

“In previous literature, each individual drug’s influence on brain connectivity was analyzed separately,” said Dai.

“To our knowledge, no one has systematically assessed these two drug classes to compare network organization compared to waking consciousness.”

Specifically, the team observed that psychedelics increased functional connectivity (how closely two brain regions work together), while sleep and anesthesia reduced it.

The same pattern held for topological integration, meaning how easily information travels across the brain, and for interaction complexity, or the number of different patterns of brain interaction that can be observed.

“Overall, these results mean that during psychedelic states, the brain becomes more globally connected, more efficient in communication and more dynamic, while anesthetic states are the opposite,” said Dai.

Furthermore, their results offer a reliable way to differentiate conscious states using data.

The neural mechanism of consciousness is a longstanding scientific question, adds Huang, who is Director of the Center for Consciousness Science at University of Michigan Medical School.

“We analyze it using drugs because we know they will affect consciousness in some way, but we don’t know how. The mirror-image effect discovered by this study suggests that the integration, efficiency, and complexity of brain activity may be fundamental to consciousness.”

Additional authors: Hyunwoo Jang, Anthony G. Hudetz and George Mashour

Paper cited: “Opposite network patterns of integration-segregation in psychedelic and sedated states of consciousness,” Cell Reports. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117830

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Journal

Cell Reports

DOI

10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117830 

 

New Zealand approves party-drug MDMA for treating patients with PTSD

Copyright AP Photo

By Simon Ormiston

Published on 04/09/2026 - EURONEWS

Two psychiatrists in New Zealand can now prescribe MDMA in controlled clinical settings, built on trial results that have been challenged in the US.

Two New Zealand psychiatrists have won approval to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to patients with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, making the country only the second in the world - after Australia in 2023 - to authorise the party drug for clinical use

New Zealand's medicines regulator, Medsafe, granted the approvals to Wellington's Dr Gary Wynn and Auckland's Dr Tom Paterson, who spent more than a year passing the regulatory process.

"PTSD ruins lives and is difficult to treat," said Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, who last year backed a similar approval for psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, to treat severe depression.

"MDMA can be very effective at treating it through psychedelic-assisted therapy," he said, adding that New Zealand remains committed to opening access to "innovative treatments."

PTSD develops after a person experiences or is threatened by traumatic events such as combat, sexual assault or sudden death.

Existing pharmaceutical options in most countries are limited to two antidepressants that can take three months to take effect and produce uneven results.

The evidence behind the approval — and why the US said no

The approval draws on evidence from two pivotal international Phase 3 trials, run by the US-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and sponsored by its public benefit corporation arm Lykos Therapeutics.

In the first, published in 2021, 88% of participants with severe PTSD who received MDMA-assisted therapy showed clinically significant improvement, and 67% no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.

A second trial in 2023, involving participants with moderate-to-severe PTSD, found 71.2% of those treated with MDMA no longer met PTSD diagnostic criteria by the end of the study.

Despite those results, the US Food and Drug Administration rejected the therapy's approval in 2024, citing insufficient evidence of its safety and effectiveness.

Regulators raised concerns that participants who had taken MDMA before produced an expectancy bias, complicating the trial data.

New Zealand's Ministry of Health said the new treatment would be tightly controlled, combining MDMA with psychotherapy in a clinical setting rather than take-home doses.

"Treatment takes place in a controlled clinical setting under the care of an authorised psychiatrist and forms part of a comprehensive treatment plan," the ministry said, adding that patients must be aged 18 or older.

 

New study shows that psychedelic drugs affect the brain differently

LSD, psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs are often considered as one group. But a new study shows that each drug affects the brain differently. The findings could have implications for the development of future treatments for mental health disorders

University of Southern Denmark Faculty of Health Sciences

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Long term effects as seen in brain scans on rats

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Credit: Mikael Palner, University of Southern Denmark

In recent years, psychedelic drugs have attracted growing interest as potential treatments for conditions including depression, anxiety and addiction. Although these drugs are often considered as one group, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark have now shown that they affect the brain in markedly different ways. The findings are based on brain scans in rats and suggest that the differences between psychedelic drugs may be greater than previously assumed.

The differences can be seen directly in the brain

Previous studies have mainly investigated one psychedelic drug at a time. In the new study, the researchers directly compared three drugs: LSD, psilocybin and 2C-B, a synthetic drug with psychedelic properties.

The researchers examined how the drugs changed brain activity, both while the drugs were active and one week later.

The results showed that each drug produced its own distinct pattern. Only a few changes were shared across all three drugs.

-Psychedelic drugs are often discussed as if they work in the same way. But when we look at the brain, the differences are clear. Each drug appears to affect its own networks, and that is new knowledge, says Mikael Palner, Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Research at the University of Southern Denmark and senior author of the study.

More than one type of psychedelic drug

The researchers found that the three psychedelic drugs changed brain activity in different ways. 2C-B and LSD produced the most changes while the drugs were active, but the researchers also found different effects after the acute effects of the drugs had worn off.

-What is interesting is that the differences do not only appear while the drugs are active. We can also see different traces in the brain afterwards. 2C-B mainly affected areas linked to reward, LSD affected areas linked to habits and motivation, while psilocybin stood out by primarily affecting areas involved in emotions, says Frederik Gudmundsen, first author of the study. Gudmundsen completed his PhD at the University of Southern Denmark and is now a postdoc at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Aarhus University.

This does not necessarily mean that one drug is better than another. But the findings suggest that psychedelic drugs may not be best understood as a single group when they are being investigated as medicines.

-If the drugs affect the brain differently, it is also possible that they may eventually prove better suited to different disorders. We do not know that yet, but our study provides a biological starting point for investigating it, explains Mikael Palner.

A step towards more targeted treatments

Interest in psychedelic medicines has grown considerably in recent years. Several drugs are currently being investigated in clinical trials for conditions including depression, PTSD and addiction.

The new study does not tell us whether the drugs work in patients. But it gives researchers a better understanding of what happens in the brain when different psychedelic drugs are active. This knowledge could become important if future treatments are to be more closely tailored to individual disorders.

The researchers also emphasise that the findings come from experiments in rats. Studies in humans are therefore needed before it is possible to say whether the same differences are also relevant to the treatment of patients.

Three questions for the researcher about the study

What did you investigate in the study?

We investigated whether three psychedelic drugs affect the brain in the same way or whether each drug has its own distinct effects.

What is the most important finding?

That LSD, psilocybin and 2C-B affect the brain differently, even though they all produce psychedelic effects.

What could the findings be used for?

The findings could contribute to the more targeted development of psychedelic medicines and help researchers investigate whether different drugs may be better suited to different mental health disorders.

About the study

Method

The researchers compared LSD, psilocybin and 2C-B in rats using PET scans and measurements of brain activity and connections between different brain regions. Brain activity was studied both during the acute effects of the drugs and one week later.

Funding

The study was supported by the Independent Research Fund Denmark, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Lundbeck Foundation, Neuroscience Academy Denmark and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The authors have also disclosed relevant potential conflicts of interest. Mikael Palner holds shares in Compass Pathways and AtaiBeckley. He has previously been involved in research collaborations with Compass Pathways, A7imuth, TetraKit, Arla, Cymap and Bright Minds Bio and is an adviser to BrandarisTx. None of these companies or relationships had any influence on the study.

 

5-HT2A-PET

Credit

Mikael Palner, University of Southern Denmark

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-026-75890-0 

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Serotonergic psychedelics induce distinct patterns of metabolic activity and covariance within biologically informed rat brain networks

 

Carilion Clinic researcher receives NIH award to study use of psychedelics to treat cocaine addiction

Initial award could grow to $3.5 million to support larger clinical research phase

Carilion Clinic

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Albert Arias, MD, chief of addiction psychiatry at Carilion Clinic, has received an award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to research how psilocybin, a psychedelic compound being studied for several psychiatric and substance use disorders, can offer a new approach for people with cocaine use disorder.

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Credit: Courtesy Carilion Clinic

Albert Arias, MD, chief of addiction psychiatry at Carilion Clinic, has received an award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to research how psilocybin, a psychedelic compound being studied for several psychiatric and substance use disorders, can offer a new approach for people with cocaine use disorder.

The initial $623,000 award is part of a phased project to evaluate whether psilocybin can help reduce cocaine use when administered in a carefully controlled clinical research setting combined with structured psychotherapy. Subsequent funding to support the larger clinical phase of the research could bring the total award to $3.5 million.

“Cocaine use disorder can have devastating consequences for patients, their families and communities, yet we still do not have an FDA-approved medication to treat it,” Arias said. “This study gives us an opportunity to rigorously investigate a promising but still experimental approach and determine whether it may ultimately have a role in helping patients reduce or stop cocaine use.”

The research comes amid growing scientific interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds. Previous research has suggested possible benefits of psychedelic-assisted treatment for conditions including alcohol and nicotine use disorders, but clinical research involving stimulant use disorders remains limited.

The first phase of research will examine safety, tolerability, feasibility, dosing, and early signals of efficacy. If successful, the project will move into a larger clinical trial designed to test efficacy and better understand why some patients may respond better than others.

The NIDA award expands Carilion’s growing research in addiction psychiatry and reflects the health system’s commitment to investigating new approaches for patients affected by substance use disorders.

“Research is especially important when patients and clinicians have limited treatment options,” Arias said. “Our goal is not to assume that psilocybin works, but to ask the question carefully, scientifically and safely. If we find evidence of benefit, it could provide the foundation for larger studies and, eventually, new treatment options.”

Carilion Clinic is a nationally recognized health system based in Roanoke, Va., advancing the health of communities in Virginia and surrounding states through comprehensive patient care, education and research. The health system includes 7 hospitals, more than 250 physician practices and a range of health and wellness services. Through partnerships with premier institutions such as Virginia Tech and Radford University, Carilion trains tomorrow's clinicians, discovers new treatments and techniques, and enhances patient care.

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Study shows sharp increase in rate of unintentional ingestions of recreational drugs among young children since 2000

Marijuana edible ingestions in the home drove dramatic rise over the last decade. Experts call for increased prevention efforts

Nationwide Children's Hospital

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(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – A new study reveals that unintentional ingestions of recreational drugs by young children have increased dramatically in the last 25 years. Researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center analyzed calls to U.S. poison centers and found that the recreational drug ingestion rate per 100,000 U.S. children younger than 6 years old increased 3,307% from 2000 to 2024, with a rapid increase beginning in 2013.

In a study published in BMC Public Health, researchers found 41,612 unintentional ingestions involving recreational drugs among children younger than 6 years reported to United States poison centers from 2000-2024. Most were among children younger than 3 years (58%), involved a single substance (96%), and occurred in a residence (96%).

“The recreational drug ingestion rate among children younger than 6 years reported to United States poison centers increased substantially over the study period, with increases especially pronounced for edible marijuana and psilocybin products,” said Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, senior author of the study and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s.  “Additional efforts are needed to prevent these unintentional ingestions among this vulnerable population, including education of parents and caregivers, promotion of safe storage practices, and implementation and enforcement of child safety-focused public policy.”

Although 51% of children experienced no or minor effects, 5% had a major effect (i.e. symptoms are life-threatening or result in significant disability or disfigurement). There were six deaths, all children younger than 3 years. Children younger than 3 years were more likely to experience a major effect, be medically admitted and specifically, admitted to a critical care unit than children 3-5 years old. The higher ingestion rate in children younger than 3 years is consistent with the younger age group’s developmental behaviors associated with increased mobility, exploration of the environment, and placing objects in the mouth.

Cannabinoids accounted for 85% of ingestions, with edible marijuana preparations representing almost half of all ingestions. The rate of cannabinoid ingestions increased by 2,349% from 2015 to 2024. This increase in cannabinoid ingestions was driven by the ingestion rate of marijuana edibles, which rapidly grew from 2013 (when the first marijuana edible ingestion was reported in this study) to 2024. Although the rate of marijuana edibles exceeded that of other preparations starting in 2019, the rate of the latter also increased by 1,460% from 2010 to 2024. This may, in part, be associated with growing state legalization of cannabis and increased availability of cannabis products in the home. Ingestion rates following cannabinoids were stimulants (8%), psychedelics (including psilocybin) (4%), opioids (3%), and dissociative agents (<1%). Ingestions involving opioids, stimulants, and dissociative agents were more likely to be admitted to a critical care unit than the other substance categories combined.

"Because almost all exposures in our study occurred in a residence, parent and child caregiver education should emphasize keeping recreational drugs out of the home, or at a minimum, stored up, away and out of sight and reach of children, preferably in a locked location,” said Hannah Hays, MD, co-author of the study and medical director of the Central Ohio Poison Center. “Adults should avoid using these products around young children, who naturally imitate adult behavior. Edible preparations of recreational drugs may be appealing to toddlers because they resemble candy or food, and they often contain multiple servings in one package.”

Prevention strategies for manufacturers and policy makers include requirements for opaque, child-resistant packaging with limits on the total dose contained in each serving and the number of servings per package, single-serving packaging, and appropriate labeling. Given the increase in legalization of cannabis and psilocybin for recreational and medical purposes, access to these products in the home by young children is likely to continue, underscoring the need for increased prevention efforts.

Data for this study were obtained from the National Poison Data System (NPDS), which is maintained by America’s Poison Centers. Poison centers receive phone calls through the national Poison Help Line (1-800-222-1222) and document information about the exposure, which is reported to the NPDS.

The Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital works globally to reduce injury-related pediatric death and disabilities. With innovative research at its core, CIRP works to continually improve the scientific understanding of the epidemiology, biomechanics, prevention, acute treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries. CIRP serves as a pioneer by translating cutting edge injury research into education, policy, and advances in clinical care. For related injury prevention materials or to learn more about CIRP, visit www.injurycenter.org. Follow CIRP on Instagram @CIRPatNCH.

The Central Ohio Poison Center (COPC) provides state-of-the-art poison prevention, assessment, and treatment to residents in 64 of Ohio’s 88 counties. The center’s services are available to the public, medical professionals, industry, and human service agencies. COPC handles more than 42,000 poison exposure calls annually, and confidential, free emergency poisoning treatment advice is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week. To learn more about COPC, visit www.bepoisonsmart.org. Follow COPC on Facebook Facebook.com/CentralOhioPoisonCenter.

About The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-26 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child.  Integrated clinical and research programs are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s faculty train the next generation of pediatricians, scientists and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities in the U.S., supporting basic, clinical, translational, behavioral and population health research. The AWRI is comprised of multidisciplinary Centers of Emphasis paired with advanced infrastructure supporting capabilities such as technology commercialization for discoveries; gene- and cell-based therapies; and genome sequencing and analysis. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org/Research.

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Journal

BMC Public Health

DOI

10.1186/s12889-026-28233-z 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Unintentional ingestion of recreational drugs among young children, 2000–2024

Article Publication Date

27-Aug-2026

 

Study finds sustained benefit for people using Oregon psilocybin services

OHSU-led research is the largest study of psychedelics outside clinical trials

Oregon Health & Science University

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People participating in an Oregon Health & Science University-led study of state-regulated psilocybin services reported relief from symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder — with almost two-thirds declaring the experience to be among the most meaningful of their life.

The findings, published today in the journal JAMA Network Open, represent the first multisite study of the legalized psilocybin market approved by Oregon voters in 2020.

“Safety was very similar to what we’ve seen with psychedelics in clinical settings,” said lead author Todd Korthuis, M.D., professor of medicine (general internal medicine and geriatrics) in the OHSU School of Medicine. “That’s important because there was a big question around whether or not safety in carefully controlled psilocybin clinical trials would translate into real-world use.”

Oregon voters approved a non-medical wellness model, making state-licensed access to mind-altering “magic mushrooms” available for people aged 21 and older starting in 2023.

Senior co-author Adrianne R. Wilson-Poe, Ph.D., a scientist at the Legacy Research Institute and, with Korthuis, co-director of the Oregon Psychedelic Evaluation Nexis, noted that participants reported lasting benefits with few adverse events.

“This paper is going to be cited for decades,” she said. “This is the first large-scale study to monitor the safety and mental health symptoms of real people in the real world.”

The study enlisted 346 people who joined licensed facilitators for a single session using psilocybin between November 2024 and June 2026. Participants reported their state of mind at baseline, one week, one month and three months after single psilocybin sessions at 24 licensed service centers in Oregon.

Participants reported their experience through a web-based portal, with 90% continuing to do so through three months. Key findings:

• At one month, 91.5% felt they benefited and 64.9% ranked the experience among the 10 most meaningful of their life.
• At three months, participants reported decreased moderate-to-severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. They also reported improved mental wellbeing and life satisfaction.
• Few reported their experience as harmful, although four who used psilocybin for the first time experienced adverse behavioral reactions that required medical attention. No participants reported a serious event related to their physical health.

The findings will be presented today as part of a Psychedelic Innovation Summit in Portland co-hosted by OHSU and the Healing Advocacy Fund.

“These early results reveal psilocybin’s potential to improve health in people accessing these services here in Oregon,” said OHSU President Shereef Elnahal, M.D., M.B.A., who previously served as undersecretary of health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  “The study also provides important insight for policymakers considering programs that permit psychedelics for the treatment of mental health conditions, including PTSD and substance use disorders affecting America’s military Veterans.”

High safety profile

Korthuis noted that psilocybin isn’t appropriate for people with psychosis, bipolar disorder or who are pregnant. However, he was struck by the low incidence of adverse events among participants in the study. Only seven participants reported the experience as harmful three months after their use of psilocybin.

“This may be a reflection of clients who were healthier overall than clinical trial participants,” Korthuis said. “The results demonstrate it’s safe for people receiving state-regulated psilocybin experiences.”

In contrast to previous clinical studies examining safety and effectiveness in treating moderate to severe depression, only about half of the Oregon study participants reported symptoms of moderate to severe depression beforehand. Even so, most participants reported improvements in their mental health, wellness and life satisfaction following their psilocybin session.

“Just because something isn’t a medical model doesn’t mean you can’t have mental health benefits,” Korthuis said. “Still, people serious mental health or medical conditions should talk with their healthcare providers before seeking services.”

Previous research, including imaging of the brain, indicates physiological changes that may help people to reset how they process information and view themselves, he said. More than 20,000 people have accessed Oregon licensed psilocybin services to date, seeking improved general health and wellness along with the potential of changing their perspective, according to data tracked by the Oregon Health Authority.

A $3.3 million, five-year federal grant awarded earlier this year will enable OHSU researchers to specifically examine psilocybin’s effect on people seeking state psilocybin services to reduce use of illicit substances. 

Wilson-Poe said the survey platform developed through this research initiative approved by OHSU’s Institutional Review Board can be easily adapted to measure outcomes from other forms of psychedelics even beyond Oregon — especially as other states consider policies to expand access. OPEN has already expanded to Colorado, the second state to approve regulated psilocybin services.

“It can give us an apples-to-apples comparison,” she said.

In Oregon, a major barrier to access is the cost, which ranges from hundreds to thousands of dollars for a session involving a state-licensed facilitator. In addition, several counties have opted not to permit psilocybin service centers at least in part due to concerns about the safety of psychedelics, whether they’re used medicinally or recreationally.

“Those counties may find this data reassuring, as may policymakers considering similar measures in other states,” Korthuis said.

In addition to Korthuis and Wilson-Poe, co-authors include Ryan Cook, Ph.D., Devin Gregoire, M.S., Kelli Pertl, M.P.H., Dennis McCarty, Ph.D., Ximena A. Levander, M.D., and Kim A. Hoffman, Ph.D., of OHSU; Christopher S. Stauffer, M.D., of OHSU and the VA Portland Health Care System; Jason B. Luoma, Ph.D., of the Portland Institute for Psychedelic Science; and Don Des Jarlais, Ph.D., of New York University.

The research was supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, grant award 75S20123P00003; the OHSU Foundation; the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health, grant awards R01DA060253, K12DA061526 and K01DA055130; and the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute of OHSU through grant award UL1TR002369 through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the NIH. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Journal

JAMA Network Open

DOI

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.30608 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

SafetyandMentalHealthOutcomesofOregonState-Regulated PsilocybinServices

Article Publication Date

19-Aug-2026

World’s largest psychedelic brain study finds hidden order in the chaos

Monash University

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A landmark five-year study by Monash University has found psychedelics reorganise brain patterns, giving clinicians powerful new insights into their therapeutic potential.

Published in leading scientific journal Nature, the research is the world’s largest single-site brain-imaging study of the acute effects of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms.

Researchers used brain imaging to understand what happened in the brains of 62 healthy adults using psilocybin during rest, meditation and while they were listening to music and watching a movie.

Lead author Dr Devon Stoliker, a Turner Impact Research Fellow at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health in the Monash School of Psychological Sciences, said previous research had shown that psychedelics disrupt the usual organisation of brain networks.

“We uncovered hidden order within that disruption,” Dr Stoliker said. 

“Under psilocybin, brain networks that help us process our inner world and the world around us became less distinct, but reorganised into patterns that reflected what people were experiencing.

“This was strongest in people who had more positive psychedelic experiences and felt less separate from the world around them.”

Senior author and Principal Investigator Professor Adeel Razi, from the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health in the Monash School of Psychological Sciences, said the changes in brain pattern organisation also changed with participants’ surroundings and focus.

“The patterns changed depending on whether participants were resting, listening to music, meditating or watching a movie,” Professor Razi said.

“This shows that context is not just background to the psychedelic experience. 

“What a person is doing and focusing on shapes how their brain responds.

“For treatment, that reinforces why the environment and what a person does and experiences during the psychedelic session matter.”

This study was carried out at Monash Biomedical Imaging, co-located with the BrainPark where the psilocybin therapy sessions were performed. 

The study combined advanced brain-imaging analyses by co-author Dr Leonardo Novelli with AI analyses by co-author Dr Moein Khajehnejad. 

Dr Stoliker said researchers can now use what they learned in this trial to work towards developing therapies that help patients achieve greater clarity, psychological flexibility and new perspectives.

“People who showed stronger reorganisation also reported greater positive psychological changes the following day,” Dr Stoliker said.

“Until now, brain-imaging studies have mainly told us what happens on average across a group.

“Using artificial intelligence, we could measure this reorganisation in each person.”

Professor Razi said this ability to measure individual responses could have important implications for treatment.

“If translated to patients, this could eventually help clinicians understand how someone is responding and predict who is most likely to benefit,” Professor Razi said.

Australia is the first country in the world to legalise psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and MDMA for PTSD. 

The United States and other nations are now exploring similar pathways.

“Australia is a trailblazer in this growing area of science, with a distinct global advantage in scaling these therapies responsibly,” Professor Razi said.

“As these countries look to us for direction, research from Monash will provide critical evidence to guide safe and effective implementation.”

Read the research paper: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10910-z

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Journal

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-026-10910-z 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Psychedelics Align Brain Activity with Context

Article Publication Date

19-Aug-2026

COI Statement

F.S.B. is advisor and shareholder at Mindstate Design Labs, and is a scientific advisor for Wavepaths, Ltd and Lilly USA, LLC. O.S. was previously a co-founder of Eudelics AB, but cur- rently has no financial relationship with the com- pany, and is a co-founder of embla.ai AB. K.H.P. is an employee of Boehringer-Ingelheim GmBH & Co KG and serves as Chief Scientist of the Board of Directors of the Heffter Research Institute and is a scientific advisor to the Mind Foundation. R.L.C.-H. is a scientific advisor to TRYP thera- peutics, Osmind, Mindstate Design Labs, Otsuka and Red Light Holland. No other authors declared competing interests.