Wellcome open research
January 1, 2024
Matt Butler, Catherine Bird, Carolina Maggio et al.
4 citations
Functional neurological disorder (FND) causes seizures and movement disorders, is debilitating, and often has a poor prognosis. Brain imaging suggests FND involves multiple networks, and mechanisms like dissociation and abnormal motor agency may play a role. Psychedelics disrupt brain networks and are being tested for neuropsychiatric disorders. This open-label neuroimaging study will give 25 mg oral psilocybin with psychological support to 24 people with chronic FND. Resting-state and task-based fMRI, plus measures of interoception, somatisation, and dissociation, will be collected before and after psilocybin, with three-month follow-up. The study aims to probe FND mechanisms and assess safety and feasibility of psychedelic administration in this population.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
December 26, 2025
Alice Caulfield, Allan H. Young, Mitul Mehta
2 citations
Psychedelics may produce lasting behavioral and clinical change by enhancing learning mechanisms. This narrative review synthesizes evidence across behavioral, neural, and computational levels, proposing that viewing psychedelic mechanisms through the lens of learning unifies context-dependent outcomes, increased environmental sensitivity, and neuroplastic change. Persistent changes in top-down and bottom-up information processing at a systems-level may account for both therapeutic and adverse effects, converging with the reopening of critical learning periods. This systems-level framework explains why outcomes vary widely and depend on context: the learning environment—including psychological support and therapeutic insights—shapes lasting effects. Understanding these mechanisms has translational relevance for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
bioRxiv
July 22, 2025
Alice Caulfield, Lorraine Li, Famia Askari et al.
preprint
Psychedelics show potential for enhancing associative learning in animals, according to a systematic review of 31 studies (29 animal, 2 human). The review found that psychedelic administration improved learning across classical and operant conditioning paradigms, including fear extinction and reversal learning, though effects varied by dose, timing, training intensity, and sex. Possible mechanisms include increased prediction error sensitivity, serotonin receptor agonism, and structural plasticity. Learning enhancements may persist into the post-acute phase and depend on active environmental engagement. These findings have not yet been confirmed in humans, but suggest a window of enhanced learning that could inform psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.