Salvinorin A, a κ-opioid receptor agonist and dissociative hallucinogen found in Salvia divinorum, alters human brain functional connectivity in ways similar to other hallucinogens. In a placebo-controlled, within-subject fMRI study, inhaled Salvinorin A tended to decrease functional connectivity within brain networks while increasing connectivity between networks, most notably attenuating the default mode network during peak effects. It reduced brainwide dynamic functional connectivity but increased brainwide entropic functional connectivity, though only the reduction survived statistical correction. Connectome-based classification models trained on dynamic connectivity accurately identified Salvinorin A scans, especially when using default mode network interactions. These findings suggest shared neural mechanisms across hallucinogen types.
Among Black individuals diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorder recruited from an urban methadone program, most had heard of psilocybin mushrooms but only 17.8% had ever used them. Over 80% perceived a risk or were unsure of the risk for most psilocybin-related items. About half were willing to try therapy incorporating psilocybin, and half said they would be more likely to try it if FDA-approved for OUD. Most preferred to stay on methadone alone; only one participant chose psilocybin treatment without methadone. The authors suggest culturally informed treatment models and outreach to increase minority representation in psilocybin research.