Effect of chemically synthesized psilocybin and psychedelic mushroom extract on molecular and metabolic profiles in mouse brain.
Molecular psychiatry July 1, 2024 Orr Shahar, Alexander Botvinnik, Amit Shwartz et al. 37 citations
Psilocybin-containing mushroom extract (PME) may have stronger and longer-lasting effects on synaptic plasticity than chemically synthesized psilocybin (PSIL) alone. In male mice, both PME and PSIL increased synaptic proteins GAP43 and synaptophysin in brain regions linked to learning and memory, but PME increased more proteins across more brain areas after 11 days. Metabolomic analysis of the frontal cortex revealed a distinct metabolic profile for PME, with a progressive decline in purines associated with oxidative stress from vehicle to PSIL to PME. These findings suggest that other compounds in the mushroom extract contribute to enhanced neuroplasticity, though further research is needed to identify them.