Hormonal Influences on Psilocybin Responsivity Across the Female Lifespan: Toward Personalized Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Psilocybin shows therapeutic promise for mood, cognitive, and affective disorders, which are regulated by the serotonergic system. Sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone can influence serotonin physiology, and females have a higher prevalence of affective disorders and may respond differently to drug therapy. A review of current literature discusses how fluctuating hormonal states across female reproductive phases could affect serotonin dynamics, synaptic plasticity, and the optimal timing of psilocybin treatment. The authors suggest that future research should examine sex hormone influences on psychedelic-assisted therapy to personalize treatment plans.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Today’s research highlights the therapeutic potential of the hallucinogen psilocybin in the treatment of pathologies associated with mood, cognitive, and affective dysregulation. These domains of function are regulated by the serotonergic system, which can be influenced by sex hormones, like estrogen and testosterone, and psychedelic compounds including psilocybin. Current evidence supports a higher prevalence of affective disorders in females, and a growing awareness of sex-based differences in response to drug therapy. Estrogen’s influence on serotonin physiology is an aspect that must be accounted for when planning a treatment regimen that includes a psychoactive drug such as psilocybin. A review of the current literature was conducted, and an analysis of how the fluid hormonal states in females across their different reproductive phases may impact serotonin dynamics, synaptic plasticity, and therapeutic timing of psilocybin use is discussed. Future research should focus on the influence of sex hormones on psychedelic-assisted therapy in the effort to further personalize treatment plans for these pathologies.