Brain & Cognition

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Study

Psilocin Affects Female and Male Brains Differently

Psilocin Affects Female and Male Brains Differently

Psilocybin mushrooms

What they found

In rodents, psilocin nearly doubled activation in stress-processing brain regions in females but not males, for up to 2 days.

In rodents, psilocin nearly doubled activation in stress-processing brain regions in females but not males, for up to 2 days.

The number

nearly doubling activation in key stress-processing regions

How solid is it?

Animal

Animal

Animal

Animal

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Compound

psilocin

psilocin

Published in

Nature

Nature

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Sex-Specific Brain Response

Sex-Specific Brain Response

Psilocin (2 mg/kg) increased emotional brain activity in females but not males, nearly doubling activation in key stress-processing regions. It heightened reactivity to stress for up to 2 days in females, while males showed little to no increase or even reduced signaling over time. These differences suggest treatment effects may vary significantly by sex, impacting how psilocybin therapies are dosed and applied.

Psilocin (2 mg/kg) increased emotional brain activity in females but not males, nearly doubling activation in key stress-processing regions. It heightened reactivity to stress for up to 2 days in females, while males showed little to no increase or even reduced signaling over time. These differences suggest treatment effects may vary significantly by sex, impacting how psilocybin therapies are dosed and applied.

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