Papers

Research literature with structured metadata.

Trials

Registered studies by status, phase, and compound.

Topics

Indications and themes psychedelics are researched for.

Compounds

Evidence across molecules with rich data.

Countries

Regulation, access, and research activity by region.

Stakeholders

Organizations shaping the space across research, policy, and funding.

People

Investigators, clinicians, and authors with mapped output.

Courses

Training programs and certifications across modalities.

Events

Conferences, workshops, and convenings by date and focus.

Results

Compare outcome data across trials and publications.

Research Snapshot

One-page overview of trials, participants, papers, and research networks.

Clinical Guidelines

Trial-anchored manuals and protocol guidance with competency mapping.

Research recaps

Monthly evidence summaries with key takeaways.

Map of research

Landscape view of trials, compounds, and outcomes.

Newsletter

Weekly or daily updates on trials, publications, analysis, and more.

Research Groups

Worldwide map of psychedelic research centres by region.

Road to Access

Science, regulation, and economics on the path to patient access.

Research Network

Interactive co-authorship map of psychedelic researchers.

Top papers

Find needles in the haystack of psychedelic research per topic.

AskBeta
Pricing

The intelligence layer for psychedelic research.

Company

  • About
  • Contact
  • Newsletter

Product

  • Feedback
  • Roadmap
  • Changelog
  • API
  • Partners
  • Clinical Guidelines

Legal

  • Privacy
  • Terms

© 2026 Blossom. All rights reserved.

Home/Research/Psilocybin/Neuroimaging & Brain Measures

Psilocybin for Neuroimaging & Brain Measures

140 papers and 81 clinical trials exploring psilocybin as a treatment for neuroimaging & brain measures.

CompoundClassic Psychedelic

Psilocybin

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring tryptamine psychedelic that acts as a prodrug to psilocin, a potent 5-HT2A receptor agonist. It is the furthest advanced psychedelic in clinical development, with two positive Phase III trials in treatment-resistant depression and expanding regulated access in Australia, Germany, and US states.

Full Psilocybin profile
IndicationApproximately 264 million people globally suffer from depression, with PTSD affecting around 8 million adults in the United States each year.

Neuroimaging & Brain Measures

Recent advances in neuroimaging have shed light on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effects of psychedelics, particularly in the treatment of mental health disorders such as depression and PTSD. Studies involving compounds like psilocybin and MDMA have demonstrated significant changes in brain activity associated with therapeutic outcomes.

Full Neuroimaging & Brain Measures profile

Academic Research

140 papers
Open Accessmeta

Reorganization of Human Brain Waves Across Diverse States of Consciousness

This brain imaging study analysed data from healthy people in sleep, propofol anaesthesia and psychedelic states, including LSD, DMT, psilocybin, nitrous oxide and ketamine, to map how brain waves spread across the brain. It found that sleep and anaesthesia slowed and fragmented global wave propagation, while psychedelic states sped it up and made it more evenly distributed.

Published
June 1, 2026
Journal
Biorxiv
Authors
Fotiadis, P., Jang, H., Dai, R., Li, D., Cofré, R., Timmermann, C., Mashour, G. A., Hudetz, A. G., Huang, Z.
Open Accessmeta

A spatiotemporal gating hypothesis for psilocybin plasticity: reconciling the 5-HT₂A-TrkB mechanistic paradox

This commentary proposes a spatiotemporal gating model to explain how psilocybin may produce lasting antidepressant effects through both 5-HT₂A and TrkB receptors. It argues that 5-HT₂A receptors open a brief window for plasticity in specific brain cells, while TrkB helps stabilise new synapses within that window.

Published
May 29, 2026
Journal
Cell Discovery
Authors
Pei, G.
Open Accessmeta

PsiConnect: Multimodal Neuroimaging of Context-Dependent Brain and Behaviour Dynamics under Psilocybin

This brain imaging study (n=62) combined functional, structural, and diffusion-weighted MRI with EEG to examine the effects of psilocybin (19 mg) before and after dosing, across resting-state and naturalistic conditions including guided meditation, music listening, and movie watching, with half the participants completing eight weeks of meditation training. It was designed as an openly curated, reusable dataset with behavioural follow-ups to one year.

Published
May 21, 2026
Journal
Scientific Data
Authors
Novelli, L., Stoliker, D., Barta, T., Greaves, M. D., Chopra, S., Jackson, J., Kwee, J., Pang, J. C., Williams, M. L., Razi, A.
Open Accessmeta

Characterizing Resting-State Brain Dynamics with Frequency-Resolved EEG Microstates: Parallel Analyses of Psilocybin Microdosing and Acute Inhaled DMT

This brain imaging secondary analysis of two studies compared resting-state EEG microstate patterns during psilocybin microdosing and acute inhaled DMT, and found that frequency-specific analysis picked up changes that broadband analysis sometimes missed. Psilocybin microdosing had subtle effects, while DMT produced broader shifts in brain activity patterns.

Published
May 8, 2026
Journal
Biorxiv
Authors
Tarailis, P., Griskova-Bulanova, I.
Open Accessindividual

Human brain changes after first psilocybin use

In a placebo-controlled, within-subject neuroimaging study of 28 psychedelic‑naive participants, a single high (25mg) dose of psilocybin produced lasting functional and anatomical brain changes from 1 hour to 1 month and improved cognitive flexibility, psychological insight and well‑being at one month. Diffusion MRI showed decreased axial diffusivity in prefrontal–subcortical tracts that correlated with reduced brain network modularity (which correlated with improved well‑being), acute increases in cortical signal entropy predicted one‑month well‑being via next‑day psychological insight, and none of these effects were seen with a 1 mg control dose.

Published
May 5, 2026
Journal
Nature Communications
Authors
Lyons, T., Spriggs, M. J., Kerkelä, L., Rosas, F. E., Roseman, L., Mediano, P. A. M., Timmermann, C., Oestreich, L., Pagni, B. A., Zeifman, R. J., Hampshire, A. D. G., Trender, W., Douglass, H., Girn, M., Godfrey, K., Kettner, H., Sharif, F., Espasiano, L., Gazzaley, A., Wall, M. B., Erritzoe, D., Nutt, D. J., Carhart-Harris, R. L.
Open Accessmeta

Psilocybin shapes the slow, global propagation of brain activity over the cortical layout of 5HT2a receptors

This brain imaging analysis (n=7) used fMRI data from sessions with psilocybin and a methylphenidate (Ritalin) control to explore how psychedelics affect the speed at which activity travels across the cortex. It found that faster propagation was linked to increased functional connectivity and that the distribution of 5-HT2a receptors may help explain how psilocybin modulates these travelling waves.

Published
March 26, 2026
Journal
Communications Biology
Authors
Mäki-Marttunen, V.

Clinical Trials

81 trials
Not yet recruitingPhase II

Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy as a Treatment for Depression

This Phase 2b open-label, single-arm pilot mechanistic trial (n=50) evaluates psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) for adults with mild-to-moderate depression at Washington University in St. Louis. Each participant receives the Usona Institute PAT protocol: 2 preparation sessions (~8 hours total), one Dosing Day with a single 25 mg oral psilocybin capsule, and 3 integration sessions at Trial Days 2, 8 and 15 (~80 min each) with two trained facilitators. Participants on a stable antidepressant monotherapy may continue their medication, and those with a MADRS score ≥7 at Trial Day 30 are eligible for one optional re-administration. Primary endpoints are change in depression severity (MADRS) and psychological flexibility (MPFI) at ~1 week (Trial Day 8) and ~30 days after dosing. Exploratory aims characterise neural mechanisms via up to 10 fMRI sessions per participant (including imaging during dosing using precision functional brain mapping), proteomic blood biomarkers (the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, SASP), and cognitive functioning via the NIH Toolbox. The study is designed to estimate feasibility, effect sizes and operational parameters — it is not powered for confirmatory hypothesis testing — to inform a subsequent adequately-powered trial.

Started
June 1, 2026
Type
interventional
Blinding
none
Randomized
No
Registry ID
NCT07582120
Not yet recruitingPhase I

Psilocybin Microdosing on Cognition, Mood and Quality of Life

This Phase I, randomised, double-blind, parallel trial (n=20) will study the effects of intermittent psilocybin microdosing on mood, cognition, subjective well‑being and brain structure/function in healthy adults with no history of psychedelic use aged 21–40. The primary aim is basic science: to evaluate whether 30 days of intermittent microdosed psilocybin produces measurable changes on psychological, cognitive and neuroimaging outcomes compared with placebo, in the presumed absence of overt psychedelic experiences. Participants will be randomised to receive either 2 mg powdered psilocybin (from Psilocybe cubensis) in capsules or matching 0 mg placebo capsules three times weekly for four weeks, with weekly assessments and re‑assessment after 30 days of steady dosing; primary outcome measures are assessed from enrolment to end of treatment (8 weeks). Outcomes include task‑based fMRI (Complex Working Memory Span task), structural and diffusion imaging (including NODDI), neuropsychological batteries (NIH Toolbox, Switching Stroop, Flanker, Penn Conditional Exclusion, Face‑Name Associative Memory, 9‑hole pegboard), personality and symptom scales (NEO‑FFI, Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories, Harvard Flourishing), and ecological momentary assessments via MindLamp. Key eligibility features are no prior psychedelic use, ability to consent, effective contraception for women of childbearing potential, and exclusion for current mood/psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, significant medical/neurological illness or MRI contraindications.

Started
April 1, 2026
Type
interventional
Blinding
double
Randomized
Yes
Registry ID
NCT07449351
RecruitingPhase II

A clinical trial of 5 mg psilocybin plus psychological support vs 25 mg psilocybin plus psychological support in adults with generalised anxiety disorder

Phase IIb randomised, double-blind trial (n=96) comparing two doses of psilocybin (25 mg vs 5 mg) plus psychological support; two doses given one month apart with outcomes over 33 weeks in adults with severe GAD.

Started
April 1, 2026
Type
interventional
Blinding
double
Randomized
Yes
Registry ID
ISRCTN14487299
RecruitingPhase I

Elucidating the Relevance of the Psychedelic Experience to Psilocybin's Anti-Anhedonic Effects

This Phase I, randomised, open-label, crossover trial (n=85) will assess whether psilocybin’s anti-anhedonic effects in people with major depressive disorder and anhedonia are linked to the psychedelic experience. Participants will receive two oral 25 mg doses of psilocybin across two sessions, with 1 mg oral risperidone given 30 minutes before psilocybin in one session to blunt acute psychedelic effects. The study includes two experimental sequences: psilocybin first followed by psilocybin plus risperidone, or the reverse order. Participants will undergo three MRI sessions: baseline before treatment, then one day after each psilocybin session. The trial will compare clinical, behavioural and imaging responses using fMRI tasks related to aesthetic processing, reward, sexual arousal and cognitive flexibility, alongside self-report measures of well-being, depression, anhedonia and altered states of consciousness, with follow-up extending to about 12 weeks after enrolment.

Started
November 1, 2025
Type
interventional
Blinding
none
Randomized
Yes
Registry ID
NCT07490353
Not yet recruitingPhase I/II

The Acute Effects of Psilocybin on Cognition, Memory, and Brain Function

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial (n=48) will study the effects of psilocybin (15 mg) on memory, cognition, and brain function in healthy adults.

Started
September 1, 2025
Type
interventional
Blinding
quadruple
Randomized
Yes
Registry ID
NCT07079852
Not yet recruitingPhase I/II

Psilocybin for Treatment of OCD-2

This randomised, double-masked Phase I/II trial (n=20) will study the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of psilocybin (10mg vs 30mg) across four sessions for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Started
August 1, 2025
Type
interventional
Blinding
triple
Randomized
Yes
Registry ID
NCT06992999

Explore further

Search all Psilocybin papers Search all Neuroimaging & Brain Measures trials Full Psilocybin profile Full Neuroimaging & Brain Measures profile