Magic mushroom study seeks to unlock Brain's mood secrets
NCT ID NCT07610135
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This study will give 20 healthy adults a single dose of psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) to see how it changes mood and well-being. Some participants will also get a drug called pimavanserin beforehand to help understand which brain receptors are involved. The goal is to learn more about how psilocybin works, not to treat any disease.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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21 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 21 to 65 years old * Provision of written informed consent * Fluency in English * At least high school level of education * Right-handed * Agree to abstain from any psychoactive drugs on the day prior to and the day of the drug administration session as demonstrated by a negative toxicology report. * Agree to consume approximately the same amount of caffeine-containing beverage (e.g., coffee, tea) that he/she consumes on a usual morning, before arriving at the research unit on the mornings of drug session days. If the participant does not routinely consume caffeinated beverages, he/she must agree not to do so on session days. * Agree not to take any PRN medications on the mornings of drug sessions * Agree that for one week before the drug session, he/she will refrain from taking any nonprescription medication, nutritional supplement, or herbal supplement except when approved by the study investigators. Exceptions will be evaluated by the study investigators and will include acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and common doses of vitamins and minerals. * Female participants of childbearing potential must agree to use a highly effective method of contraception throughout the study. * Highly effective methods are defined as those that, when used consistently and correctly (alone or in combination), are associated with a failure rate of less than 1% per year. * Condoms alone are not considered highly effective. * Abstinence is not considered a highly effective method. However, at the investigator's discretion, abstinence may be accepted if, based on the investigator's judgment and knowledge of the participant's usual and preferred lifestyle, it can be reasonably expected to result in 100% effectiveness. Exclusion Criteria: * Non-English speakers and those with language or hearing impairments * Left-handedness (assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory) * Any lifetime history of psychedelic use, including serotonergic compounds (e.g., psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT) and nontraditional psychedelics (e.g., MDMA, ketamine, ibogaine) * History of psychiatric diagnosis in adulthood (≥18 years), including, but not limited to, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder I and II, psychotic disorders, and substance use disorder. * Current use of neuropsychiatric medications, including but not limited to typical/atypical antidepressants, antipsychotics, and stimulants. * Lifetime history of substance use disorder * Current (within past six months) substance use disorder of moderate or greater severity * Clinically significant suicidal ideation (with strong intent or means) within the past 6 months or lifetime history of suicide attempt, current suicidal ideation, or otherwise judged by a study clinician to be more than low risk for suicidality * Current use/positive toxicology for illicit drugs at screening and prior to drug administration session (includes illicit, non-prescribed, or prohibited substances such as amphetamines, barbiturates, buprenorphine, benzodiazepines, cocaine, MDMA, methadone, opioids, phencyclidine (PCP), and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)) * Nicotine user consuming the equivalent of ≥ 10 cigarettes/day * Altered gastrointestinal anatomy \[history of surgeries that promote a general intestinal malabsorption (e.g., jejunoileal bypass, jejunocolic bypass, roux-en-Y gastric bypass, vertical banded gastroplasty, gastric band, gastric stapling, sleeve gastrectomy, biliopancreatic diversion with partial gastrectomy, distal gastric bypass, duodenal switch)\] * Weight \< 40kg * Have a first degree relative with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders (except substance/medication-induced or due to another medical condition), or bipolar I disorder * MRI contraindications (e.g., claustrophobia incompatible with MRI scanning, medical device or implant incompatible with MRI, prior history as a metal worker and/or certain metallic objects in the body). Must complete MRI screening form and be approved by MRI technologist before each scan. * Unable or unwilling to perform study procedures, or inappropriate for further study participation as determined by the PI and/or study clinicians
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research
RECRUITINGBaltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States
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