Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
9.0
4.9
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
Psychedelics and Mental Disorders: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapies Potential
ijms-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Psychedelics and Mental Disorders: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapies Potential

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 5537

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Beatriz Caballero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Morphology and Cellular Biology, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
Interests: mitochondria; TSPO (The 18-kDa translocator protein); neurodegeneration; neurogenesis; melatonin; stem cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yaiza Potes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Cell Biology and Morphology, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
Interests: mitochondria; TSPO (The 18-kDa translocator protein)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The unsupervised and chronic use of psychedelic substances, particularly at high doses, is associated with an increased risk of adverse psychiatric outcomes, including psychosis, mood and anxiety disorders, and persistent disturbances in perception and emotional regulation. These risks are especially pronounced in vulnerable populations, such as adolescents and individuals with a genetic or familial predisposition to mental illness.

At the same time, the past decade has produced growing evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and related compounds in neuropsychiatry. Substances such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ketamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) have shown efficacy in treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders. These effects are mediated by mechanisms that enhance neuronal resilience and plasticity, including upregulation of neurotrophic factors, activation of serotonin 5-HT₂A signaling, modulation of neuroinflammation, and improvements in mitochondrial function.

A defining characteristic of these compounds is their capacity to rapidly induce adult neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity, facilitating the reorganization of dysfunctional neural circuits. However, their effects are highly dose-, context-, and development-dependent, as chronic or unsupervised exposure—particularly during critical developmental periods—may lead to maladaptive plasticity and increased psychiatric vulnerability.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a mechanistically focused overview of the effects of psychedelic and related psychoactive compounds on the central nervous system, encompassing both their therapeutic potential and the molecular, cellular, and systemic mechanisms underlying neuroprotection and neurotoxicity. This Special Issue will welcome original research articles and critical reviews spanning preclinical, clinical, and translational studies that address dose-dependent, context-specific, and individual factors determining beneficial versus adverse outcomes. This focus is fully aligned with the journal’s scope, covering key aspects of neurobiology such as neurogenesis, synaptic remodeling, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and glial–neuronal interactions.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Beatriz Caballero
Dr. Yaiza Potes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • psychedelics
  • drug-induced neurotoxicity
  • therapeutic potential
  • mental disorders
  • neuroprotective mechanisms
  • adult neurogenesis

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

46 pages, 699 KB  
Review
The Use of Psychedelics in the Treatment of Adult ADHD: A Systematic and Mechanistic Review
by James Chmiel, Agnieszka Malinowska and Donata Kurpas
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(8), 3453; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27083453 - 12 Apr 2026
Viewed by 2992
Abstract
Interest in classical psychedelics as potential treatments for ADHD has grown alongside broader psychiatric psychedelic research, but ADHD-specific evidence remains limited. This systematic review examined prospective and experimental studies on whether classical psychedelics, including microdosing-like use and retreat-based exposure, are associated with changes [...] Read more.
Interest in classical psychedelics as potential treatments for ADHD has grown alongside broader psychiatric psychedelic research, but ADHD-specific evidence remains limited. This systematic review examined prospective and experimental studies on whether classical psychedelics, including microdosing-like use and retreat-based exposure, are associated with changes in adult ADHD symptoms and related functioning. A PRISMA-guided systematic review was conducted using a PECO/PICO framework focused on adults (≥18 years) with diagnosed ADHD and/or elevated ADHD symptomatology who were exposed to a classical psychedelic and assessed prospectively with quantitative ADHD outcomes. Major databases were searched, with reference screening and targeted checks for recent or registered trials. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 for the RCT and ROBINS-I for non-randomized studies. Because of heterogeneity and the small number of studies, findings were synthesized narratively. Five studies met the inclusion criteria. Five prospective/experimental studies were included: three naturalistic online microdosing cohorts, one randomized double-blind placebo-controlled phase 2A trial of low-dose LSD, and one pre-post ayahuasca retreat pilot. In uncontrolled naturalistic microdosing studies, participants reported short-term reductions in ADHD symptom ratings together with improvements in well-being and affect-related functioning; however, these studies were highly vulnerable to self-selection, expectancy, attrition, and non-standardized exposure. In contrast, the only randomized placebo-controlled ADHD trial found improvement in both LSD and placebo groups, with no statistically significant advantage for LSD on clinician-rated or self-reported ADHD outcomes. Objective cognitive findings were limited and inconsistent, and safety data outside the supervised trial context were sparse. Naturalistic studies provide, at most, low-certainty signals of perceived short-term improvement, but the strongest controlled evidence does not demonstrate drug-specific efficacy of repeated low-dose LSD for core ADHD symptoms. Current evidence therefore does not allow separation of pharmacological effects from expectancy, setting, self-monitoring, and broader experiential/contextual influences, and is insufficient to support psychedelics as an evidence-based treatment for ADHD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychedelics and Mental Disorders: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapies Potential)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 614 KB  
Review
Beyond the Genomic Storm: Evaluating Tabernanthalog as a Potential Scaffold for Silent Neuroplasticity and Broad-Spectrum Therapy
by Ivan Anchesi, Ivana Raffaele, Maria Francesca Astorino, Maria Lui, Marco Calabrò and Giovanni Luca Cipriano
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(6), 2811; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27062811 - 20 Mar 2026
Viewed by 2211
Abstract
The clinical renaissance of psychedelic medicine has highlighted the therapeutic potential of rapid-acting neuroplastogens, or “psychoplastogens,” for psychiatric disorders. However, the widespread application of classical psychedelics—such as psilocybin and LSD—and the atypical dissociative ibogaine is severely limited by their hallucinogenic properties and, particularly [...] Read more.
The clinical renaissance of psychedelic medicine has highlighted the therapeutic potential of rapid-acting neuroplastogens, or “psychoplastogens,” for psychiatric disorders. However, the widespread application of classical psychedelics—such as psilocybin and LSD—and the atypical dissociative ibogaine is severely limited by their hallucinogenic properties and, particularly in the case of ibogaine, life-threatening cardiotoxicity. Addressing these limitations, Tabernanthalog (TBG) has emerged as a frontrunner in the field. This non-hallucinogenic analog of ibogaine was rationally designed to eliminate interactions with the human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG, KCNH2) potassium channel, thereby mitigating cardiotoxic risks. While initially characterized for its anti-addictive and antidepressant-like properties, recent data from 2024–2025 have significantly expanded its therapeutic horizon. TBG demonstrates robust efficacy in preclinical models of neuropathic and visceral pain, as well as in the rescue of cognitive deficits associated with cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). TBG has shown efficacy in reversing cognitive impairments induced directly by the presence of a tumor in preclinical models, rather than by chemotherapy-specific neurotoxicity. Crucially, emerging evidence suggests that TBG’s mechanism extends beyond simple 5-HT2A receptor agonism. New findings point to a multi-target profile involving the inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), positive modulation of NMDA receptors, and functional crosstalk with mGlu2 receptors. Furthermore, TBG appears to induce structural neuroplasticity without the widespread induction of immediate early genes (IEGs) seen with classical hallucinogens, suggesting a decoupling of therapeutic rewiring from the subjective psychedelic experience. This review synthesizes current preclinical evidence to discuss TBG as a promising chemical scaffold for next-generation neurotherapeutics targeting the intersection of psychiatry and neurology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychedelics and Mental Disorders: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapies Potential)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop