Your Daily Psychedelics & Therapy Briefing

New Drug Candidate Aims to Boost Mental Health While Preserving Gut Health

• Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) researchers have developed a novel psychedelic drug candidate designed to mitigate common gastrointestinal side effects like nausea and vomiting. Published in *Science Signaling* on July 21, the preclinical findings indicate this compound can reduce depressive and anxiety-like behaviors by selectively targeting specific brain receptors, offering a potentially safer therapeutic option.

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• An international research team has uncovered that psilocybin's lasting effects on sociability in mice may not necessitate an awake psychedelic experience. Their study, published August 31, demonstrated that a single dose of psilocybin enhanced sociability in a mouse model with reduced social behavior, even when administered under light anesthesia, suggesting that the acute conscious experience might not be a prerequisite for some therapeutic outcomes.

  News MedicalLegion

• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is actively conducting multiple trials on the efficacy of MDMA and psilocybin for PTSD, with expectations for FDA approval of these treatments by late 2026 or early 2027. Juliana Mercer of Healing Breakthrough highlighted these developments at The American Legion's Be the One Mental Wellness Committee meeting on August 28, emphasizing the potential for these therapies to provide a "real solution" for veterans struggling with chronic PTSD.

  Legion