Evidence mapPaperPMID 40419666Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Psilocybin mitigates behavioral despair and cognitive impairment in treatment-resistant depression model using wistar kyoto rats.

Zitong Wang, Brett Robbins, Ryan Zhuang, Rebekah van Bruggen, Thaisa Sandini, Xin-Min Li, Yanbo Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Psilocybin improves novel object recognition in a rat model of Fragile X Syndrome through the modulation of the BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Zitong WangDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Brett RobbinsDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Ryan ZhuangWestern Canada High School, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Rebekah van BruggenDepartment of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Thaisa SandiniDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Xin-Min LiDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. xinmin@ualberta.ca.
Yanbo ZhangDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. yanbo9@ualberta.ca.

Funding

Mitacs IT23510University of Alberta RES0052505
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability that affects over 300 million people globally. Despite multiple antidepressant trials, approximately one-third of MDD patients remain symptomatic, progressing to treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This persistence possibly is due to the multifaceted etiology of TRD, encompassing biological, psychological, and environmental factors. Chronic stress, prevalent in modern life, significantly contributes to mental health disorders and complicates TRD treatment. This study investigated psilocybin as a potential TRD treatment using a diathesis-stress animal model. Twenty-two male Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were divided into control and stress groups, with the stress group further subdivided to receive either sham treatment or psilocybin as early intervention. Behavioral assessments demonstrated a significant and sustained beneficial effect of psilocybin on behavioral despair and cognitive impairment. Biochemical analyses revealed psilocybin-induced increases in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels without significant changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The ability of psilocybin to counter stress-induced TSH reductions suggested that TSH may serve as a proxy marker of therapeutic response, although its causal role in mood regulation remains unclear. Additionally, following psilocybin administration, changes in cannabinoid receptor type I (CB1R) suggest a potential modulation of psilocybin intervention on the component of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), though causal links remain unconfirmed without antagonist studies. These findings highlight the potential of psilocybin to treat TRD through the targeting of previously unexplored biological pathways.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsBehavior, AnimalCognitive DysfunctionDepressive Disorder, Treatment-ResistantPsilocybinAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalMaleRatsRats, Inbred WKYStress, PsychologicalAntidepressive AgentsPsilocybin

Identifiers

PMID40419666
PMCPMC12106756

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.