Highlights Jul 20 - Jul 26, 2026
new every Sunday
This week brought a molecular clue to psychedelics' lasting effects, preclinical evidence on psilocybin and learning, and a long-term ibogaine case. Questions of product integrity, intellectual property, and Indigenous history also stood out.
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01
Psychedelic drugs trigger a sustained intracellular signaling response through serotonin 2A receptors that may help explain their long-lasting effects
Sustained signaling inside 5-HT2A-expressing cells may explain why psychedelic effects persist after the drugs leave the body.
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02
Psilocybin may improve the brain's ability to adapt and learn by reopening critical periods of plasticity, according to new preclinical research
Preclinical findings suggest psilocybin reopens critical periods of plasticity and improves the ability to learn new strategies.
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03
Ibogain bei Ketamin-Gebrauchsstorung - erster dokumentierter Langzeitfall zeigt anhaltende Abstinenz und klinische Verbesserungen nach 18 Monaten
A first documented 18-month case reports sustained abstinence and clinical gains after ibogaine treatment for ketamine use disorder.
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04
The Psilomethoxin saga continues as lab testing, legal pressure, and public criticism deepen doubts about the Church of Psilomethoxin's claimed sacrament
Independent testing and legal pressure deepen doubts about psilomethoxin, with clear stakes for labeling, safety, and accountability.
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05
COMPASS Pathways' COMP360-Patente stehen unter Druck, doch das US-Portfolio zu psilocybinhaltigen Formulierungen und Behandlungsmethoden bleibt teilweise durchgesetzt
Analysis of COMP360 patents clarifies which formulation and treatment claims remain enforceable amid challenges to the portfolio.
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06
A lost 1619 peyote document links early colonial records to Indigenous ritual use and the long history of mescaline-containing cactus in New Spain
A rediscovered 1619 record documents Indigenous peyote ceremony and colonial attempts to classify and suppress the practice.