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Exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in treating substance use disorders

Molecular Psychiatry (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, have garnered significant attention as potential therapeutic tools for treating substance use disorders (SUDs), such as those related to alcohol, nicotine, heroin (an opioid), or cocaine. Traditional treatments often fall short, leading to high relapse rates and an urgent need for innovative approaches. This article explores the emerging role of psychedelics in SUDs therapy, highlighting their ability to disrupt maladaptive neural circuits, promote neuroplasticity, and facilitate profound psychological insights that address the root causes of SUDs. Clinical trials demonstrate promising results across various forms of SUDs, with psilocybin-assisted therapy showing significant reductions in substance use and improved mental health outcomes. Despite the potential, challenges such as legal barriers, safety concerns, and the need for more rigorous research remain. The future of psychedelics in SUDs treatment is cautiously optimistic, with the possibility of transforming the field of SUDs therapy and offering hope to millions of individuals struggling with SUDs.

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Fig. 1: Molecular mechanisms of psychedelics in SUDs treatment.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22207103, T2350008, T2341003), STI2030-Major Projects [2021ZD0203000 (2021ZD0203003)], International Partnership Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (029GJHZ2024057GC), and the Open Research Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University (Grant No. BMI2400014).

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  1. Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, China

    Yuanpeng Li, Hongyuan Li, Hongshuang Wang & Xiaohui Wang

  2. School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China

    Yuanpeng Li & Xiaohui Wang

  3. State Key Lab of Brain-Machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311121, China

    Xiaohui Wang

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Contributions

YL and HL: organizational framework and construction, paper drafting; HW: paper drafting and revision; XW: proposal, design and final revision.

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Correspondence to Hongshuang Wang or Xiaohui Wang.

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Li, Y., Li, H., Wang, H. et al. Exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in treating substance use disorders. Mol Psychiatry (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-025-03168-w

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