{
  "id": 14509829,
  "title": "Psilocybin, LSD, and 2C-B leave different fingerprints on the brain, new study suggests",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/psilocybin-lsd-and-2c-b-leave-different-fingerprints-on-the-brain-new",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-14T18:00:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/psilocybin-lsd-and-2c-b-leave-different-fingerprints-on-the-brain-new-study-suggests/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new study published in Nature Communications reveals that the three classic serotonergic psychedelics—psilocybin, LSD, and 2C-B—each produce unique patterns of brain energy consumption both immediately following a single dose and a week later. The research, led by Mikael Palner from the University of Southern Denmark and first author Frederik Gudmundsen, challenges the common practice of treating these drugs as interchangeable despite their shared binding to the serotonin 2A receptor. While these drugs are often grouped together as potential treatments for mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, their distinct chemical structures and interactions with other brain receptors suggest they may affect the brain differently. To map these effects, researchers tracked brain glucose consumption using positron emission tomography (PET) scans. The researchers divided 48 rats into four groups, each receiving a single injection of either psilocybin, LSD, 2C-B, or a saline control. The doses—1 mg/kg for psilocybin, 0.3 mg/kg for LSD, and 3 mg/kg for 2C-B—were calibrated to mimic intense human experiences. After three PET scans—a baseline, an acute scan shortly after injection, and a week-long scan—one week later, the researchers found that each drug produced a distinct metabolic signature. Psilocybin increased energy use in the dorsal striatum and insula, regions involved in habit formation and emotional processing, respectively, while LSD heightened activity in the hippocampus and amygdala, linked to memory and fear. 2C-B showed a more generalized increase in brain activity across various regions. These findings suggest that the metabolic effects of these drugs could serve as a biological marker for matching specific psychedelics to specific psychiatric disorders, offering a more tailored approach to psychedelic therapy.",
  "summary": "Psilocybin, LSD, and 2C-B all act on the same serotonin receptor, so they are often treated as a single drug class. But brain scans in rats suggest each one shifts the brain’s energy use in its own way, both right away and a week later.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}