Subjective tinnitus is a common auditory disorder characterised by the subjective perception of noise in the absence of external sound sources. Its prevalence has been rising annually due to noise exposure, medication misuse, and population ageing. Current tinnitus treatments employ antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and vasodilators, yet most demonstrate limited efficacy with significant side effects....
No actionable change; psilocybin for tinnitus remains at the preclinical and theoretical stage — no human trials support its clinical use at this time.
As tinnitus lacks effective pharmacological treatments, mapping psilocybin's neurotransmitter interactions with tinnitus pathways could open novel therapeutic avenues, making this a scientifically timely area of inquiry.
- 01Review surveys psilocybin's modulation of neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin) and receptors linked to tinnitus.
- 02Tinnitus pathogenesis involves complex neurochemical changes that psilocybin may influence.
- 03No human clinical trial evidence for psilocybin as a tinnitus treatment currently exists.
- 04Authors outline a research agenda for future pre-clinical and clinical investigation.
- 05Published in Hearing Research, signalling growing academic interest in psychedelic-adjacent auditory neuroscience.
Psilocybin modulates neurotransmitters and receptors implicated in subjective tinnitus pathogenesis.
studypartially supportedPsilocybin has potential as a future therapeutic target for tinnitus.
opinionunclear- PMID
- 42289149
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.heares.2026.109701.
- Journal
- Hearing Research
- Publication type
- review
- Evidence level
- 5
- Population
- Not applicable (review of preclinical and mechanistic literature)
- Intervention
- Psilocybin modulation of neurotransmitters and receptors related to tinnitus
Primary outcomes
Current evidence on psilocybin's neurotransmitter and receptor interactions relevant to tinnitus; Future research directions for psilocybin as a tinnitus intervention