Sex Differences and Sex-Specific Effects of Classical Serotonergic Psychedelics in Humans: A Scoping Review
Abstract
This scoping review maps the evidence on sex-specific and sex differences in the effects of classical serotonergic psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, mescaline, including microdosing) in humans. Sex and gender are rarely a focus in psychedelic research, and relevant findings often appear only in full texts, not in abstracts. The extent and nature of this evidence are therefore unclear. The review covers four domains: (1) efficacy and behavioral outcomes, (2) acute subjective experience, (3) pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and (4) safety and adverse events. We will follow the JBI methodology, and PRISMA-ScR to assess sex and gender related publications. We will search PubMed and OSF Preprints and add backward citation searching of relevant reviews. Two reviewers will screen independently at the full-text review stage. Only primary studies with human participants will be included. We will chart how sex and gender are handled in each study: not reported, baseline descriptor, covariate, or subgroup/interaction analysis. Results on sex effects from covariate, subgroup, and interaction analyses will be charted as evidence, together with the direction of the effect. We expect a small, heterogeneous evidence base. The review will map existing findings, describe current reporting practice, and identify research gaps for sex-sensitive psychedelic research. This protocol was registered during full-text screening, before data charting began.
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