GlossaryBOL-148

BOL-148

A non-hallucinogenic analogue of LSD (2-bromo-lysergic acid diethylamide) with no significant 5-HT2A receptor activity. Studied as a preventive treatment for cluster headache, BOL-148 produces headache-frequency reductions without psychedelic effects — providing strong evidence that psilocybin's therapeutic action in headache disorders is neurological rather than psychological. (Karst et al., Cephalalgia, 2010)

Full Explanation

BOL-148 is a non-hallucinogenic analogue of LSD (2-bromo-lysergic acid diethylamide) with no significant 5-HT2A receptor activity. Studied as a preventive treatment for cluster headache, BOL-148 produces headache-frequency reductions without psychedelic effects — providing strong evidence that psilocybin's therapeutic action in headache disorders is neurological rather than psychological. (Karst et al., Cephalalgia, 2010)

See: Cluster Headaches (/conditions/cluster-headaches).

Why It Matters

BOL-148 is key evidence that cluster headache relief from psychedelics does not require a psychedelic experience — the mechanism is likely direct modulation of trigeminal or serotonin pathways.

Related Terms

5-HT2A receptor

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Explore More Terms

5-HT2A receptor

The primary serotonin receptor in the brain that psilocin binds to, producing psychedelic effects.

Cluster-busting

A patient community term for using sub-psychedelic doses of psilocybin or LSD to abort or prevent cluster headache attacks. The practice was documented and shared online since the 1990s, formalised by the Clusterbusters patient advocacy organisation, and subsequently verified in a 2015 survey (Schindler et al., Journal of Psychoactive Drugs) showing 50–80% of cluster headache patients who tried psychedelics reported benefit — often at sub-hallucinogenic doses. This patient-led observation drove Yale's formal clinical investigation.

Cognitive flexibility

The ability to shift attention between tasks and adapt thinking patterns in response to new information. Impaired cognitive flexibility — sometimes called cognitive rigidity — is a core feature of both OCD and anorexia nervosa. Psilocybin is hypothesised to restore cognitive flexibility by increasing neuroplasticity via 5-HT2A receptor agonism in the prefrontal cortex, potentially disrupting rigid thought patterns that maintain compulsions and disordered eating behaviours.

Afterglow

The period of heightened mood, openness, and mental flexibility that commonly follows a full-dose psilocybin session — typically lasting 24 hours to several weeks. During the afterglow, neuroplasticity is elevated, default mode network activity is altered, and emotional and cognitive patterns are unusually open to change. Considered the critical integration window: therapeutic insights translate into lasting behavior change most effectively during this period. (Majić et al., 2015)

Spores

Reproductive cells produced by mushrooms, used to start new cultures and legal to possess in most US states.

Set and Setting

The combination of mindset (set) and environment (setting) that shapes a psychedelic experience.