[6] Baeocystin and norpsilocin have been found to be inactive in terms of hallucinogen-like effects in rodents in multiple studies published in the 2020s.

[7][8][6] More specifically, they were unable to produce the head-twitch response (HTR), a well-established behavioral proxy of psychedelic effects, and this was in contrast to psilocybin.

[14] Gartz has also claimed that mushrooms with high baeocystin content, such as Psilocybe semilanceata, are more frequently associated with dysphoric experiences.

[17][18][19] The reasons for the apparently non-hallucinogenic nature of norpsilocin, baeocystin, and related compounds in animals (and possibly in humans), in spite of norpsilocin and others being potent serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonists and producing other centrally mediated behavioral effects in animals, remain unknown.

[6][8] One possibility however is that these compounds may be biased agonists of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor and may not sufficiently activate the intracellular signaling cascades responsible for psychedelic effects.