New Study Reveals Acute Effects of Lion’s Mane Mushroom on Cognitive Performance

Link To Full Study Here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1405796/abstract

A recent study published in Frontiers in Nutrition has shed light on the acute effects of Lion’s Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) on cognitive function in healthy younger adults. The study is titled “Acute effects of a standardised extract of Hericium erinaceus (lion’s mane mushroom) on cognition and mood in healthy younger adults: A double-blind randomised placebo-controlled study” and has only been provisionally accepted as of the writing of this article. The research employed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled design to investigate the impact of a standardized extract of Lion’s Mane on various cognitive domains, including executive function, working memory, psychomotor skills, attention, and information processing speed.  

The study began with an assessment of cognitive function and mood before participants consumed 3 grams of a 10:1 fruiting body extract. These assessments were repeated again after 90 minutes to see if there was any improvement.

While the study did not find a significant overall improvement in global cognitive function or mood following a single dose of Lion’s Mane, analysis of individual tests revealed an interesting finding. Participants who consumed the Lion’s Mane extract exhibited improved performance on the pegboard test at 90 minutes post-ingestion.  

The pegboard test is a widely used neuropsychological assessment that measures psychomotor speed and manual dexterity. In this test, participants are asked to place pegs into holes on a board as quickly and accurately as possible. The time taken to complete the task serves as an indicator of fine motor coordination and processing speed, which are essential cognitive abilities.  

The observed improvement in pegboard test performance suggests that Lion’s Mane may have specific, acute benefits for psychomotor skills. This finding is noteworthy, as it provides evidence for the potential of Lion’s Mane to enhance certain aspects of cognitive function, even after a single dose. After all, slow-and-steady is a common mantra in the functional mushroom world despite there being advocates who claim to experience short-term effects after a single or few dosages.

While this study provides valuable insights into the acute cognitive effects of Lion’s Mane, there’s no doubt that more testing is needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying the effects. For example, researchers may observe different results at different dosages or after more extended periods (3-6 hours) compared to the methods used in this study.

Learn about Lions Mane and other clinical trials at the link here.

Note: As of the writing of this article, this study has only been provisionally accepted and has not been fully published. For this reason, this written article is based on the existing abstract. Hopefully, the published research will be open access so we can dig deeper into the methodologies used and their results.