Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has demonstrated substantial efficacy across a range of mental disorders. However, heterogeneity between patients confers differential responsiveness. This systematic review aims to explore factors which may predict therapeutic responses to PAT. A systematic search was performed from inception through to March 2024 and stud...
This study evaluates whether psilocybin therapy helps patients cope with chronic low back pain more effectively. Patients may be recruited at Stanford and University of California San Francisco (UCSF), study procedures will occur at UCSF. Each participant will receive a dose of psilocybin with possibly one or more other drugs. Participants will undergo two p...
Psychedelic drugs are serotonergic hallucinogens that can be divided into two types: naturally occurring (psilocybin, psilocin, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and synthetic (LSD, MDMA, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine, and ketamine). Psychedelics generally work on 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors and might be useful in cognitive enhancement, brain connectivity, neu...
Chronic pain states remain challenging to control with current drug therapies. Here, we demonstrate that a single dose of psilocybin produces a sustained anti-nociceptive effect in chronic neuropathic pain models in male and female mice, mediated primarily by 5-HT2A receptors. Critically, psilocybin significantly potentiates the analgesic efficacy of gabapen...
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent social-communication deficits, cognitive rigidity, and atypical sensory processing. Current pharmacological treatments, including risperidone and aripiprazole, provide only limited symptomatic relief and do not address the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Converging evidence implicates dysre...
This is a proof-of-concept randomized clinical trial of psilocybin-enhanced psychotherapy versus treatment-as-usual among individuals being treated for methamphetamine use disorder. The trial will take place with individuals admitted to a residential rehabilitation treatment program. The treatment protocol will consist of 4 preparatory therapy visits, 2 psil...
One hundred participants, ages 21 to 65, who meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) will be stratified by study site and randomized with a 1-to-1 allocation under double-blind conditions to receive a single 25 mg oral dose of psilocybin or a single 100 mg oral dose of niacin. Niacin wil...
The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to learn whether it is feasible to individually tailor psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) for people with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) based on their personal preferences. The study also aims to explore whether two different psychotherapy styles, music-centered and mindfulness-centered, influence how peop...
This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized data from 13 clinical trials (n=606) evaluating psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression. Despite early enthusiasm, the pooled standardized mean difference (-0.79, 95% confidence interval: -3.98 to 2.40, p=0.63) revealed no statistically significant...
Psilocybin-assisted therapy shows promise for depression, though current evidence relies on Phase 2 trials with notable methodological limitations. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating psilocybin-assisted therapy for major or treatment-resistant depression up to February 2024. We evaluated depre...
Prolonged obesity induces enduring structural changes within neural circuits that contribute to maintaining the body at an elevated/obese body weight. These circuits regulate various mechanisms which can inhibit extreme or persistent weight loss. Therefore, a potential therapeutic strategy to facilitate weight loss is to promote structural plasticity within ...
Introduction: Psilocybin therapy has demonstrated efficacy for cancer-related anxiety and depression, but resource-intensive individual treatment models raise important questions for psychedelic public health about equitable access and scalability. In our prior Phase 1/2 study of group retreat psilocybin therapy for patients with metastatic cancer, we observ...
The goal of this randomized placebo controlled trial is to compare the antidepressant effect of a single oral dose of psilocybin 25 mg compared to 1 mg in 100 patients with cancer related major depressive disorder. The main question it aims to answer is: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a single 25 mg oral dose of psilocybin...
N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a classical psychedelic with similar effects like LSD or psilocybin. Preliminary evidence from case series and small open-label trials suggests that psychedelics may be promising candidates for the treatment of several pain-related diseases such as chronic pain, migraine, cluster headache or phantom limb pain. However, data fr...
This study will test the feasibility, safety, and evidence for efficacy of psilocybin administration in participants with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). This will serve as a preliminary proof of concept study for future larger studies aimed to investigate the utility, cognitive mechanisms, and neural correlates of this intervention. Participants in thi...
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, has gained attention as a potential treatment for various psychiatric conditions. In this review, the authors summarize current clinical evidence related to psilocybin’s efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of action across psychiatric disorders. Findings from early-phase and small-scale clinical trials suggest rapid but v...
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a single dose of psilocybin (5mg Vs 10mg Vs 25mg) alongside psychotherapy is safe and can help treat treatment resistant depression (TRD) with co-occurring substance use disorder (SUD) in veterans and first responders. We seek to answer: * Whether 5mgs, 10mgs and 25mgs of psilocybin are safe in individuals with ...
This commentary critically examines the interpretation and analytic choices in Goodwin et al.’s (2026) analysis of therapeutic alliance in psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression. While the authors conclude that alliance did not meaningfully contribute to treatment efficacy, we argue that this interpretation is not supported by the reported r...
Psychedelics are increasingly described as a new therapeutic approach in a variety of mental disorders including depression. Oral psychedelics such as psilocybin have an acute effect evolving over 6-8 h and are generally given in combination with psychological support. There is debate on the exact role of this support and how and by whom it should be deliver...
