The association between study design and antidepressant effects in psychedelic-assisted therapy: A meta-analysis.
Different study designs of psychedelic trials may impact the blinding and expectance, leading to biased treatment effects. This study aimed to examine the association between antidepressant efficacy and study designs in psychedelic trials. Six databases were systematically searched. Eligible trials were required to investigate the efficacy of psychedelics (p...
Distinct classes of antidepressants commonly act to shape pallidal structure and function in mice
Antidepressants including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, ketamine, and psilocybin are all effective for treating depression despite their distinct primary mechanisms. We hypothesized that these drugs may share a common mechanism that underlies their therapeutic actions. We treated mice with one of the following: escitalopram, R- / S -/ RS- ketamine...
Effect of psilocybin versus escitalopram on depression symptom severity in patients with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder: observational 6-month follow-up of a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial
Background: Psilocybin therapy (PT) produces rapid and persistent antidepressant effects in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the long-term effects of PT have never been compared with gold-standard treatments for MDD such as pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy alone or in combination. Methods: This is a 6-month follow-up study of a phase 2, double-blind...
Psilocybin alters brain activity related to sensory and cognitive processing in a time-dependent manner
Psilocybin is a classic psychedelic and a novel treatment for mood disorders. Psilocybin induces dose-dependent transient (4-6 hours) usually pleasant changes in perception, cognition, and emotion by non-selectively agonizing the 5-HT2A receptors and negatively regulating serotonin reuptake, and long-term positive antidepressant effect on mood and well-being...
Psychoactive substances for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.
In the contemporary landscape of psychiatric medicine, critical advancements have been noted in the utilization of psychoactive substances such as hallucinogens, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and ketamine for the treatment of severe mental health disorders. This review provides a detailed evaluation of these substances, focusing on their mechanis...
Rapidly Trading Down Depression's 3 Pillars to 5HT3-Receptors Through ECT or Psilocybin?
Depression astonishingly can be stopped instantly by electrotherapies or through some psychedelics like psilocybin. In explaining this, the traditional approaches to their antidepressant effects via "reset" models and orthosteric serotonin receptors has neglected the only serotonin channel 5HT3, which e.g. has emerged as being helpful for the neurotrophic tr...
The role of psilocybin in depressive disorders.
Depression is a serious psychiatric disorder with a high incidence of morbidity and mortality and psilocybin with psychotherapy has emerged as a promising potential in the treatment of depressive disorders. A review of psilocybin use in patients with depressive disorders is presented.A search was conducted investigating the use of psilocybin in patients with...
The phenomenology of psilocybin’s experience mediates subsequent persistent psychological effects independently of sex, previous experience or setting
Background Recent studies have intensively explored the potential antidepressant effects of psilocybin. However, important variables such as previous experience, repeated administration, setting and sex remain underexplored. This study describes the acute psilocybin experience and long-term effects in a small sample of healthy individuals. Methods In a doubl...
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Discontinuation for Psilocybin Treatment and Contributions to Alcohol Addiction Relapse
A man with AUD achieves sobriety on treatment with an SSRI and naltrexone, but then stops taking the SSRI to participate in a psilocybin “ceremony.” What factors contributed to his subsequent relapse to alcohol use?
Comparative oral monotherapy of psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, ayahuasca, and escitalopram for depressive symptoms: systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the comparative effectiveness and acceptability of oral monotherapy using psychedelics and escitalopram in patients with depressive symptoms, considering the potential for overestimated effectiveness due to unsuccessful blinding.DesignSystematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.Data sourcesMedline, Cochrane Central Register of C...
PSilocybin for psYCHological and Existential Distress in PALliative Care (PSYCHED-PAL): A Multi-site, Open-label, Single Arm Phase I/II Proof-of-concept, Dose-finding, and Feasibility Clinical Trial
The goal of this multi-centre phase I/II open-label, single-arm study is to determine the safety, feasibility, therapeutic dose, and preliminary efficacy of psilocybin microdosing to treat psychological distress among patients with advanced illness. Forty patients will receive psilocybin drug product (1-3mg per day, Mon-Fri) for 4 weeks to be administered vi...
Effects of serotonergic psychedelics on synaptogenesis and immediate early genes expression - comparison with ketamine, fluoxetine and lithium
Background: Recent evidence suggests that psychedelics are able to induce rapid and long-lasting antidepressant effects. The generally acknowledged explanation for these traits is the phenomenon of neuroplasticity, although exact underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Aims: This study investigates selected neuroplastic effects of psilocin, lysergic ...
Different hierarchical reconfigurations in the brain by psilocybin and escitalopram for depression
Abstract Effective interventions for neuropsychiatric disorders may work by rebalancing the brain’s functional hierarchical organization. Here we directly investigated the effects of two different serotonergic pharmacological interventions on functional brain hierarchy in major depressive disorder in a two-arm double-blind phase II randomized controlled tria...
Psilocybin - A Drug to be Considered for the Treatment of Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Patients
Cancer patients are more vulnerable to developing psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression. These conditions give an additional burden leading to poor quality of life. The available antidepressant and antianxiety drugs are not very useful in improving quality of life by reducing anxiety and depressive episodes. Therefore, there is a need for good dr...
Serotoninergic antidepressants combination in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy: a case report
Psilocybin has reemerged as a promising treatment for difficult-to-treat depression (DTD). Although there is limited evidence regarding interactions between psilocybin and other psychotropic drugs, clinical trials require that patients discontinue their antidepressants before study entry to isolate the benefits of psilocybin and to minimize the risk of adver...
Unraveling psilocybin’s therapeutic potential: behavioral and neuroplasticity insights in Wistar-Kyoto and Wistar male rat models of treatment-resistant depression
RATIONALE: Our study aimed to unravel the unknown mechanisms behind the exceptional efficacy of Psilocybin (PSI) in treating treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Focusing on Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats with a TRD phenotype and Wistar (WIS) rats as a normative comparison, we investigated behavioral and neuroplasticity-related responses to PSI, striving to shed l...
Engaging Mood Brain Circuits with Psilocybin (EMBRACE): a study protocol for a randomized, placebo-controlled and delayed-start, neuroimaging trial in depression
BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide across domains of health and cognition, affecting overall quality of life. Approximately one third of individuals with depression do not fully respond to treatments (e.g., conventional antidepressants, psychotherapy) and alternative strategies are needed. Recent early phas...
The Black Book of Psychotropic Dosing and Monitoring.
Introduction Since the last edition of the Black Book, several innovative agents have been approved or are poised to be approved in the coming year. These include novel antidepressants, the first muscarine agonist for the treatment of schizophrenia, the first psychedelic which may be approved for the treatment of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and th...
Rapid and prolonged antidepressant and antianxiety effects of psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, ayahuasca, and 3, 4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Background Hallucinogens attract research as alternatives to the commonly used medications to treat major depressive and anxiety disorders. Aims Assess hallucinogens’ efficacy for managing depressive and anxiety symptoms and evaluate their safety profiles. Method In five databases, we searched for randomized controlled trials of hallucinogens targeting depre...