Could a compound in magic mushrooms help treat depression without making people smoke?
This is what researchers from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto will try to find out.
Today, the hospital announced that it is the recipient of the first-ever federal grant to study how psilocybin could potentially affect individuals with “treatment-resistant” depression.
In-house psychiatrist, Dr. Ishrat Hussain, will lead research into this largely understudied topic.
“There is a growing interest and body of knowledge regarding the use of psychedelic drugs to treat mental illness and addiction,” Hussain, who directs CAMH’s clinical trials division, said in a July 27 news release.
“Previous clinical studies have reported large and sustained antidepressant effects of psilocybin when combined with intensive psychotherapy. If this study shows that psilocybin is still effective in treating depression without inducing a psychedelic state, it could eliminate the time-consuming and expensive need for psychological support during treatment. This would make treatment more affordable for both health care funders and those seeking treatment.”
This new, three-year clinical trial — titled “Randomized Controlled Proof-of-Concept Trial Showing that Psilocybin’s Antidepressant Effects Do Not Require Psychedelic Effects” — will include 60 adult participants who have treatment-resistant depression.
The group will be divided into three cohorts: a random third will be given a full dose of psilocybin plus a 5-HT2A serotonin brain receptor blocker that will inhibit the drug’s psychedelic effect, one group will be given psilocybin plus a placebo, and the other will receive placebo plus the serotonin blocker.
All participants will also receive 12 hours of psychotherapy, as is current practice in psychedelic research.
Anyone interested in participating in this study should speak with their healthcare provider and receive a referral to CAMH to see if they are eligible.
The results of this trial will serve as preliminary conclusions about the antidepressant effect of this drug combination. Future research will then be done to validate this potential approach to treating depression without the use of intensive psychotherapy.
CAMH was recently the sole Canadian site for the world’s largest clinical trial of psilocybin for mental health. This study was “instrumental in providing further support for psilocybin as an emerging treatment for depression,” the hospital said.
Dr. Aristotle Voinescos, vice-president of research and director of the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, said CAMH, which is Canada’s largest mental health research hospital, is “ideally positioned to be at the forefront of psychedelic research that focuses on safety, efficacy, and accessibility.”
“Furthermore, it is critical, moving forward, to use the latest research technologies, such as neuroimaging and molecular assessments, to better understand how compounds such as psilocybin produce their antidepressant or psychedelic effects and the overall safety (or benefits) brain health considerations,” he said.
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