{"id":83315,"date":"2025-05-29T08:19:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T14:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=83315"},"modified":"2025-06-11T13:05:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T19:05:56","slug":"new-psilocybin-study-targets-anhedonia-and-treatment-resistant-major-depressive-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/new-psilocybin-study-targets-anhedonia-and-treatment-resistant-major-depressive-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"Clinical trial explores the power of psilocybin to treat depression\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"A
A new clinical trial is underway exploring psilocybin\u2019s potential to treat anhedonia and treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Tyler Smith and Katie Kerwin McCrimmon<\/p>\n

\u201cMagic mushrooms\u201d may conjure images of people in the 1960s using hallucinogenic drugs to launch journeys of self-discovery.<\/p>\n

There is truth in that portrait; Ken Kesey<\/a> and many others have detailed their experiences with LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms.<\/p>\n

There is also a long history<\/a> of efforts to use psychedelic drugs to treat a variety of mental health conditions. The experiments of the 1950s and1960s ran afoul of law enforcement, when LSD and psilocybin became Schedule 1 drugs under the Controlled Substances Act in 1970.<\/p>\n

The legal crackdown did not end interest in psychedelics as a possible aid<\/a> for mental health professionals seeking new tools for treating millions of patients with major depressive disorder<\/a> and other debilitating conditions.<\/p>\n

For example, a host of clinical trials have tested psilocybin as a treatment for major depressive disorder. One such investigation is now underway at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. More may be spurred in Colorado by the state\u2019s decriminalization of magic mushrooms<\/a> in 2022.<\/p>\n

The new study<\/a> aims to determine whether psilocybin can help patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and anhedonia<\/a> \u2014 a condition defined by loss of joy and pleasure in everyday activities \u2014 compared to a placebo. Researchers in Colorado enrolled their first participant in the clinical trial in August of 2024, said principal investigator Dr. Andrew Novick<\/a>, assistant professor of Psychiatry<\/a> at the University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a> on the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Andrew Novick, assistant professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As of April, the trial had enrolled seven people, with a target of 40, said Novick. He noted the launch of the trial was slower than anticipated because of the time required to clear a host of federal regulatory hurdles. With enrollment now underway, Novick and his colleague, Scott Thompson<\/a>, a professor with a doctorate in neuroscience, talked about how the clinical trial works and the potential for psilocybin-based therapy.<\/p>\n

Is this trial of psilocybin aimed at all patients with depression?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

No. The trial is specifically for patients with anhedonia \u2014 or loss of joy and pleasure \u2014 and major depressive disorder that has resisted previous treatments. There is also a lengthy list of criteria that excludes patient from participating \u2014 including medical problems and psychiatric conditions, such as psychosis and bipolar disorder. (Learn more about who is eligible to participate in the clinical trial<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Who can participate in the clinical trial? Are you accepting volunteers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes. Volunteers can join the clinical trial of psilocybin. People who are interested in participating may fill out a screening form<\/a>. (View the form<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

What is treatment-resistant depression?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s depression in individuals who have failed to respond to conventional treatments like antidepressants,\u201d Novick said.<\/p>\n

Who should not use psychedelics and thus, would not be eligible to participate in the clinical trial? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some people are not eligible to volunteer for the psilocybin trial. These groups of people include those who are at risk for schizophrenia and those with bipolar disorder. In addition, people who have had any kind of brain tumor, seizures or a history of strokes cannot participate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also would not be appropriate to administer psilocybin to people who have compromised blood flow in the brain, like a history of aneurysm, or to those with dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s,\u201d Novick said.<\/p>\n

\"Scott
Scott Thompson is an expert on psychedelics and a professor with a doctorate in neuroscience at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For some people, psychedelics can trigger bad reactions or psychosis.<\/p>\n

Whether people are participating in research or are taking mushrooms recreationally, they should be cautious.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are powerful compounds,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cIf you talk to psychiatrists who deal with schizophrenic patients, it\u2019s very common for these patients to report that the first time they had a psychotic episode was when they took a psychedelic drug.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we are very careful in our clinical trial (as are other researchers who are testing psilocybin elsewhere) to exclude people who have a risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Why do psychedelics cause psychosis for some people?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Doctors don\u2019t know exactly why and how psychedelics may trigger latent psychosis in some people, and a definite cause and effect relationship is hard to prove. But the phenomenon is serious enough that both Thompson and Novick advise people to speak honestly with their doctors before using psychedelics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe age group of people who are using psychedelic drugs, often people in their 20s, overlaps exactly with the age when people at risk are most likely to have their first psychotic episode,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re using drugs illegally, and you don\u2019t know your medical history and haven\u2019t talked to a professional about risk factors, you are at risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Novick said some patients with psychosis can connect hallucinogenic drugs with the onset of mental illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchizophrenia seems to have been triggered in some of these patients,\u201d Novick said. \u201cIn retrospect, when you look back, there are risk factors. A relative might have been institutionalized. The patient might have had bizarre experiences in the past that we call prodromes. These are signals that something is coming on regardless of drug use. Nonetheless, until we know more, we think it would be inappropriate to subject a vulnerable person to a drug that could contribute to a serious mental illness.\u201d<\/p>\n

For these reasons, researchers approach psychedelics \u201cwith an abundance of caution,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe strongly discourage anybody with a potential risk for mental illness from using psychedelic drugs illegally,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

While it may sound like a clich\u00e9, Novick strongly encourages people to talk with their doctors about drug use.<\/p>\n

Among the many outcomes of the Colorado psilocybin clinical trial, researchers are hopeful that they can provide much better information for doctors so they can properly advise patients about psychedelics.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the one hand, these drugs may hold great promise for people with depression. On the other hand, they may not be appropriate for others,\u201d Novick said.<\/p>\n

Both Novick and Thompson warn people about being too cavalier about psychedelics.<\/p>\n

They may be groundbreaking for some people, but harmful to others.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s an analogy,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cWe give cancer patients chemical toxins that kill cells as therapeutic agents. They’re very powerful. When you need them, they work really well. But they’re not for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why is research on psilocybin and depression important?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a great need for new treatments for people with depression since so many people are suffering. And it\u2019s been decades since new medications have emerged to help people with depression.<\/p>\n

\u201cMajor depressive disorder is one of the most common and costly neuropsychiatric syndromes,\u201d said Thompson, who is one of the world\u2019s leading researchers on how psilocybin works in the brains of animals and humans<\/p>\n

As many as one in four women and one in six men are likely to suffer from depression during their lifetimes. Severe depression causes tragic reverberations from suicides to multi-billion-dollar annual economic burdens, said Thompson.<\/p>\n

Experts who care for people with mental health challenges have not had any new treatments for decades, Novick said.<\/p>\n

And traditional antidepressant medications \u2014 selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (or SSRIs) like Prozac \u2014 do not work for as many as one-third of people who try them.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven with the 2\/3 of people for whom they work, it can take months and months before doctors find the right dose and the specific drug that works,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cSo, the promise and hope of using drugs like psilocybin is that a single dose may produce an immediate therapeutic benefit that may permanently alleviate symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of having to go through months and months of trying to find the right medication and having the chance of not responding, the hope is that many people will respond to psilocybin,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Researchers elsewhere have found that a single dose of psilocybin may help people with depression for as long as a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why people are so excited about this work,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Novick has worked with countless patients who have struggled with depression and were desperate to feel better but failed to respond to traditional antidepressants and felt incurably broken.<\/p>\n

Finally, with new research, hope is on the horizon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important that we do this research for the sake of our patients,\u201d Novick said.<\/p>\n

If psilocybin helps with depression, exactly how might it work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Researchers don\u2019t know exactly how psilocybin works for depression (if it does), but the short answer is that it may help reset the brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor people with depression, there are circuits in the brain that are not working properly. And the compounds in psilocybin may help restore and repair those circuits so the circuits behave properly,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know exactly how, but psilocybin may essentially fix a broken brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson has done groundbreaking research on how psilocybin can change the brains of mice.<\/a><\/p>\n

Researchers now are learning much more about how psilocybin affects the human brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that the brains of people with depression function differently than the brains of healthy, control subjects,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cAnd we know that administering psychedelic compounds tends to make those differences smaller.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson uses the example of eating a piece of chocolate cake.<\/p>\n

For people who like chocolate cake, but are depressed, a bit of cake might not yield much pleasure.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can still taste it. It’s chocolate. But somehow the stimuli of chocolate and the creaminess and all the good stuff doesn\u2019t get to the place in your brain where you can say, \u2018Wow. That feels and tastes really good,\u2019\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething connecting the chocolate cake with the reward center in your brain is not wired properly,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cThe hope is that psilocybin may help reset these connections so when you taste something rich, creamy and chocolatey, you say, \u2018Wow. That tastes really great.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Rewiring the brain might help boost pleasure while also disrupting persistent negative thought patterns, which often overwhelm people who are suffering with depression.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey might think, \u2018everybody thinks I\u2019m stupid or ugly or fat. Nobody loves me I\u2019m unlovable. I\u2019m broken. Nobody cares about me,\u2019\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible that psilocybin and other psychedelic compounds may help restore a balance between negative and positive thinking.<\/p>\n

Psilocybin is called a psychedelic drug. What do you call it a psychedelic? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD are drugs that affect consciousness and sensory perception by activating a protein found in the brain and throughout the central nervous system called the 5-HT2A<\/a> receptor, Novick said.<\/p>\n

How is the 5-HT2A receptor involved in depression?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Medical experts and researchers don\u2019t know exactly how or why the 5-HT2A receptor affects depression, but one hypothesis is that activation of the 5-HT2A receptor can change the brain circuits that regulate the release of dopamine, a hormone and nerve messenger that regulates mood, motivation and reward, Thompson said.<\/p>\n

If the circuitry that controls dopamine release is disrupted, an individual may lose interest in activities that previously gave pleasure, he said.<\/p>\n

For example, when the brain circuitry is humming as it should, people can experience pleasure. Depression can mute those messages, causing a person\u2019s behavior to change.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the connections in the brain are weak, the signal peters out,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

When a person\u2019s brain circuitry is intact, anything that is typically pleasurable provides not only the stimulation, but also the motivation to pursue the object of their desire.<\/p>\n

How do medical providers formally determine who has depression?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Diagnosis of major depressive disorder is done through a clinical interview to determine whether individuals meet specific criteria, as outlined in the American Psychiatric Association\u2019s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/a>. Symptoms must be present for a prolonged period, must cause significant distress and\/or impairment in everyday life, and cannot be better explained by another medical problem.<\/p>\n

How can a psychedelic like psilocybin help with this disruption to the brain\u2019s circuitry?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The idea is that because psilocybin targets the 5-HT2A receptor, it can help to reset the connections in the brain that have been disrupted and contributed to depression and anhedonia, Thompson said.<\/p>\n

That reset, in turn, may \u201cinfluence other areas of the brain to start getting more activated,\u201d Novick added. The brain finds new pathways of adapting to influences that had mired an individual in negativity \u2014 a process summed up in the term \u201cneuroplasticity.\u201d As Novick and Thompson described that term in a 2024 study<\/a> they co-authored, \u201cThe broadest definition of neuroplasticity is ‘the brain\u2019s ability to change.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Is the use of psilocybin to treat depression new?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

No. Novick noted that researchers have conducted several \u201cextremely well done\u201d clinical trials that compared the effectiveness of psilocybin to a placebo in treating major depressive disorder. These include studies published in April 2021<\/a>, November 2022<\/a>, February 2023<\/a> and August 2023<\/a> that showed promising results.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are about 350 people who have been part of these quality trials,\u201d Novick said. \u201cThey show significantly better improvements, compared to the placebo, within days. You still have to call it preliminary evidence, but it\u2019s not like we\u2019re hypothesizing from internet forums and anecdotal experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is there a key area of the brain that you are observing for changes that psilocybin may trigger?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes. One of them is the ventral striatum<\/a>, an area of the brain \u201cthat is heavily responsible for motivation and making someone feel energized so they can put in effort toward reaching a goal,\u201d Novick said. \u201cWe think that it\u2019s the neurochemical, dopamine, within this brain region that produces this motivated, energized brain state.\u201d<\/p>\n

How are you conducting this psilocybin clinical trial at the University of Colorado School of Medicine?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Colorado psilocybin study It\u2019s a randomized, double-blind trial. That means that participants receive either a 25-milligram capsule of synthetic psilocybin or a placebo, which is a 1-milligram psilocybin dose. Neither the participants nor the researchers know who received which dose.<\/p>\n

Patients first go through a \u201cpreparatory phase,\u201d during which the therapy team and the patient get acquainted, Novick said. The team explains what the patient might expect \u2014such as feelings of stress or anxiety \u2014 during the dosing session, which lasts eight hours.<\/p>\n

The dosing session occurs in a \u201cliving-room-type environment,\u201d with a couch and two recliners, Novick said. Patients wear eye masks and lie on the couch with headphones that transmit a special soundtrack designed to mirror the experience of coming up and down from the medication, he said.<\/p>\n

The next day, the patient comes back for a two-hour discussion with a therapist about what happened during the treatment. This \u201cintegration session\u201d guides the patient in describing how the treatment affected them and what sort of changes they might want to make in their lives going forward, Novick said.<\/p>\n

Will patients know which dose they have received? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some study participants may guess which dose they received due to the hallucinogenic effects that most people feel when they take mushrooms. Studies with psychedelics are complex for this reason. Even so, neither the patients nor the researchers will know for certain during the clinical trial which participants have received which dose.<\/p>\n

What is unique about this clinical trial?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Elsewhere around the country, at a handful of other academic medical centers, researchers have been testing how well psychedelics work for depression.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s unique in the Colorado study is how researchers will measure and assess the study participants\u2019 depression.<\/p>\n

Typically, researchers have measured symptoms of depression by asking patients how they feel.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not always an accurate measure. People who are suffering from depression want to feel better, and many want to please their psychiatrists or therapists. So, some people with depression might think they feel better when, in fact, it is just a transient feeling of hope.<\/p>\n

How do you measure the effectiveness of the psilocybin treatment in the trial?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Researchers measure the effectiveness of psilocybin treatments in three ways. First, patients self-report on whether they feel better, which is subjective and has its limitations.<\/p>\n

Second, researchers will look for changes in the way the brain reacts to stimuli, using functional MRI<\/a> (fMRI) imaging, administered before and after the treatment. This type of imaging offers not only a picture of the brain but also a window into the activity occurring in different regions of its landscape.<\/p>\n

Third, patients will complete a \u201crewards test<\/a>\u201d during an fMRI brain scan. The test is a game in which they are told they can potentially earn money by responding quickly to an image that flashes before them on a screen. The test essentially helps to show whether individuals respond to the promise of a reward and how hard they are willing to work for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to see changes that occur in the brain regions that regulate motivation and reward,\u201d Novick said.<\/p>\n

How do you ensure patient safety with a drug that can produce unpredictable effects?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing comes down to preparation and telling people the things they could potentially expect,\u201d Novick said. The symptoms could be physical \u2014 nausea and headache, for example \u2014 or psychological, such as feelings of loss of control as uncomfortable memories emerge, he added.<\/p>\n

As counters, therapists suggest \u201cgrounding techniques,\u201d such as deep breathing and encourage patients to communicate to their therapist \u2013 who is present throughout the session \u2014 when anxiety or painful emotions well up, Novick said.<\/p>\n

If these interventions don\u2019t work, the team has other options, including valium to calm a panic attack and anti-psychotics as a \u201cfail-safe\u201d to treat an individual who completely loses control, he added. The latter, he stressed, is very rare.<\/p>\n

Novick underscored the importance of preparing patients for \u201cchallenging experiences\u201d that psilocybin treatment can produce. Setting aside the type of treatment, psychological challenges are not unexpected for patients who face stubborn symptoms of depression, Thompson added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat can happen in conventional psychotherapy,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you are working with someone who is dealing with trauma, hopefully you get to a place where they really go head-to-head with their traumatic experience. It\u2019s challenging. There is no other way to describe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

How long do the effects of the psilocybin last?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It varies, but the effects of psilocybin generally peak at one or two hours, then plateau, Novick said. All study participants stay for eight hours, but the effects may wear off well before eight hours pass, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s worth mentioning that we don\u2019t have any idea how many hours it takes\u201d for the drug to take effect,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Instead of giving the drug and waiting eight hours, would the potential benefit be the same if a therapist blocked it with an anti-psychotic medication after one hour?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one knows,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Do you follow patients after they have received treatment in the psilocybin study to see how durable the effects might be?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes. Novick is checking in with trial participants for eight weeks following their participation in the psilocybin clinical trial. The primary outcome measure is improvement in the Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS)<\/a>, which patients self-report. The rewards tests results, as revealed by the fMRI, are a second outcome measure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we are hoping to see is changes in brain activity,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Even if the results of the psilocybin trial are positive, are there caveats?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes. The first caveat is that unlike many drug trials, it\u2019s nearly impossible to prevent people from recognizing whether they receive a psychedelic or a placebo. Thompson said previous studies show that about 85% of participants correctly guess which one they received. That introduces an immediate bias.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an asterisk in the record book,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cPatients may have gotten better, but they were prey to this unblinding.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other problem, recognized in the results of previous trials of psilocybin, lies in simply asking patients \u2014 particularly those with treatment-resistant depression \u2014 how they feel as a measure of effectiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatients come in, and they are desperate. They want to get better,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cThere is an internal pressure to want to feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n

That pressure may lead to improvement that proves only temporary, he added, but the design of Novick\u2019s trial aims to identify more substantial improvement, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe unique thing about this trial is that we are actually measuring changes in the way the brain cells respond,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Do we know why psilocybin may work much more quickly to provide relief from depression than other treatments, such as psychotherapy, SSRIs and other medications?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The short answer is no, Novick said, adding that it\u2019s a question that fascinates Thompson and him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is it that we have these drugs that seem to require weeks of downstream neurobiological activity, and then you have this other one that seems to do it really quickly? In the end, it\u2019s still a really open question.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the decriminalization of psilocybin in Colorado, what are your thoughts about people using magic mushrooms on their own to treat their depression?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cFor right now, self-administering psilocybin on one\u2019s own without the proper support and monitoring is highly inadvisable as a means to treat depression,\u201d Novick said. \u201cObviously, psychedelic mushrooms have been a popular recreational drug for a very long time. And compared to other drugs of abuse, such as methamphetamine and heroin, the recreational use of psilocybin-containing mushrooms probably comes with lower risk of harm to both the user and society. Nonetheless, when we are talking about individuals struggling with mental illness, there\u2019s greater risk involved, and the brain needs to be treated with care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than taking psilocybin on your own, Colorado\u2019s newly launched and regulated Natural Medicine Program<\/a> provides a way for people to take psilocybin under the guidance of an experienced and licensed facilitator,\u201d Thompson added.<\/p>\n

Who guides patients through their experiences with psilocybin?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

After the study volunteers receive doses of psilocybin, specially trained, licensed psychotherapists will guide patients through their experiences.<\/p>\n

Because each patient\u2019s hallucinogenic journey could last for several hours, two therapists work with each individual.<\/p>\n

When do you anticipate finishing the clinical trial on psilocybin, and how soon do you expect to report results? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Colorado researchers hope to finish the psilocybin clinical trial and report results by fall of 2026.<\/p>\n

Some people who have used psychedelics have scary hallucinations. How do you help patients avoid frightening experiences?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To avoid scary hallucinations, researchers have many protocols. These include carefully controlling doses of psilocybin, doing in-depth preparations with study volunteers before they take the hallucinogen and having well-trained therapists guide the study volunteers throughout their experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearchers have worked out the safest way to administer psychedelic compounds,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Added Novick: \u201cPatients come meet with therapists in advance. They establish rapport with the therapist. The therapist helps them understand what they’re going to experience while they’re taking the psilocybin.\u201d<\/p>\n

For people who have never used mind-altering drugs, the experience can be scary, Thompson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can feel like you\u2019ve lost your mind and your ability to control your thoughts. The features that we associate with psychedelic experiences can be terrifying for many,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

The therapists talk over the patient\u2019s fears in advance and help people understand that it\u2019s possible to feel a lack of control over their thoughts. They reassure them that a guide will keep them safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we let them know that the drugs will come out of your body, and once the drug is gone, you will be fine,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not permanently going to feel like you\u2019ve lost your mind,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts on the potential medical benefits of other psychedelics?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cOther compounds like MDMA or ecstasy are really promising,\u201d Novick said. \u201cOur hope is that through the Department of Psychiatry\u2019s new research and therapeutics programs, we can see how effective these drugs are and who they\u2019re going to be best for.<\/p>\n

\u201dColorado researchers may do studies in the future to better understand the benefits of psychedelics for PTSD, for instance.<\/p>\n

At other institutions, researchers have found \u201cstrikingly good results,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s different from psilocybin. MDMA requires multiple treatments over the course of a month or so,\u201d he said. \u201cWith psilocybin, the psychedelic effects last about six hours. With LSD, they can last 12 hours or more. Study subjects also report that psilocybin is a bit gentler than LSD, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n

People use other hallucinogens like ayahuasca, which comes from a tropical vine, and bufotenine, a compound from frog secretions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biologic properties in terms of what they do to the brain may be similar, but they\u2019re not exactly the same,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cSome are more challenging and dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hope is that significant new, high-quality research will help experts learn much more about which compounds might be safe and effective for varying health challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet whether ecstasy (MDMA) is good for depression. And we don\u2019t know if psilocybin will be good for PTSD,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Based on studies so far, the psychological qualities and relative convenience of psilocybin make it the most promising for potential therapeutic use.<\/p>\n

How many psychedelic compounds are there?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are actually hundreds of psychedelic compounds, including both naturally occurring hallucinogens like mushrooms and ayahuasca, along with dozens of others that chemists created back in the heyday of research on psychedelics in the 1960s.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, dozens of companies are out there trying to synthesize novel molecules,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

How hopeful are you that research on psychedelics can lead to new antidepressant medications?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Colorado researchers are optimistic that through their research, they may be able to develop innovative new medications that can help patients access the benefits of psychedelics without negative side effects.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the dreams is that you could take the psychedelic effects out of psilocybin and retain the benefits. If that were true, you wouldn\u2019t need to spend three days in a psychiatrist\u2019s office. That would lead to huge savings in time and money,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cEventually, people might be able to take a pill at home and be functional at work. We\u2019re dedicated to bringing the newest medicines to bear on psychiatric disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Novick: \u201cWe want to do the best possible science and give patients who aren\u2019t getting better what they need and they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about the University of Colorado psilocybin trial.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Or fill out a screening form to volunteer for the psilocybin trial.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tyler Smith and Katie Kerwin McCrimmon \u201cMagic mushrooms\u201d may conjure images of people in the 1960s using hallucinogenic drugs to launch journeys of self-discovery. There is truth in that portrait; Ken Kesey and many others have detailed their experiences with LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. There is also a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2143,"featured_media":83325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8],"tags":[113,167,112,4781],"class_list":["post-83315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","category-news","tag-behavioral-health","tag-clinical-trials","tag-mental-health","tag-research-in-health-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew psilocybin study targets anhedonia and treatment-resistant depression - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A clinical trial is underway; 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