Skip to content

Frederick S. Barrett

Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medicine

65 papers in the library · 7,663 citations · publishing 2015-2026

Papers

Sort Most recent Most cited

Brain-based correlates of antidepressant response to ketamine: a comprehensive systematic review of neuroimaging studies.

The lancet. Psychiatry October 1, 2023 Gustavo C Medeiros, Malcolm Matheson, Isabella Demo et al. 38 citations

Ketamine is an effective antidepressant, but there is substantial variability in patient response and the precise mechanism of action is unclear. Neuroimaging can provide predictive and mechanistic insights, but findings are limited by small sample sizes. This systematic review covers neuroimaging studies investigating baseline (pre-treatment) and longitudinal (post-treatment) biomarkers of...

Naturalistic psilocybin use is associated with persisting improvements in mental health and wellbeing: results from a prospective, longitudinal survey

Frontiers in Psychiatry September 19, 2023 Hillary Jackson, Sara So, Abigail Yaffe et al. 87 citations

Introduction The classic psychedelic psilocybin, found in some mushroom species, has received renewed interest in clinical research, showing potential mental health benefits in preliminary trials. Naturalistic use of psilocybin outside of research settings has increased in recent years, though data on the public health impact of such use remain limited. Methods This prospective, longitudinal...

Learned Helplessness As a Potential Transdiagnostic Therapeutic Mechanism of Classic Psychedelics

Psychedelic Medicine June 1, 2023 Praachi Tiwari, Andrea P Berghella, Ceyda Sayalı et al. 9 citations

Background: Emerging literature suggests that classic psychedelics may have efficacy in treating mood and substance use disorders in humans. This has raised questions regarding the primary therapeutic mechanism of these compounds. Here, we hypothesize that the reversal of and resilience against learned helplessness may be an important driver of the therapeutic mechanisms of classic...

Corrigendum to 'Psilocybin induces spatially constrained alterations in thalamic functional organizaton and connectivity': Neuroimage 2022 Oct 15;260:119434.

Neuroimage May 4, 2023 Andrew Gaddis, Daniel E. Lidstone, Mary Beth Nebel et al. correction

Corrigendum to 'Psilocybin induces spatially constrained alterations in thalamic functional organizaton and connectivity': Neuroimage 2022 Oct 15;260:119434.

Psychedelics for Medicinal Use: How Will This Alter the Collective Laboratory Consciousness?

Clinical Chemistry March 7, 2023 Steven W. Cotten, Frederick G. Strathmann, Frederick S. Barrett et al.

The clinical evaluation of hallucinogens and other small molecules, conventionally termed psychedelics, has seen a dramatic increase in the past 5 years. Several key clinical trials recently demonstrated the potential efficacy of these compounds in treating a variety of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Concurrently, the business and patent...

The costs and benefits of psychedelics on cognition and mood

Neuron January 20, 2023 Ceyda Sayalı, Frederick S. Barrett 40 citations

Anecdotal evidence has indicated that psychedelic substances may acutely enhance creative task performance, although empirical support for this claim is mixed at best. Clinical research has shown that psychedelics might have enduring effects on mood and well-being. However, there is no neurocognitive framework that ties acute changes in cognition to long-term effects in mood. In this review, we...

Subtypes of the psychedelic experience have reproducible and predictable effects on depression and anxiety symptoms.

J Affect Disord December 27, 2022 Aki Nikolaidis, Rafaelle Lancelotta, Natalie Gukasyan et al. 24 citations

BackgroundSubjective experiences seem to play an important role in the enduring effects of psychedelic experiences. Although the importance of the subjective experience on the impact of psychedelics is frequently discussed, a more detailed understanding of the subtypes of psychedelic experiences and their associated impacts on mental health has not been well documented.MethodsIn the current...

Psilocybin induces spatially constrained alterations in thalamic functional organizaton and connectivity.

Neuroimage October 15, 2022 Andrew Gaddis, Daniel E. Lidstone, Mary Beth Nebel et al. 38 citations

Classic psychedelics, such as psilocybin and LSD, and other serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) agonists evoke acute alterations in perception and cognition. Altered thalamocortical connectivity has been hypothesized to underlie these effects, which is supported by some functional MRI (fMRI) studies. These studies have treated the thalamus as a unitary structure, despite known differential 5-HT2AR...

Skepticism about Recent Evidence That Psilocybin “Liberates” Depressed Minds

ACS Chemical Neuroscience August 24, 2022 Manoj K. Doss, Frederick S. Barrett, Philip R. Corlett 21 citations

A recent paper in Nature Medicine found that psilocybin therapy in patients with depression decreased brain network modularity (measured with task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging), an effect supposedly not found with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor S-citalopram. This decrease in network modularity also correlated with depression. Here, we raise several issues with this...

Differences in personality, cognitive abilities, illicit drug use, and white matter structural integrity between hallucinogen users and matched controls

Research Square April 20, 2022 Aviv Aharon-Almagor, Frederick S. Barrett

Abstract Recent research has demonstrated potential therapeutic effects of hallucinogens, but little is known regarding enduring effects of hallucinogens on human brain structure. Preclinical findings suggest micro-scale structural neuroplastic changes after hallucinogen administration. The current study sought to investigate the association between hallucinogen use, macroscale brain structure,...

Efficacy and safety of psilocybin-assisted treatment for major depressive disorder: Prospective 12-month follow-up

Journal of Psychopharmacology February 1, 2022 Natalie Gukasyan, Alan K. Davis, Frederick S. Barrett et al. 419 citations

Background: Preliminary data suggest that psilocybin-assisted treatment produces substantial and rapid antidepressant effects in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), but little is known about long-term outcomes. Aims: This study sought to examine the efficacy and safety of psilocybin through 12 months in participants with moderate to severe MDD who received psilocybin. Methods: This...

Human Cortical Serotonin 2A Receptor Occupancy by Psilocybin Measured Using [11C]MDL 100,907 Dynamic PET and a Resting-State fMRI-Based Brain Parcellation

Frontiers in Neuroergonomics January 20, 2022 Yun Zhou, Frederick S. Barrett, Theresa M. Carbonaro et al. 17 citations

Psilocybin (a serotonin 2A, or 5-HT 2A , receptor agonist) has shown preliminary efficacy as a treatment for mood and substance use disorders. The current report utilized positron emission tomography (PET) with the selective 5-HT 2A receptor inverse agonist radioligand [ 11 C]MDL 100,907 (a.k.a. M100,907) and cortical regions of interest (ROIs) derived from resting-state functional...

Effects of Setting on Psychedelic Experiences, Therapies, and Outcomes: A Rapid Scoping Review of the Literature

Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2022 Tasha L. Golden, Susan Magsamen, Clara C. Sandu et al. 89 citations

The health and well-being impacts of art and aesthetic experiences have been rigorously studied by a range of disciplines, including cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, public health, and translational clinical research. These experiences, encompassed in the concepts of set and setting, have long been claimed to be pivotal in determining the acute and enduring effects of psychedelic...

Psilocybin therapy increases cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder.

Translational Psychiatry November 8, 2021 Manoj K. Doss, Michal Považan, Monica D Rosenberg et al. 343 citations

Psilocybin has shown promise for the treatment of mood disorders, which are often accompanied by cognitive dysfunction including cognitive rigidity. Recent studies have proposed neuropsychoplastogenic effects as mechanisms underlying the enduring therapeutic effects of psilocybin. In an open-label study of 24 patients with major depressive disorder, we tested the enduring effects of psilocybin...

Models of psychedelic drug action: modulation of cortical-subcortical circuits

Brain October 22, 2021 Manoj K. Doss, Maxwell B. Madden, Andrew Gaddis et al. 196 citations

Abstract Classic psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) have recaptured the imagination of both science and popular culture, and may have efficacy in treating a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Human and animal studies of psychedelic drug action in the brain have demonstrated the involvement of the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor and the cerebral cortex in...

Classic Psychedelic Coadministration with Lithium, but Not Lamotrigine, is Associated with Seizures: An Analysis of Online Psychedelic Experience Reports

Pharmacopsychiatry August 4, 2021 Sandeep M. Nayak, Natalie Gukasyan, Frederick S. Barrett et al. 67 citations

Abstract Introduction Psychedelics show promise in treating unipolar depression, though patients with bipolar disorder have been excluded from recent psychedelic trials. There is limited information on the use of classic psychedelics (e. g., LSD or psilocybin) in individuals using mood stabilizers to treat bipolar disorder. This is important to know, as individuals with bipolar depression may...

Psychedelics and Consciousness: Distinctions, Demarcations, and Opportunities

The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology May 10, 2021 Natalie Gukasyan, David B. Yaden, Matthew W. Johnson et al. 56 citations

Abstract Psychedelic substances produce unusual and compelling changes in conscious experience that have prompted some to propose that psychedelics may provide unique insights explaining the nature of consciousness. At present, psychedelics, like other current scientific tools and methods, seem unlikely to provide information relevant to the so-called “hard problem of consciousness,” which...

Optimal dosing for psilocybin pharmacotherapy: Considering weight-adjusted and fixed dosing approaches

Journal of Psychopharmacology February 20, 2021 Albert Garcia‐romeu, Frederick S. Barrett, Theresa M. Carbonaro et al. 101 citations

Background: Growing evidence suggests psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic, is a safe and promising pharmacotherapy for treatment of mood and substance use disorders when administered as part of a structured intervention. In most trials to date, psilocybin dose has been administered on a weight-adjusted basis rather than the more convenient procedure of administering a fixed dose....

Development of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire among a sample of people who have consumed psilocybin or LSD

Journal of Psychopharmacology January 9, 2021 Alan K. Davis, Frederick S. Barrett, Sara So et al. 166 citations

Background: Several measures have been developed to examine acute psychedelic effects (e.g. mystical-type and challenging experiences), but no measure assesses acute psychologically insightful experiences that may occur during psychedelic experiences. Aim: The purpose of this study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire. Method: A...

Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder

JAMA Psychiatry November 4, 2020 Mary P Cosimano, Alan K. Davis, Frederick S. Barrett et al. 1,269 citations

Importance: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a substantial public health burden, but current treatments have limited effectiveness and adherence. Recent evidence suggests that 1 or 2 administrations of psilocybin with psychological support produces antidepressant effects in patients with cancer and in those with treatment-resistant depression. Objective: To investigate the effect of...

The Acute Effects of the Atypical Dissociative Hallucinogen Salvinorin A on Functional Connectivity in the Human Brain

Scientific Reports October 2, 2020 Manoj K. Doss, Darrick G. May, Matthew W. Johnson et al. 52 citations

Abstract Salvinorin A (SA) is a κ-opioid receptor agonist and atypical dissociative hallucinogen found in Salvia divinorum . Despite the resurgence of hallucinogen studies, the effects of κ-opioid agonists on human brain function are not well-understood. This placebo-controlled, within-subject study used functional magnetic resonance imaging for the first time to explore the effects of inhaled...

Psilocybin acutely alters the functional connectivity of the claustrum with brain networks that support perception, memory, and attention.

Neuroimage September 1, 2020 Frederick S. Barrett, Samuel R Krimmel, Roland R. Griffiths et al. 191 citations

Psychedelic drugs, including the serotonin 2a (5-HT2A) receptor partial agonist psilocybin, are receiving renewed attention for their possible efficacy in treating a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. Psilocybin induces widespread dysregulation of cortical activity, but circuit-level mechanisms underlying this effect are unclear. The claustrum is a subcortical nucleus that highly expresses...

Emotions and brain function are altered up to one month after a single high dose of psilocybin.

Scientific Reports February 10, 2020 Frederick S. Barrett, Manoj K. Doss, Nathan D. Sepeda et al. 375 citations

Psilocybin is a classic psychedelic compound that may have efficacy for the treatment of mood and substance use disorders. Acute psilocybin effects include reduced negative mood, increased positive mood, and reduced amygdala response to negative affective stimuli. However, no study has investigated the long-term, enduring impact of psilocybin on negative affect and associated brain function....

Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety.

Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science 2020 Alan K. Davis, Frederick S. Barrett, Roland R. Griffiths 369 citations

Prior research has shown that acute subjective psychedelic effects are associated with both spontaneous and intended changes in depression and anxiety. Psychedelics are also theorized to produce increases in psychological flexibility, which could explain decreases in depression and anxiety following a psychedelic experience. Therefore, the present cross-sectional survey study sought to examine...