Frontiers in Psychiatry
September 1, 2026
Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Sarah Shnayder, Geena Fram et al.
Introduction Psilocybin treatment has shown promise for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet clinical response is variable. Little is known about the subjective experiences associated with divergent outcomes or the psychological processes differentiating responders from non-responders. Materials and methods A qualitative case comparison was conducted using...
Mol Psychiatry
July 7, 2026
Axel F. Rosado, Abigail L. Yu, Jen-Hau Yang et al.
Classic serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin act as agonists at cortical serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptors (5-HT 2A R), inducing psychedelic effects in humans and head-twitch responses (HTRs) in rodents. Another class of psychedelic drugs called entactogens, exemplified by MDMA, function primarily as monoamine releasers and typically evoke minimal HTR despite causing serotonin release. The...
JAMA Psychiatry
May 1, 2026
Amanda Jones, Jennifer Warner-Schmidt, Hannah Kwak et al.
6 citations
The phase 2 data presented here support the development of TSND-201 for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a disorder for which there is a significant unmet need for rapid-acting and effective treatments. TSND-201 (methylone) is a highly selective, rapid-acting neuroplastogen that releases serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine without direct activity at 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 2A...
February 11, 2026
Sarah Shnayder, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Troy Hubert et al.
preprint
Background: Psilocybin treatment has shown promise across a range of psychiatric conditions. Mystical-type experiences during dosing sessions have been shown to predict the clinical effects of psilocybin treatment in depression, anxiety, and addiction. However, no studies have examined whether acute subjective experiences predict treatment response in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)....
January 15, 2026
Benjamin Kelmendi, Thomas G. Adams, Terence H. W. Ching et al.
preprint
Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 2-3% of the population worldwide. 40-60% of patients do not respond to first-line interventions. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a single dose of psilocybin in patients with treatment-resistant OCD.Methods: In this phase 2, randomized, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 28 adults with treatment-resistant OCD to receive a...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
May 15, 2025
Terence H. W. Ching, Benjamin Kelmendi
4 citations
AbstractBackgroundThere is a need to systemically diversify psychedelic clinical trials, considering the growing interest in in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics within Black, Indigenous, and Peoples of Color (BIPOC) and queer communities. Doing so contributes to a more inclusive foundation of evidence-based research and addresses ethical considerations surrounding anticipated demand...
Psychedelic Medicine
January 20, 2025
Marianna Graziosi, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Mary P Cosimano et al.
9 citations
Introduction: Serotonergic psychedelics, serotonin 2A receptor agonists such as psilocybin that can result in substantially altered states of consciousness, are used in recreational and research settings. The safety of psychedelic experiences in research settings is supported by controlled physical environments, presence of clinical and medical staff to address emergent issues, screening for...
JAMA Network Open
December 5, 2024
Anthony L. Back, Timara K Freeman-Young, Ladybird Morgan et al.
37 citations
Importance The psychological morbidity experienced by physicians, advanced practice practitioners (APPs), and nurses from working during the COVID-19 pandemic includes burnout, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Objective To investigate whether psilocybin therapy could improve symptoms of depression, burnout, and PTSD in US clinicians who developed these symptoms from...
The American journal of psychiatry
December 1, 2024
Lauren M. Sippel, Jessica L. Hamblen, Benjamin Kelmendi et al.
11 citations
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent psychiatric disorder that can become chronic and debilitating when left untreated. The most commonly recommended first-line treatments for PTSD among adults are individual trauma-focused psychotherapies. Other evidence-based treatments include specific antidepressant medications and non-trauma-focused psychotherapies. Despite the...
Int Rev Psychiatry
September 11, 2024
Mary E. Yaden, Terence H. W. Ching, Noam Goldway et al.
2 citations
OBJECTIVE: The growth of psychedelic medicine creates new challenges in psychiatric education as physicians may soon be responsible for prescribing a number of psychedelic interventions. Despite this growing need for educated providers, very little is known about the training psychiatry residents receive in psychedelic medicine. We conducted a survey to determine the current educational...
Psychiatry Research
June 1, 2024
Gayle Maloney, Terence H. W. Ching, Stephen A. Kichuk et al.
3 citations
Novel treatments are required for the 30-50% of individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who remain resistant to first-line pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments. Recent pilot data suggest benefit from psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) and from imagery rescripting (ImRs). We explore psychological mechanisms of change underpinning both interventions that appear to...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
February 16, 2024
Terence H. W. Ching, Lucia Amoroso, Calvin Bohner et al.
correction
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1278823.].
Frontiers in Neuroscience
February 7, 2024
Jennifer Warner-Schmidt, Martin Stogniew, Blake Mandell et al.
6 citations
BackgroundPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent psychiatric disorder that can become chronic and debilitating when left untreated. Available pharmacotherapies are limited, take weeks to show modest benefit and remain ineffective for up to 40% of patients. Methylone is currently in clinical development for the treatment of PTSD. Preclinical studies show rapid, robust and...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
January 9, 2024
Terence H. W. Ching, Lucia Amoroso, Calvin Bohner et al.
9 citations
Background To date, few randomized controlled trials of psilocybin with non-directive support exist for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Results and participant feedback from an interim analysis of an ongoing single-dose trial (NCT03356483) converged on the possibility of administering a higher fixed dose and/or more doses of psilocybin in future trials for presumably greater benefits....
Am J Psychiatry
2024
Kelley C. O’donnell, Brian T Anderson, Frederick S. Barrett et al.
31 citations
Misinterpretations and Omissions: A Critical Response to Goodwin and Colleagues' Commentary on Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy.
Psychedelic Med (New Rochelle)
December 13, 2023
Kelley C O'Donnell, Daniel E. Roberts, Terence H. W. Ching et al.
13 citations
What Is in a Name? The Many Meanings of "Psychedelic".
JAMA
August 31, 2023
Charles L. Raison, Gerard Sanacora, Joshua Woolley et al.
493 citations
Importance Psilocybin shows promise as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Objective To evaluate the magnitude, timing, and durability of antidepressant effects and safety of a single dose of psilocybin in patients with MDD. Design, Setting, and Participants In this phase 2 trial conducted between December 2019 and June 2022 at 11 research sites in the US, participants were...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
April 25, 2023
Rachael Grazioplene, Calvin Bohner, Giuliana DePalmer et al.
27 citations
Background Psilocybin may help treat obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). To date, only one open-label study of psilocybin for OCD exists, necessitating further investigation with a randomized controlled design. The neural correlates of psilocybin’s effects on OCD have also not been studied. Objectives This first-of-its-kind trial aims to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of...
March 17, 2023
Terence H. W. Ching, Rachael Grazioplene, Christopher Pittenger et al.
6 citations
preprint
The Yale Program for Psychedelic Science (YPPS) supports a multi-disciplinary research community dedicated to investigating the effects of psychedelic substances on brain function, cognition, and behavior, including their therapeutic potential in treating neuropsychiatric conditions. In support of this mission, YPPS is testing the safety and efficacy of psilocybin, administered in conjunction...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
February 17, 2023
Lourdes Poyatos, Clara Pérez‐mañá, Olga Hladun et al.
26 citations
Methylone is one of the most common synthetic cathinones popularized as a substitute for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, midomafetamine) owing to its similar effects among users. Both psychostimulants exhibit similar chemistry (i.e., methylone is a β-keto analog of MDMA) and mechanisms of action. Currently, the pharmacology of methylone remains scarcely explored in humans. Herein, we...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
February 6, 2023
Candace R. Lewis, Joseph Tafur, Sophie Spencer et al.
29 citations
BackgroundPrevious research has demonstrated that epigenetic changes in specific hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) genes may predict successful psychotherapy in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A recent Phase 3 clinical trial reported high efficacy of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy for treating patients with severe PTSD compared to a therapy with placebo...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
January 10, 2023
Jennifer Warner-Schmidt, Christopher Pittenger, Martin Stogniew et al.
11 citations
Introduction Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants represent first-line pharmacological treatment for a variety of neuropsychiatric illnesses, including major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which show high rates of comorbidity. SSRIs have a delayed onset of action. Most patients do not show significant effects until 4–8...
Heliyon
December 1, 2022
Benjamin Kelmendi, Giuliana DePalmer, Gayle Maloney et al.
34 citations
Classic psychedelics, such as psilocybin, act on the brain's serotonin system and produce striking psychological effects. Early work in the 1950s and 1960s and more recent controlled studies suggest benefit from psychedelic treatment in a number of conditions. A few case reports in recreational users and a single experimental study suggest benefit in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder...
October 5, 2022
Terence H. W. Ching, Stephen A. Kichuk, Giuliana DePalmer et al.
5 citations
preprint
The Yale Program for Psychedelic Science (YPPS) is testing the safety and efficacy of psilocybin, administered in conjunction with non-directive psychological support, as a treatment for certain neurological and psychiatric conditions. The study, HIC: 200020355 (Neural correlates of the effects of psilocybin in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study), will...
Curr Biol
2022
Benjamin Kelmendi, Alfred P. Kaye, Christopher Pittenger et al.
115 citations
Psychedelics are compounds that alter consciousness by acting on serotonin receptors in the brain. The term 'psychedelic', from the Greek for mind manifesting, refers to the drugs' subjective effects and was first proposed by Humphry Osmond in 1956. Other terms have been used to emphasize different aspects of the psychological experiences produced by various related compounds, including...