Br J Psychiatry
July 8, 2026
Hannah Douglass, Meg J. Spriggs, Kate Godfrey et al.
Background Anorexia nervosa is a debilitating eating disorder with high mortality and chronicity rates owing to the paucity of effective existing treatments. Several clinical trials using psilocybin therapy have demonstrated therapeutic efficacy and safety in psychiatric conditions, including anorexia nervosa. Aims This study aimed to further assess the safety, feasibility and potential...
Hum Brain Mapp
July 1, 2026
Lorenzo Pasquini, Jakub Vohryzek, Anira Escrichs et al.
Modeled Long-Term Effects of Psilocybin on Dynamic Activity and Effective Connectivity of Fronto-Striatal-Thalamic Circuits.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
June 26, 2026
Paulina Clara Dagnino, Irene Acero-Pousa, Robin Carhart-Harris et al.
Abstract A central challenge in neuroscience is understanding how the human brain is organised to support optimal functioning and adaptability. One approach to characterise complex brain dynamics is by artificially perturbing whole-brain models. Here, we asked whether whole-brain organisation under perturbation in major depressive disorder (MDD) changes after intervention with psilocybin and...
Research Square
June 19, 2026
Aline Frick, Grace Blest‐hopley, Manesh Grin et al.
Abstract Rationale: Major depressive disorder (MDD) shows marked sex differences in prevalence, symptomatology, and treatment response. However, women remain underrepresented in many clinical trials, and sex-specific treatment outcomes are rarely examined. Objectives This study reanalyzed data from a randomized controlled trial comparing psilocybin and escitalopram for MDD to evaluate sex...
PLoS One
June 18, 2026
Elisa Liberati, Hv Curran, Peter Fonagy et al.
INTRODUCTION: Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) is a potentially transformative intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite encouraging Phase III trial results, the psychological mechanisms underpinning MDMA's therapeutic effects remain insufficiently understood. Existing research on MDMA has emphasised neurobiological processes but has...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
June 16, 2026
Paulina Clara Dagnino, Irene Acero-Pousa, Gorka Zamora-López et al.
1 citation
Abstract In recent decades, the psychedelic psilocybin has been studied as a potential treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), offering an alternative to traditional antidepressants. However, the brain changes underlying the clinical effects of different interventions remain unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of psilocybin and a conventional antidepressant, escitalopram, from the...
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
May 8, 2026
Ioanna Artemis Vamvakopoulou, Dasha Nicholls, David Nutt et al.
Rates of mental illness in young people are increasing, whereas the development of novel mental health treatments has not significantly progressed. Psychedelic-assisted therapy, using substances such as psilocybin and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), has shown potential in the treatment of mental illnesses in the adult population, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress...
May 4, 2026
Victoria Burmester, Laura Aggett, David Nutt et al.
preprint
Background3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is associated with distinctive prosocial and empathogenic effects, yet the consistency and scope of its impact on social functioning in humans remain unclear. Although numerous placebo-controlled studies have examined MDMA’s acute social effects, findings vary widely across subjective and behavioural domains.MethodsWe conducted a systematic...
Nature Medicine
April 1, 2026
Manesh Girn, Manoj K. Doss, Leor Roseman et al.
8 citations
Psychedelic drugs are re-emerging as promising scientific and clinical tools. However, despite a rapidly expanding literature on their therapeutic value, the neural mechanisms underlying psychedelic effects remain unclear. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of acute psychedelic effects, conducted independently by several research groups, have so far yielded fragmented...
Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
March 21, 2026
Claudio Agnorelli, Joseph Peill, Gabriela Sawicka et al.
We investigated ketamine's neuroplastic effects in healthy human subjects using integrated Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) measures before and 1-8 days after a single psychedelic dose of ketamine (1 mg/kg, intravenous). Eleven male participants underwent two PET/MRI scans with [11C]-UCBJ (synaptic density/plasticity), 1H-MRS (glutamate and GABA) and...
Nat Med
February 16, 2026
David Erritzøe, Tommaso Barba, Tiffanie Benway et al.
4 citations
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, yet many patients have inadequate responses to current treatments. Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a serotonergic psychedelic with rapid onset and short duration, shows promise as a potential antidepressant (AD), although clinical evidence in MDD remains limited. We conducted a phase IIa, double-blind, placebo-controlled,...
BMJ
February 3, 2026
Adam Winstock, David Nutt, Caroline S Copeland
Without parallel public health action, reclassifying ketamine risks being a symbolic gesture rather than a strategy to reduce harm, write Adam Winstock, David Nutt, and Caroline Copeland
Advanced Science
November 20, 2025
Paolo Cardone, Charlotte Martial, Yonatan Sanz Perl et al.
3 citations
Abstract Disorders of consciousness (DoC), including unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) and minimally conscious state (MCS), have limited treatment options and are characterized by low complexity of brain activity. Recent research suggests that psychedelic drugs, which enhance the complexity of brain activity, could offer promising therapies. Here, individualized whole‐brain computational...
Translational Psychiatry
November 13, 2025
Bruna Giribaldi Cunha, David Nutt, Marieke Martens et al.
Abstract Recent clinical trial data suggests that ratings on depression scales are lowered after psilocybin therapy compared to placebo, though it is unclear what neuropsychological mechanisms underpin these effects. This study compared psilocybin, with an established antidepressant, escitalopram, to investigate whether there are shared or distinct effects on emotional information processing....
Neuropsychopharmacology
October 31, 2025
Natalie Ertl, Imran Ashraf, Lisa Azizi et al.
1 citation
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) are widely used psychoactive drugs and their potential use in psychiatric medicine is currently generating interest. The mechanism by which these drugs may assist recovery in various disorders such as addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is still not well understood. Most investigations of the effects...
J Psychopharmacol
October 27, 2025
David Nutt, Celia J. A. Morgan, David Erritzøe et al.
2 citations
A long, strange trip: Ketamine treatment in psychiatry.
Drug Science Policy and Law
September 1, 2025
David Nutt, David Erritzøe, Anne Katrin Schlag et al.
9 citations
Psychedelics are undergoing a clinical research renaissance, with compounds such as psilocybin advancing to Phase 3 trials for treatment-resistant depression and receiving fast-track or breakthrough designations from regulatory agencies. Despite this progress, the field lacks standardized terminology to guide clinical development, dosing, safety monitoring, and regulatory classification. Here,...
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
July 21, 2025
Marcel Socoró-garrigosa, Yonatan Sanz Perl, Morten L. Kringelbach et al.
3 citations
Abstract Determining the scale of neural representations is a central challenge in neuroscience. While localized representations have traditionally dominated, evidence suggests information is also encoded in distributed, hierarchical networks. Recent research indicates that the hierarchy of causal influences shaping functional patterns serves as a signature of distinct brain states, with...
Comprehensive Psychiatry
July 1, 2025
Luca Pellegrini, Naomi A Fineberg, Sorcha O'Connor et al.
17 citations
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and disabling condition. A large proportion of patients fail to respond to first-line treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors either selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or clomipramine. Preliminary evidence suggests psilocybin, a serotonin receptor agonist, might be efficacious. We conducted a pharmacological challenge study to...
Mol Psychiatry
July 1, 2025
Rebecca Harding, Neomi Singer, Matthew B. Wall et al.
correction
The following part of the abstract had a minor error: ‘Following PT, there was greater activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and sensory regions, and reduced activation in the angular gyrus.’ This is now corrected to ‘Following PT, there was decreased activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and angular gyrus, and greater activation in sensory regions.’ The original article...
European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
June 23, 2025
Jessica S. Henry, Bruna Giribaldi, David Nutt et al.
2 citations
Patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) have more dysfunctional attitudes than healthy individuals and these pessimistic biases are correlated with depression severity. Psilocybin has demonstrated sustained remission in depression. Secondary analysis of a two-arm randomized controlled trial assessing the effect of psilocybin therapy versus escitalopram on 'maladaptive' cognitive biases...
Frontiers in Psychology
June 6, 2025
William Roseby, Hannes Kettner, Leor Roseman et al.
6 citations
Introduction Psychedelics, such as psilocybin, are increasingly recognized for their propensity to elicit powerful subjective experiences that carry personal meaning. While research has demonstrated the capacity for these compounds to promote psychological wellbeing, it has yet to be shown to what extent they modulate "meaning in life", a specific contributor to mental and physical health....
Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)
May 14, 2025
Hannah Thurgur, Ben Sessa, Laurie Higbed et al.
3 citations
Safety and tolerability data from the first open-label feasibility study of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder was recently published. This paper presents a Bayesian analysis of the impact of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy on treatment success, defined as 2-level reduction in the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking risk at the 3 months...
American Journal of Psychiatry
May 7, 2025
Matthew B. Wall, Lysia Demetriou, Bruna Giribaldi et al.
16 citations
Despite large improvements in depressive symptoms in the psilocybin group, psilocybin therapy had only a minor effect on brain responsiveness to emotional stimuli. These results are consistent with prior findings that the antidepressant action of SSRIs is often accompanied by a reduction in emotional responsiveness, but this effect may not occur in psychedelic therapy.
Molecular Psychiatry
April 26, 2025
Rebecca Harding, Neomi Singer, Talma Hendler et al.
4 citations
Abstract Psilocybin therapy (PT) is emerging as an effective intervention for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), offering comparable efficacy to conventional treatments like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Music, an emotionally evocative stimulus, provides a valuable tool to explore changes in hedonic and predictive processing mechanisms via expectancy violations, or ‘surprises’....