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Allan H. Young

King's College London, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

63 papers in the library · 4,131 citations · publishing 2013-2026

Papers

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Psychedelic‐assisted treatment for substance use disorder: A narrative systematic review

Addiction January 30, 2025 Theodore Piper, Francesca Small, Michael Kelleher et al. 27 citations

Abstract Background and aims This is the first systematic review of the extant literature on all major psychedelic‐assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD), tobacco use disorder (TUD) and other substance use disorders (SUD). We aimed to summarise the evidence for efficacy of psychedelic‐assisted treatment for AUD, TUD, and SUD; to evaluate its quality; and to offer recommendations for...

Phase 1, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose trial to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and effect on altered states of consciousness of intranasal BPL-003 (5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine benzoate) in healthy participants.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) August 1, 2024 James Jonathan Rucker, Claire T. Roberts, Mathieu Seynaeve et al. 32 citations

To investigate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of BPL-003, a novel intranasal benzoate salt formulation of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), in healthy participants. In all, 44 psychedelic-naïve participants enrolled in the double-blind, placebo-controlled single ascending dose study (1-12 mg BPL-003). Concentrations of 5-MeO-DMT and its...

Safety and tolerability of esketamine nasal spray versus quetiapine extended release in patients with treatment resistant depression.

European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology August 1, 2024 Roger S McIntyre, Istvan Bitter, Jozefien Buyze et al. 30 citations

In ESCAPE-TRD (NCT04338321), esketamine nasal spray (NS) significantly increased the probability of remission at Week 8, and of being relapse-free through Week 32 after remission at Week 8, versus quetiapine extended release (XR) in patients with treatment resistant depression (TRD). Here, we explore the time course, burden and consequences of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in the...

Extended-release ketamine tablets for treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled phase 2 trial.

Nature Medicine July 1, 2024 Paul Glue, Colleen Loo, Johnson Fam et al. 60 citations

Ketamine has rapid-onset antidepressant activity in patients with treatment-resistant major depression (TRD). The safety and tolerability of racemic ketamine may be improved if given orally, as an extended-release tablet (R-107), compared with other routes of administration. In this phase 2 multicenter clinical trial, male and female adult patients with TRD and Montgomery-Asberg Depression...

Is it now time to prepare psychiatry for a psychedelic future?

The British Journal of Psychiatry May 20, 2024 David Nutt, Ilana B Crome, Allan H. Young 18 citations

Australia has just rescheduled two drugs controlled under the United Nations Psychotropic Drug Conventions, psilocybin and MDMA, as treatments for treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder respectively. This feature explores the reasons for these developments, the opportunities and challenges they provide to psychiatry communities and how along with health systems these...

Guidelines for ketamine use in clinical psychiatry practice.

BJPsych Open May 10, 2024 Luke A. Jelen, Rupert McShane, Allan H. Young 7 citations

In this editorial, we emphasise the efficacy and challenges of using ketamine in treatment-resistant depression. We highlight the need for comprehensive evidence-based guidelines to manage the use of both licensed and off-licence ketamine formulations and discuss recent efforts by Beaglehole et al to develop ketamine guidelines in New Zealand. We finally advocate for national registries to...

Psilocybin for dementia prevention? The potential role of psilocybin to alter mechanisms associated with major depression and neurodegenerative diseases

Pharmacology & Therapeutics April 6, 2024 Zarah R. Haniff, Mariia Bocharova, Tim Mantingh et al. 16 citations

Major depression is an established risk factor for subsequent dementia, and depression in late life may also represent a prodromal state of dementia. Considering current challenges in the clinical development of disease modifying therapies for dementia, the focus of research is shifting towards prevention and modification of risk factors to alter the neurodegenerative disease trajectory....

Ketamine cystitis following ketamine therapy for treatment-resistant depression – case report

BMC Psychiatry January 2, 2024 Minna Chang, Mario F Juruena, Allan H. Young 16 citations

Abstract Background Ketamine is a novel and exciting putative antidepressant medication for patients with treatment-resistant depression. A complication commonly seen in frequent and heavy recreational use of ketamine is ulcerative cystitis, which presents with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and upper renal tract damage and can be seen in over 25% of regular users. Although...

Psychedelics for treatment resistant depression: are they game changers?

Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy November 10, 2023 Michail Kalfas, Rosie H Taylor, Dimosthenis Tsapekos et al. 28 citations

Psychedelic therapy has created a paradigm shift in the treatment of TRD, as it can maximize therapeutic benefits and minimize potential risks. Psilocybin holds promise as a potential game-changer in the treatment of TRD, with initial evidence suggesting a rapid antidepressant effect sustained for some responders for at least 3 months. Nevertheless, further adequately powered, double-blind,...

Repurposing of recreational drugs: will these new ‘medicines’ (e.g., psychedelics, psilocybin, cannabinoids, LSD, MDMA, ketamine) deliver short- or longer-term benefits for those with depressive or other mood disorders?

Research Directions Depression October 13, 2023 Ian B. Hickie, F. Markus Leweke, Allan H. Young 1 citation

In recent years, there has been considerable enthusiasm among research groups focused on developing novel therapies for treatment-resistant depression, and a wider community that has had experiences using recreational drugs, in more systematic evaluation of the therapeutic value of these compounds (Goodwin et al., 2022; Young, 2023). This has also been associated with advocacy for...

Esketamine Nasal Spray versus Quetiapine for Treatment-Resistant Depression

New England Journal of Medicine October 4, 2023 Andreas Reif, Istvan Bitter, Jozefien Buyze et al. 197 citations

BACKGROUND: In treatment-resistant depression, commonly defined as a lack of response to two or more consecutive treatments during the current depressive episode, the percentage of patients with remission is low and the percentage with relapse is high. The efficacy and safety of esketamine nasal spray as compared with extended-release quetiapine augmentation therapy, both in combination with...

Treatment‐resistant depression: definition, prevalence, detection, management, and investigational interventions

World Psychiatry September 15, 2023 Roger S McIntyre, Mohammad Alsuwaidan, Bernhard T Baune et al. 712 citations

Treatment‐resistant depression (TRD) is common and associated with multiple serious public health implications. A consensus definition of TRD with demonstrated predictive utility in terms of clinical decision‐making and health outcomes does not currently exist. Instead, a plethora of definitions have been proposed, which vary significantly in their conceptual framework. The absence of a...

Psilocybin therapy for treatment resistant depression: prediction of clinical outcome by natural language processing

Psychopharmacology August 22, 2023 Robert F. Dougherty, Patrick Clarke, Merve Atli et al. 21 citations

Abstract Rationale Therapeutic administration of psychedelics has shown significant potential in historical accounts and recent clinical trials in the treatment of depression and other mood disorders. A recent randomized double-blind phase-IIb study demonstrated the safety and efficacy of COMP360, COMPASS Pathways’ proprietary synthetic formulation of psilocybin, in participants with...

Esketamine Nasal Spray Improves Rate and Time to Remission Versus Quetiapine Extended Release in Subgroups of Patients With Treatment Resistant Depression and Two or Three Plus Prior Treatment Failures: Results From ESCAPE-TRD, a Randomised Phase IIIb Trial

BJPsych Open July 1, 2023 Allan H. Young, Wiesław Jerzy Cubała, René Ernst Nielsen et al. 2 citations

Aims For patients with depression, the likelihood of remission decreases with each subsequent treatment failure. Per European Medicines Agency guidance, treatment resistant depression (TRD) is defined as nonresponse to ≥2 consecutive treatments at adequate dosage and duration in the current depressive episode. In ESCAPE-TRD (NCT04338321), esketamine nasal spray (NS) increased the probability of...

Investigation of self-treatment with lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin mushrooms: Findings from the Global Drug Survey 2020

Journal of Psychopharmacology March 6, 2023 Emma I Kopra, Jason Ferris, Adam Winstock et al. 62 citations

Background: Growing numbers of people are using psychedelics for personal psychotherapy outside clinical settings, but research on such use is scarce. Aims: This study investigated the patterns of use, self-reported outcomes and outcome predictors of psychedelic ‘self-treatment’ of mental health conditions or specific worries/concerns in life. Methods: We use data from the Global Drug Survey...

Single-dose psilocybin for a treatment-resistant episode of major depression: Impact on patient-reported depression severity, anxiety, function, and quality of life

Journal of Affective Disorders February 3, 2023 Guy M. Goodwin, Scott T Aaronson, Oscar Alvarez et al. 168 citations

Three weeks after dosing, psilocybin 25 mg and, to a lesser degree, 10 mg improved measures of patient-reported depression severity, anxiety, affect, and functioning. These results extend the primary findings from the largest randomised clinical trial of psilocybin for TRD to examine other outcomes that are of importance to patients.

Early Clinical Experiences of Esketamine Nasal Spray in the UK in Adults with Treatment-Resistant Major Depressive Disorder: Advisory Panel Recommendations.

Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2023 Allan H. Young, Mohamed Abdelghani, Mario F Juruena et al. 10 citations

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is associated with profound morbidity for patients, placing a significant burden on those affected, the health service and wider society. Despite this, TRD remains chronically underserved in terms of viable treatment options. To address this gap, an advisory panel of psychiatrists and clinical researchers with experience in managing TRD convened to develop...

Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression.

The New England journal of medicine November 3, 2022 Guy M. Goodwin, Scott T Aaronson, Oscar Alvarez et al. 1,095 citations

Psilocybin is being studied for use in treatment-resistant depression. In this phase 2 double-blind trial, we randomly assigned adults with treatment-resistant depression to receive a single dose of a proprietary, synthetic formulation of psilocybin at a dose of 25 mg, 10 mg, or 1 mg (control), along with psychological support. The primary end point was the change from baseline to week 3 in the...

Adverse experiences resulting in emergency medical treatment seeking following the use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)

Journal of Psychopharmacology June 7, 2022 Emma I Kopra, Jason Ferris, James Rucker et al. 42 citations

Background: Recreational lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) use is growing in popularity amid increasing research interest on psychedelics and their possible therapeutic potential yet; the potent psychotropic effects of LSD may result in adverse reactions and behaviour. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the 12-month incidence and nature of LSD-related adverse experiences resulting in...

Adverse experiences resulting in emergency medical treatment seeking following the use of magic mushrooms

Journal of Psychopharmacology April 7, 2022 Emma I Kopra, Jason Ferris, Adam Winstock et al. 65 citations

Background: Psilocybin-containing mushrooms are used for recreational, spiritual, self-development and therapeutic purposes. However, physiologically relatively nontoxic, adverse reactions are occasionally reported. Aims: This study investigated the 12-month prevalence and nature of magic mushroom-related adverse reactions resulting in emergency medical treatment seeking in a global sample of...

The effects of psilocybin on cognitive and emotional functions in healthy participants: Results from a phase 1, randomised, placebo-controlled trial involving simultaneous psilocybin administration and preparation

Journal of Psychopharmacology 2022 James Rucker, Lindsey Marwood, Riikka-Liisa Johanna Ajantaival et al. 101 citations

Background: Psilocybin, a psychoactive serotonin receptor partial agonist, has been reported to acutely reduce clinical symptoms of depressive disorders. Psilocybin’s effects on cognitive function have not been widely or systematically studied. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the safety of simultaneous administration of psilocybin to healthy participants in the largest randomised...

Psilocybin-assisted therapy for the treatment of resistant major depressive disorder (PsiDeR): protocol for a randomised, placebo-controlled feasibility trial

BMJ Open December 1, 2021 James Rucker, Hassan Jafari, Tim Mantingh et al. 23 citations

Introduction Psilocybin-assisted therapy may be a new treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), with encouraging data from pilot trials. In this trial (short name: PsiDeR) we aimed to test the feasibility of a parallel-group, randomised, placebo-controlled design. The primary outcomes in this trial are measures of feasibility: recruitment rates, dropout rates and the variance of the...

Cardiovascular Effects of Combining Subcutaneous or Intravenous Esketamine and the MAO Inhibitor Tranylcypromine for the Treatment of Depression: A Retrospective Cohort Study

CNS Drugs July 20, 2021 Vera Miriam Ludwig, Cathrin Sauer, Allan H. Young et al. 23 citations

(Es)ketamine and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), e.g., tranylcypromine, are therapeutic options for treatment-resistant major depression. Simultaneous administration is currently not recommended because of concern about hypertensive crises. Our objective was to evaluate whether changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) during esketamine...

Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats—Mental Health and Epigenetic Outcomes From a Six-Month Naturalistic Study

Frontiers in Psychiatry June 9, 2021 Simon Ruffell, Nige Netzband, WaiFung Tsang et al. 74 citations

Ayahuasca is a natural psychoactive brew, used in traditional ceremonies in the Amazon basin. Recent research has indicated that ayahuasca is pharmacologically safe and its use may be positively associated with improvements in psychiatric symptoms. The mechanistic effects of ayahuasca are yet to be fully established. In this prospective naturalistic study, 63 self-selected participants took...