Biological Psychiatry
April 10, 2023
James Rucker, Mathieu Seynaeve, Allan H. Young et al.
1 citation
Nasal administration of tryptamine psychedelics significantly elevates mood in 70% of participants, based on a sample size of 150 individuals. This method enhances the effects on consciousness and psychological well-being, indicating strong potential in pharmacology and psychiatry. The study highlights how these substances influence neurotransmitter receptors, leading to altered states of awareness. With implications for forensic toxicology and drug analysis, findings suggest that psychedelics may offer new avenues for therapeutic applications in mental health.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
January 1, 2023
Simon Ruffell, Nige Netzband, WaiFung Tsang et al.
1 citation
correction
This is a correction notice for a previously published article. It provides no new findings, arguments, or data.
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol
June 5, 2026
Andreas Reif, A. Elif Anıl Yağcıoğlu, Istvan Bitter et al.
No Summary
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
May 29, 2026
Elliot Hampsey, Kirsty Martin, Michail Kalfas et al.
A systematic review of 32 trials in healthy adults found that LSD and psilocybin show dose-proportional peak concentrations (Cmax), while DMT's oral and intravenous formulations differ in ways that may be clinically significant. LSD was the most studied psychedelic, followed by DMT and psilocybin; mescaline appeared in only two trials. Single studies examined intravenous LSD, intravenous psilocybin, inhaled 5-MEO-DMT, and intranasal 5-MEO-DMT. Variations in absorption, distribution, and elimination among the compounds may have important implications for clinical and research settings.
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
May 5, 2026
Hiroyuki Uchida, Gabriella Gobbi, Joseph Zohar et al.
Between 2013 and 2026, neuropsychopharmacology advanced from stagnation to momentum, producing several first-in-class treatments: rapid-acting drugs for treatment-resistant depression (intranasal esketamine), psychedelic-assisted therapy for PTSD and depression, neuroactive steroid GABA-A receptor positive allosteric modulators (brexanolone, zuranolone) for postpartum depression, non-dopaminergic muscarinic agonists (xanomeline-trospium) for schizophrenia, orexin receptor antagonists for insomnia, and anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies (lecanemab, donanemab) for early Alzheimer's disease.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
April 16, 2026
Minna Chang, Allan H. Young, Mario F Juruena
Both electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and ketamine show sustained therapeutic potential for treatment-resistant depression, with ECT possibly associated with longer remission. Higher doses, more frequent administration, and maintenance ECT or ketamine appear to prolong remission, and continuing oral antidepressants may extend it further. This systematic review of 13 studies found no direct head-to-head comparisons of time-to-relapse between the two treatments that met inclusion criteria, preventing formal statistical analysis. The review excluded studies involving psychotic depression, limiting generalizability to those populations.
J Affect Disord
October 10, 2025
Guy M. Goodwin, Scott T Aaronson, Oscar Alvarez et al.
correction
No Summary
bioRxiv
July 22, 2025
Alice Caulfield, Lorraine Li, Famia Askari et al.
preprint
Psychedelics show potential for enhancing associative learning in animals, according to a systematic review of 31 studies (29 animal, 2 human). The review found that psychedelic administration improved learning across classical and operant conditioning paradigms, including fear extinction and reversal learning, though effects varied by dose, timing, training intensity, and sex. Possible mechanisms include increased prediction error sensitivity, serotonin receptor agonism, and structural plasticity. Learning enhancements may persist into the post-acute phase and depend on active environmental engagement. These findings have not yet been confirmed in humans, but suggest a window of enhanced learning that could inform psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2025
Minna Chang, Allan H. Young, Mario F Juruena
A 28-year-old woman receiving ketamine for depression developed ulcerative cystitis, a complication previously seen only in recreational users. Ketamine-induced cystitis (KIC) causes lower urinary tract symptoms—dysuria, urgency, nocturia, frequency—and can progress to incontinence, hematuria, bladder fibrosis, and kidney damage. The exact cause is unknown, but theories include direct toxicity from ketamine metabolites, an IgE-mediated allergic response, and other inflammatory pathways. Early diagnosis and stopping ketamine can reverse symptoms and prevent further harm. This is the first reported case of KIC from therapeutic-dose ketamine for depression.
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2025
Anna Borissova, Allan H. Young, Mitul A. Mehta et al.
In interviews with seven people who had previously received ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, participants were motivated by hope for symptom improvement and a desire to support depression research. They described feeling more open and involved after ketamine and thought it could enhance therapy sessions. They suggested clearer communication that mood changes may not last, providing audiovisual materials to prepare for the infusion experience, and offering check-ins between sessions plus a final session for referrals and support. These insights informed a planned feasibility randomized controlled trial comparing intravenous ketamine plus behavioral activation (n=20) against midazolam plus behavioral activation (n=20) for major depressive disorder with anhedonia.
Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
July 20, 2020
Matthew Butler, Mathieu Seynaeve, Timothy R. Nicholson et al.
Functional neurological disorder (FND) causes significant disability, yet treatment options are limited. A systematic review of nine studies from 1954–1967 involving 26 patients found that psychedelics, primarily LSD (25–2,000 mcg) and psilocybin (3–15 mg), were used alongside psychotherapy. After treatment, 69% of patients showed at least some recovery, and 23% fully recovered. Adverse events were mild and transient. Although the studies were low quality and lacked control groups, the degree of improvement suggests psychedelics may be a promising treatment for FND, warranting modern research.
European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
July 17, 2026
Allan H. Young, Bernhard T Baune, Beatrice Benatti et al.
A panel of 30 European psychiatrists with expertise in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) reached consensus on strategies for using esketamine nasal spray across treatment phases. During the acute phase (4-12 weeks), even modest reductions in core symptoms support continuing esketamine, especially for patients with long disease course or resistance to multiple therapies. Dose and frequency maximization (84 mg weekly) was recommended to improve acute outcomes. In the continuation phase (6-9 months), monitoring should focus on residual symptoms, functional recovery, and comorbidities. Prolonging maintenance treatment (≥12 months) depends on the degree of worsening when tapering, relapse risk, and recurrence history. Across all phases, integrating psychotherapy, optimizing antidepressants, managing comorbidities, and strengthening support networks were recommended.
Psychological Medicine
July 13, 2026
Thorsten Barnhofer, Barnaby D. Dunn, Clara Strauss et al.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) plus treatment as usual leads to greater symptom improvement than treatment as usual alone in adults with difficult-to-treat depression who have not remitted after high-intensity psychological therapy. The therapy works partly by increasing decentering—the ability to observe thoughts and feelings as temporary mental events—and this mechanism remains effective even when depressive symptoms are severe. Higher baseline depression severity does not limit the acquisition of decentering skills or the overall treatment effect; instead, decentering is more strongly linked to symptom reduction in those with more severe depression. These findings support using MBCT across a broad range of symptom severity.