Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 23, 2026
Omer A. Syed, Rotem Petranker, Sean M. Nestor et al.
The use of ketamine as a treatment for mood disorders continues to grow in popularity. However, the differences between individuals consuming ketamine within clinical settings and those self-medicating in casual, non-clinical settings has not been yet characterized. Using the 2023 Global Psychedelic Survey, this study aimed to examine the demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as the...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 9, 2026
Omer A. Syed, Fahad Alam, Peter Giacobbe
Abstract Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating medical condition that places a significant psychological, social, and financial burden on the individuals and families of those affected. However, a third of individuals with MDD do not respond to standard treatments – diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Repeated dosing of intravenous (IV) ketamine has...
CNS Drugs
July 1, 2026
Omer A. Syed, Valentyn Sobolenko, Sean M. Nestor et al.
Background and Objective Ketamine and esketamine have emerged as effective and rapid-acting interventions for treatment-resistant depression. Nevertheless, the best-suited candidates for these treatments are not clear. As such, the ability to personalize treatment selection and parameters would likely improve therapeutic response. This systematic review synthesized the literature on clinical...
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
January 24, 2026
Omer A. Syed, Benjamin Tsang, Sean M. Nestor et al.
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) is an emerging intervention for depression. Though several clinical trials report promising results for PAT in treating depression, there remains a need for consensus on optimal methodologies and standardization of PAT protocols. The objective of this review was to assess the efficacy of PAT in treating depressive symptoms and to systematically examine the...
Psychiatry Research
December 29, 2025
Omer A. Syed, Sean M. Nestor, Muhammad Ishrat Husain et al.
1 citation
Psychedelic use has greatly increased within clinical and recreational settings over recent years. While demonstrating a favorable safety profile within certain clinical populations, little empirical research has explored safety of psychedelic use within real-world samples. Using the World Health Organization (WHO) VigiBase, a comprehensive global pharmacovigilance database with voluntary...