ISSN 1068-5308
60 papers in the library · 3 citations · publishing 2015-2026
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update 2024
Three sessions of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)‐assisted therapy over 3 months significantly improved symptoms of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared with placebo plus therapy in a Phase 3 trial. MDMA‐assisted therapy also resulted in improvement in a measure of functional impairment. Study results were published online Sept. 14, 2023, in Nature Medicine.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update 2024
A Phase 3b open‐label trial has found that esketamine nasal spray in combination with an antidepressant was more efficacious than extended‐release quetiapine plus an antidepressant in patients with treatment‐resistant depression. Both patient groups experienced improved remission rates over time.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update October 30, 2023
A single 25‐mg dose of psilocybin administered with psychological support led to significant and sustained improvement in depressive symptoms compared with placebo in a Phase 2 study of patients with major depressive disorder. A higher number of adverse events occurred in the psilocybin group, but no serious treatment‐emergent adverse events were reported. Study results were published online...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update October 4, 2023
Ongoing antidepressant treatment is believed to alter the psychedelic effect of psilocybin, so most psilocybin trials have required withdrawal from antidepressants before enrollment. There has been recent evidence, however, that administration of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) does not significantly alter the acute subjective effects of psilocybin. A Phase 2 open-label trial...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update September 3, 2023
Vitamin D3, omega-3s show no protection against late-life depression Some older adults with subthreshold depression or at high risk for depression might have elevated inflammation or poor vascular and metabolic health, suggesting that supplementation could improve mood in these individuals. An ancillary study to a trial of vitamin D3 and omega-3 fatty acids examined the effects of these...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update September 1, 2023
A large‐scale open‐label trial conducted at electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) clinics has found that twice‐weekly dosing of ketamine was noninferior to three sessions a week of ECT in patients with treatment‐resistant major depression. Relapse rates during a 6‐month follow‐up period after the initial 3‐week treatment period were higher among patients receiving ECT than patients receiving...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update September 1, 2023
Interim results from a Phase 3 study of esketamine nasal spray in patients with treatment‐resistant depression showed no emerging safety concerns and sustained improvement in depressive symptoms. Nearly half of study participants met criteria for remission at the end of the study's optimization/maintenance phase, the investigators reported. Study results were published online May 12, 2023, in...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update July 1, 2023
A randomized trial involving healthy adult men has found that microdosing of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) over a 6‐week period resulted in improved effects on mood during dose days. No longer‐term improvements in mood or cognition were reported. Study results were published online March 28, 2023, in Biological Psychiatry.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update May 28, 2023
expected the microdosing to change how they felt on measures of 18 affective states: angry, anxious, calm, cognitive functioning, craving, creative, connected, energy, focused, guilty, happy, meditative, motivated, open, sad, self-efficacy, stressed, and well. They were asked at the final visit to report whether microdosing actually did result in change in these states. Data on adverse events...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update May 3, 2023
symptoms of depression and anxiety and evaluated socio-occupational functioning. Twenty-two participants were randomized to treatment. The infusions were well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events. Most of the findings were suggestive but not statistically significant. Post-infusion scores on the primary outcome decreased more in the ketamine group than in the midazolam group. The greatest...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update February 1, 2023
Results of a systematic review and meta‐analysis comprising six clinical trials suggest that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is more efficacious than ketamine in reducing the severity of depressive symptoms in patients with a major depressive episode. No significant between‐group differences in the prevalence of adverse events were observed. Results of the meta‐analysis were published online...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update 2023
The effort to identify alternative treatments for anxiety has led to research into the potential of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in reducing anxiety symptoms. Based on results of a placebo‐controlled pilot study showing that two high doses of LSD in patients with a life‐threatening illness resulted in reductions in anxiety for up to 2 months, investigators conducted a Phase 2 study to...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update December 27, 2022
Adults with treatment‐resistant depression who received a single 25‐mg dose of psilocybin saw significant improvement in depressive symptoms relative to a control dose at 3 weeks, a Phase 2b trial has found. A smaller 10‐mg dose of psilocybin did not result in significant improvement over the control dose of 1 mg, and adverse events were common in both of the higher‐dose groups. Study results...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update December 10, 2022
Classic psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin have been associated with reduced depressive symptoms when used as an adjunct to therapy, but concern remains over the potential for adverse events such as seizures when these drugs are used outside controlled clinical settings. A study used a survey of U.S. adults to examine the association between use of classic psychedelics and seizures. The...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update November 3, 2022
Two sessions of psilocybin‐assisted psychotherapy resulted in reduced heavy‐drinking days and other alcohol‐related problems relative to placebo plus psychotherapy in a randomized trial involving patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). There were no serious adverse events associated with psilocybin administration, and no signs of psychotic disturbances. Study results were published online...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update September 1, 2022
A medication combining dextromethorphan and bupropion was more efficacious than an active comparator and placebo in reducing depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder, a pair of trials has found. Remission rates with dextromethorphan‐bupropion separated from the comparator and placebo by week 2 of treatment in each study, according to researchers. Results of the Phase 2 trial...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update May 4, 2022
In healthy adults, LSD produces little change in cognition, mood There have been numerous anecdotal reports of beneficial mood and cognitive effects from repeated administration of low doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) at intervals of 3 to 4 days, but few controlled studies have been conducted. Animal research has suggested that repeated low doses of LSD could confer antidepressant...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update November 1, 2021
Extending adjunctive treatment with esketamine nasal spray over 4 weeks showed benefit in a group of patients with treatment‐resistant depression who did not respond within the first week of treatment, a post hoc analysis of two Phase 3 studies has found. The results suggest that a full 4‐week induction of esketamine with an oral antidepressant may optimize treatment outcomes, the researchers...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update August 1, 2021
Adding 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) to manualized therapy for post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulted in significant symptom improvement and reduced functional impairment relative to placebo in a Phase 3 trial. The researchers observed no increase in adverse events from use of MDMA, including no increase in suicidality. Study results were published online May 10 in Nature...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update July 5, 2021
A 6‐week study comparing the psychedelic psilocybin with the antidepressant escitalopram found no significant difference in antidepressant effects in patients with moderate to severe depression. Some secondary outcome measures favored psilocybin, but those analyses were not adjusted for multiple comparisons. Study results were published in the April 15, 2021 issue of The New England Journal of...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update January 7, 2021
Patients with major depressive disorder who received two administrations of the psychedelic psilocybin as part of a psychotherapy regimen saw a rapid and lasting improvement in depression symptoms, a randomized open‐label trial has found. These findings extend results of research that have suggested antidepressant effects for psilocybin in patients with cancer and treatment‐resistant...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update September 1, 2020
Esketamine nasal spray acted rapidly to reduce depressive symptoms in a 4‐week study of patients with major depressive disorder and active suicidal ideation with intent. The results offer promise for emergency treatment of a condition for which there is currently no approved therapeutic. Study results were published online May 12, 2020, in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update May 6, 2020 1 citation
Although research findings to date do not support the use of psychedelic compounds in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, the existing body of research justifies continued investigation, a literature review concludes. The review found the most significant evidence supporting use of psilocybin and 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Both of these drugs have been given “breakthrough...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update March 1, 2020
Elderly patients with treatment‐resistant depression did not see overall improvement in depression symptoms over 28 days with use of esketamine nasal spray plus an oral antidepressant, a placebo‐controlled Phase 3 study has found. A younger subgroup of the overall study sample, as well as patients with earlier onset of depression, showed some improvement with esketamine, the researchers...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update December 1, 2019
Six weeks of D‐cycloserine treatment for patients with depression who had responded to doses of ketamine did not improve depressive symptoms compared with placebo, a study has found. D‐cycloserine was found to maintain the anti‐suicidal effects of ketamine, however.