Psychedelic research at a crossroads
Stacey B. Armstrong, Alan K. Davis
Science September 19, 2024 DOI: 10.1126/science.adt1024 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Clinical trial Psychotherapist Mental health |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Psychedelic-assisted therapy shows promise but faces significant obstacles including regulatory setbacks and concerns about trial integrity that must be resolved before it can become an established treatment. |
Abstract
There is an urgent need to develop better treatments for mental health conditions that affect one in every eight people in the world. To combat this concern, psychedelic drugs have been combined with psychotherapy and studied in clinical trials in the United States and Europe. Psychedelics are hallucinogenic drugs that alter brain activity and facilitate altered states of consciousness. The proposed benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) include relatively short treatment times and stronger effects compared to other treatments. Although results of trials using MDMA for trauma or psilocybin for depression are promising, PAT is controversial because many questions about its safety and effectiveness are unanswered. This is evident in the recent ruling by the US Food and Drug Administration against the approval of MDMA therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and the retraction of several papers about MDMA trials owing to unethical conduct by study therapists and data integrity, among other concerns. This field is at a crossroads, and the research community must address several obstacles to transition from exploratory trials to established, evidence-based treatments while avoiding pitfalls that can hinder advancement.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Pharmacology of MDMA | 2004 | Review | |
| Human psychopharmacology of Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of 15 years of empirical research | 2001 | Review | |
| 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”): pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans | 1994 | Review | |
| (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity: Studies in Animals | 2000 | Review | |
| Amphetamine toxicities | 2010 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Psychedelics elicit their effects by 5-HT2A receptor-mediated Gi signalling. Nature January 28, 2026
- Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based pharmacokinetic and metabolic analysis of 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine and its metabolites in human plasma. Drug Metabolism and Disposition April 28, 2025
- Regulatory Alignment of Psilocybin Clinical Trials in Major Depressive Disorder on ClinicalTrials.gov: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Pharmacopsychiatry April 17, 2025
- Psychedelics and Autism Therapy: A Review of Current Research and Future Directions Current Issues in Molecular Biology April 18, 2026
- Exploring the first use of psychedelic macrodoses in Latin American adults: Sociodemographic profiles, consumption factors, and subjective experiences Journal of Psychedelic Studies November 20, 2025
and 1 more in the library