Cognitive outcomes following psilocybin-assisted therapy in treatment-resistant depression: A post-hoc analysis of a randomized, waitlist-controlled trial
Shakila Meshkat, Noah Chisamore, Zoe Doyle, Jordan Bawks, Jeremy Riva-Cambrin, Orly Lipsitz, Roger S McIntyre, Danica E. Johnson, Erica Kaczmarek, Jennifer S. Rabin, Ryan M Brudner, Rodrigo B. Mansur, Krista L. Lanctôt, Joshua D. Rosenblat
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry November 22, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111565 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preprint Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Individuals with treatment-resistant depression |
| Intervention | Psilocybin-assisted therapy |
| Topics | Depression Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Cognition Mood Test biology Schizophrenia object-oriented programming Randomized controlled trial Executive functions Cognitive remediation therapy Clinical psychology Affect linguistics |
| Key points | Psilocybin was associated with modest, short-term improvements in processing speed and executive function that did not consistently exceed expected practice effects. |
Abstract
PAP was associated with modest, short-term improvements in performance on measures of processing speed and executive function among individuals with TRD. While these changes appeared independent of mood, they did not consistently exceed expected practice effects. These findings highlight the need for adequately powered, controlled trials to clarify whether observed cognitive changes reflect genuine procognitive effects of psilocybin or are attributable to non-specific influences such as test familiarity or concurrent mood improvements.
Citations in the library
Cites 21
- Synaptic Dysfunction in Depression: Potential Therapeutic Targets Science October 4, 2012
- Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression. New England Journal of Medicine November 3, 2022
- Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Scientific Reports October 13, 2017
- Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo Neuron July 5, 2021
- Harnessing psilocybin: antidepressant-like behavioral and synaptic actions of psilocybin are independent of 5-HT2R activation in mice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences April 13, 2021
and 16 more in the library