A Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)-Guided Dashboard to Review Psilocybin Target Domains: A Systematic Review.
Niloufar Pouyan, Zahra Halvaei Khankahdani, Farnaz Younesi Sisi, Yena Lee, Joshua D. Rosenblat, Kayla M Teopiz, Leanna M.W. Lui, Mehala Subramaniapillai, Kangguang Lin, Flora Nasri, Nelson B Rodrigues, Hartej Gill, Orly Lipsitz, Bing Cao, Roger Ho, David Castle, Roger S McIntyre
CNS Drugs October 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1007/s40263-022-00944-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Mental health research Behavioral neuroscience Psilocybin therapy Social cognition |
| Citations | 16 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin shows multi-domain beneficial effects on positive valence systems, negative valence systems, and social processes, with transdiagnostic potential. |
Abstract
Preliminary results from randomized controlled studies as well as identified molecular, cellular, and circuit targets of select psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin) suggest that their effects are transdiagnostic. In this review, we exploit the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) transdiagnostic framework, to synthesize extant literature on psilocybin. We aimed to identify RDoC-based effects of psilocybin and vistas for future mechanistic and interventional research. A systematic search in electronic databases (i.e., PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) performed in January and February 2021 identified English articles published between 1990 and 2020 reporting the effects of psilocybin on mental health measures. Data from included articles were retrieved and organized according to the RDoC bio-behavioral matrix and its constituent six main domains, namely: positive valence systems, negative valence systems, cognitive systems, social processes, sensorimotor systems, and arousal and regulatory systems. The preponderance of research with psilocybin has differentially reported beneficial effects on positive valence systems, negative valence system, and social process domains. The data from the included studies support both short-term (23 assessments) and long-term (15 assessments) beneficial effects of psilocybin on the positive valence systems. While 12 of the extracted outcome measures suggest that psilocybin use is associated with increases in the "fear" construct of the negative valence systems domain, 19 findings show no significant effects on this construct, and seven parameters show lowered levels of the "sustained threat" construct in the long term. Thirty-four outcome measures revealed short-term alterations in the social systems' construct namely, "perception and understanding of self," and "social communications" as well as enhancements in "perception and understanding of others" and "affiliation and attachment". The majority of findings related to the cognitive systems' domain reported dyscognitive effects. There have been relatively few studies reporting outcomes of psilocybin on the remaining RDoC domains. Moreover, seven of the included studies suggest the transdiagnostic effects of psilocybin. The dashboard characterization of RDoC outcomes with psilocybin suggests beneficial effects in the measures of reward, threat, and arousal, as well as general social systems. Psilocybin possesses a multi-domain effectiveness. The field would benefit from highly rigorous proof-of-mechanism research to assess the effects of psilocybin using the RDoC framework. The combined effect of psilocybin with psychosocial interventions with RDoC-based outcomes is a priority therapeutic vista.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Therapeutic effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics: A systematic review of modern‐era clinical studies Patients with cancer- or illness-related anxiety and depression, major depressive... | 2020 | Systematic review | n = 188 |
| Blinding and expectancy confounds in psychedelic randomized controlled trials | 2021 | Systematic review | |
| Antidepressive, anxiolytic, and antiaddictive effects of ayahuasca, psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD): a systematic review of clinical trials published in the last 25 years Patients from included clinical trials | 2016 | Systematic review | |
| The experimental effects of psilocybin on symptoms of anxiety and depression: A meta-analysis People with elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression | 2020 | Meta-analysis | n = 117 |
| Default Mode Network Modulation by Psychedelics: A Systematic Review Participants from included studies | 2022 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- Serotonin 5-HT 2B receptor agonism and valvular heart disease: implications for the development of psilocybin and related agents Expert Opinion on Drug Safety August 15, 2023
- Is the psychedelic experience an essential aspect of the therapeutic effect of serotonergic psychedelics? Conceptual, discovery, development and implementation implications for psilocybin and related agents Expert Opinion on Drug Safety August 28, 2023
- Exploring psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder Frontiers in Psychiatry March 14, 2023
- The effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) on the Positive Valence Systems: A Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)-Informed Systematic Review. CNS Drugs December 1, 2023
- Catalyst for change: Psilocybin’s antidepressant mechanisms—A systematic review Journal of Psychopharmacology January 20, 2025
and 9 more in the library
Cites 103
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- An information integration theory of consciousness BMC Neuroscience November 2, 2004
- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry May 17, 2016
- Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage Cancer Archives of General Psychiatry September 7, 2010
and 98 more in the library