Psychedelic Therapy's Transdiagnostic Effects: A Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Perspective
John R. Kelly, Claire M. Gillan, Jack Prenderville, Clare Kelly, Andrew Harkin, Gerard Clarke, Veronica O’keane
Frontiers in Psychiatry December 17, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.800072 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Research domain criteria Psychotherapist Cognition Clinical psychology Context archaeology |
| Citations | 66 |
| Key findings | Psychedelic therapy, framed within the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), offers a transdiagnostic treatment strategy for disorders with maladaptive habitual patterns, with multimodal mechanisms spanning molecular to network levels. |
Abstract
Accumulating clinical evidence shows that psychedelic therapy, by synergistically combining psychopharmacology and psychological support, offers a promising transdiagnostic treatment strategy for a range of disorders with restricted and/or maladaptive habitual patterns of emotion, cognition and behavior, notably, depression (MDD), treatment resistant depression (TRD) and addiction disorders, but perhaps also anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders. Despite the emergent transdiagnostic evidence, the specific clinical dimensions that psychedelics are efficacious for, and associated underlying neurobiological pathways, remain to be well-characterized. To this end, this review focuses on pre-clinical and clinical evidence of the acute and sustained therapeutic potential of psychedelic therapy in the context of a transdiagnostic dimensional systems framework. Focusing on the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) as a template, we will describe the multimodal mechanisms underlying the transdiagnostic therapeutic effects of psychedelic therapy, traversing molecular, cellular and network levels. These levels will be mapped to the RDoC constructs of negative and positive valence systems, arousal regulation, social processing, cognitive and sensorimotor systems. In summarizing this literature and framing it transdiagnostically, we hope we can assist the field in moving toward a mechanistic understanding of how psychedelics work for patients and eventually toward a precise-personalized psychedelic therapy paradigm.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 53
- Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder JAMA Psychiatry August 24, 2022
- Models of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Contemporary Assessment and an Introduction to EMBARK, a Transdiagnostic, Trans-Drug Model Frontiers in Psychology June 2, 2022
- The Psychedelic Future of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Current Neuropharmacology January 5, 2024
- Mechanisms and molecular targets surrounding the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics. Molecular Psychiatry September 1, 2023
- LSD, afterglow and hangover: Increased episodic memory and verbal fluency, decreased cognitive flexibility. European Neuropsychopharmacology May 1, 2022
and 48 more in the library
Cites 254
- Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry 2003
- 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
- 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 can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry May 17, 2016
and 249 more in the library