Reduced Brain Responsiveness to Emotional Stimuli With Escitalopram But Not Psilocybin Therapy for Depression
Matthew B. Wall, Lysia Demetriou, Bruna Giribaldi, Leor Roseman, Natalie Ertl, David Erritzøe, David Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris
American Journal of Psychiatry May 7, 2025 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230751 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | People with major depressive disorder |
| Intervention | Psilocybin therapy |
| Topics | Depression Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Cognitive neuroscience Depressive disorders Psychopharmacology Psychedelics hallucinogens Entheogens Antidepressants ssris Escitalopram Antidepressive agents Neuroimaging brain scanning Fm |
| Citations | 16 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin therapy had a minor effect on brain responsiveness to emotional stimuli despite large improvements in depressive symptoms, unlike SSRIs which typically reduce emotional responsiveness. |
Abstract
Despite large improvements in depressive symptoms in the psilocybin group, psilocybin therapy had only a minor effect on brain responsiveness to emotional stimuli. These results are consistent with prior findings that the antidepressant action of SSRIs is often accompanied by a reduction in emotional responsiveness, but this effect may not occur in psychedelic therapy.