Study Protocol for ‘PsilOCD: A Pharmacological Challenge Study Evaluating the Effects of the 5-HT2A Agonist Psilocybin on the Neurocognitive and Clinical Correlates of Compulsivity’
Sorcha O'Connor, Kate Godfrey, Sara Reed, Joseph Peill, Cyrus Rohani-Shukla, Mairead Healy, Trevor W Robbins, Ana Frota Lisboa Pereira de Souza, Robin J. Tyacke, Maria Papasyrou, Dea S Stenbæk, Pedro Castro-Rodrigues, Martina Chiera, Hakjun Lee, Jonny Martell, Robin Carhart-Harris, Luca Pellegrini, Naomi A Fineberg, David Nutt, David Erritzøe
Cureus January 29, 2025 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.78171 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preprint Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin-assisted therapy |
| Dose | low, tolerable dose |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Mental health psychiatry Psychological disorders Mental illness Behavioral health OCD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 5ht2a Cognitive Flexibility Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder OCD Symptoms Therapy Psychedelics hallucinogens Entheogens |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Psilocybin-assisted therapy may affect neural mechanisms underlying OCD and cognitive features, and a low dose may be feasible and efficacious. |
Abstract
This study's results are expected to offer critical insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy in treating OCD, and whether these correlate with changes in the cognitive features of the condition. As a secondary aim, it will ascertain whether a low, tolerable dose is a feasible and efficacious clinical treatment, and will provide crucial data to guide the design of a potential follow-up randomised control trial (RCT).