NEW
YORK, Jan. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- One or two
doses of psilocybin, a compound found in psychedelic
mushrooms, may improve the mental health of cancer patients when
accompanied by psychotherapy, a new report suggests. A second new
study found that treatment with psilocybin resulted in lasting,
positive personality changes in patients with alcohol use
disorder.
The first report's findings were published online Oct. 7 in the journal Nature Mental
Health, and the second published online Jan. 1 in a special edition of The American
Journal of Psychiatry focused on psilocybin research.
In the first study, a team of experts at NYU Langone Health
found that psilocybin accompanied by psychotherapy significantly
reduced anxiety, depression, obsessive thoughts, anger toward
others, and physical symptoms associated with psychological
distress, with improvements lasting up to six months.
"Our findings suggest that the mental health benefits of
psilocybin therapy for cancer patients may reach far beyond what we
have previously understood," said study lead author Petros Petridis, MD, a clinical assistant
professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of
Medicine.
The study also concluded that the mood-altering psilocybin did
not appear to cause any lasting paranoia, psychosis, or deep
feelings of fear (phobia). As a result, their analysis adds to the
mounting body of evidence that psilocybin can be safely
administered under close medical supervision, says study senior
author Stephen Ross, MD. Ross is a
clinical professor in the Departments of Psychiatry, and Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and serves
as an associate director of its Center for Psychedelic
Medicine.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from two previous
clinical trials that used psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to
address anxiety and depression in 79 men and women with cancer. In
the trials, about half of the participants initially received a
large dose of psilocybin while the rest were given either vitamin
B3 or a tiny dose of the psychedelic drug as a placebo. Neither the
researchers nor the patients were told which medication they were
given.
After six or seven weeks, depending on the trial, the groups
switched treatments. Psychotherapy preceded and followed each
dosing session, and the participants completed a questionnaire
about mental health symptoms at the beginning of the study and six
months after the second dosing.
In the second new study, another team, led by researchers at NYU
Grossman School of Medicine, found that psilocybin therapy may also
improve mental health for those with alcohol use disorder. Compared
to patients receiving a placebo, those treated with psilocybin were
found to be significantly less impulsive, depressed, and vulnerable
than they were prior to the therapy. At the same time, these
patients grew more "open," or more accepting of their thoughts and
emotions. These changes were observed seven months after the
participants received their second dose of psilocybin.
This analysis examined personality changes in men and women
participating in a previous clinical trial that used
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to treat alcohol dependence.
During the trial, participants randomly received two doses of
either psilocybin or an antihistamine placebo, receiving
psychotherapy before and after each dosing session. The authors
tested 83 of the patients using a standard personality assessment
before psychotherapy began and again eight months after the first
dose of study medication.
"Since impulsiveness has long been linked to both excessive
drinking and relapse after treatment, the personality changes
brought about by psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy may help those
recovering from alcohol dependence remain resilient to internal and
external stressors known to trigger relapse," said study lead
author Broc Pagni, PhD. Pagni is a
postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman
School of Medicine.
Notably, the findings also showed that men were more likely to
experience a boost of positive emotions while women were more
likely to see an increase in openness. However, further research is
needed to understand the reasons behind these differences or what
they might mean for any given patient, says study senior author
Michael Bogenschutz, MD.
Bogenschutz, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU
Grossman School of Medicine and the director of its Center for
Psychedelic Medicine, adds that the study authors next plan to
explore whether the personality changes observed in the current
investigation may also occur in psilocybin trials for opioid-use
disorder.
Bogenschutz cautions that in both studies, most participants
were able to correctly guess whether they had received psilocybin
or a placebo.
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound derived from fungi
with mind-altering qualities similar to those of LSD and mescaline.
Most study participants experience profound alterations in
perception, emotions, and sense of self, often including
experiences that are felt to be of great personal and spiritual
significance. Because the drug raises blood pressure and heart rate
and can cause incapacitating and sometimes overwhelming
psychological effects, researchers caution that it should only be
used in controlled settings and in conjunction with medical and
psychological evaluation and careful preparation.
Funding for the study in Nature Mental Health was
provided by National Institutes of Health grants UL1TR000038 and
T32DA007250. Further funding support was provided by the Heffter
Research Institute, the RiverStyx Foundation, the Betsy Gordon
Foundation, the Fetzer Institute, the Usona Institute, the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research, Carey and
Claudia Turnbull, W. Linton, R. Barnhart, A. Altschul, K.
Fitzsimmons, the McCormick Family, G. Goldsmith, and E.
Malievskaia. Funding for the study in The American Journal of
Psychiatry was provided by the Heffter Research Institute and
individual donations from Carey and Claudia
Turnbull, Dr. Efrem Nulman,
Rodrigo Niño, and Cody Swift.
In addition to Petridis, Ross, Pagni, and Bogenschutz, other NYU
Langone researchers involved in the studies are Richard Zeifman, PhD; Brennan Carrithers, MD; Noam Goldway, PhD; and Kelley O'Donnell, MD, PhD. Other coinvestigators
include Jack Grinband, PhD, and Connor
Kinslow, MD, at Columbia
University in New York
City; Gabrielle Agin-Liebes,
PhD, at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.; Roland Griffiths, PhD, at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.; Sarah
Mennenga, PhD, at Arizona State
University in Tempe, Ariz.; and Snehal Bhatt, MD, at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M.
Pagni and Zeifman receive support from the NYU Langone Center
for Psychedelic Medicine Research Training Program, funded by
MindMed. Bogenschutz has received research funding from Tilray
Canada, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
PBC, B. More Inc., the Heffter Research Institute, the Turnbull
Family Foundation, the Fournier Family Foundation, Dr. Bronner's
Family Foundation, Robert Linton,
and the Riverstyx Foundation. He also serves or has served on the
Advisory Board of Ajna Labs LLC, Journey Colab, and Bright Minds
Biosciences, Inc., and is a named inventor on patent applications
relating to the use of psilocybin for alcohol use disorder but has
waived all rights and has no prospect of financial benefit. Ross is
the director of NYU Langone Health's Center for Psychedelic
Medicine Research Training Program, which is funded by MindMed.
Ross also receives or has received grant support for clinical
research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Cancer
Institute, Heffter Research Institute, Usona Institute, Council on
Spiritual Practices, Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic
Studies, and Reset Pharma. He is also listed as a coinventor on
patent applications related to the use of psilocybin to treat 1)
psychiatric and existential distress in cancer and 2) suicidality.
These patent applications were filed by NYU Grossman School of
Medicine and licensed by Reset Pharmaceuticals. Ross has waived all
rights in relation to these patent applications and has no prospect
of financial gain related to any future commercialization efforts
related to these patents. The terms and conditions of all of these
relationships are being managed by NYU Langone Health.
Media Inquiries:
Shira
Polan
Phone: 212-404-4279
shira.polan@nyulangone.org
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/psychedelic-drug-therapy-may-address-mental-health-concerns-in-people-with-cancer-and-addiction-302337516.html
SOURCE NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone
Health
