Science in Sixty Seconds
Why we need novel treatments for mental illness
|
|
|
|
One of the contributing drivers of the psychedelic renaissance is necessity.
Rates of mental illness are prevalent and rising.
Rates of mental illness and addiction have been increasing, especially in young people, and have jumped since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Poor mental health was the most common chronic health condition suffered by Australians in 2021, affecting one in 12 Australians.[1] Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the world.[2] The cost of mental illness in Australia is $220B each year,[3] while just depression and anxiety cost the global economy US$ 2.5 trillion each year, and this cost is expected to rise to $6 trillion by 2030.[4]
Current treatments are minimally effective.
Anti-depressants are one of the most prescribed drugs in Australia. Although they are useful for some people, they are slow to work and are associated with considerable side effects; with one-third of people receiving no clinically-significant benefits.[5] Moreover, conditions like substance use disorders (alcohol dependence or methamphetamine dependence) and eating disorders have been notoriously difficult to treat with no truly effective treatments available.
Psychedelics set to transform psychiatry.
Clinical studies are showing psychedelics delivered in combination with psychotherapy to be fast-acting and effective options for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. While not appropriate for everyone, these novel interventions are working in a larger portion of the population, especially in people who were previously treatment-resistant.
Moreover, early clinical evidence suggests that psychedelic treatments could be effective for intractable mental disorders, like addiction and eating disorders. There is more research and development to be done but psychedelic-inspired medicines are a new wave of promising treatments set to transform psychiatry.
1. 2021 Census; 2.Global Burden of Disease 2019; 3.AU Gov Productivity Commission; 4. Lancet Global Health 2020; 5. EClinicalMedicine. 2021;41:101171.
|
|
RESEARCH UPDATES
Psychedelic Clinical Research
- 🧡 MDMA facilitated rapid fear extinction and retention of extinction | When trialled in healthy males (n=30), in a small two-period, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study. This effect may be limited to certain forms of learned fear responses. MDMA increased oxytocin concentrations fourfold. [Front. Pharmacol.]
- 🧠 Brain dynamics predictive of response to psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression | By comparing brain scans of people with treatment-resistant depression who did and did not respond to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (using a novel combination of empirical data and in silico modelling), researchers were able to identify specific brain regions implicated in a transition from a depressive brain state to a healthy one. Notably, these regions matched those with the highest density of 5HT2a and 5HT1a receptors. [PREPRINT: bioRxiv]
- 🤯 Psilocybin-induced reduction in chronic cluster headache | Three low-to-moderate doses of psilocybin reduced chronic cluster headache attacks in a small open-label study (n=9) [PREPRINT: medRxiv]
- 🌱 Ibogaine microdosing improved symptoms in a patient with bipolar depression: a case report | In a single patient with bipolar disorder, taking ibogaine (8 mg) daily for 60 days was associated with improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as tapering off their medications (mood stabilizers and escitalopram). [Braz J Psychiatry]
- 🌴 Psychedelic mystical states associated with pro-environmental behavior | Participants who self-report a "complete" mystical state during psychedelic use scored higher on self-reported pro-environmental behaviours. Data from an online survey of 240 participants with prior psychedelic experience. [J Humanist Psychol]
Psychedelic Preclinical Research
- 🐭 Exploration of psilocybin's mechanism of action using mice | Neural recordings from awake mice dosed with psilocybin revealed that psilocybin induced a state of desynchronised neural activity that was consistent with the dissolution of the default mode network observed in humans [Scientific Reports]
- 🧬 5HT2a: different strokes for different folks | There are common variations of the 'psychedelic' 5HT2a receptor in humans. These variants were shown to interact differently with common psychedelics in cellular models in a variant- and drug-specific manner. This could explain some of the variability observed in individuals' response to psychedelics [ACS Chem Neurosci]
- 🐭 Role of 5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, 5-HT1A and TAAR1 receptors in the head twitch response induced by 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and psilocybin | Apart from 5-HT2AR's well-known contribution, 5-HT1AR and 5-HT2C also influence the HTR [PREPRINT: bioRxiv]
Psychedelic Research Reviews
Psychedelic Clinical Trials Update
A round-up of the latest registered clinical trials investigating psychedelics:
- Psychedelic Therapy for Wellness Studies Retrospectively - NCT05469243
- Bioavailability Study of Psilocybin in Normal Adults - NCT05467761
- MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Stress Disorders in Healthcare Workers - NCT05455996
- 5-HT2A Agonist Psilocybin in the Treatment of Tobacco Use Disorder - NCT05452772
- LSD Treatment for Persons With Alcohol Use Disorder (LYSTA) - NCT05474989
|
|
Other News
- 🩺 Major health insurer HIF opens door to psychedelic drugs - The Australian, 28 July 2022
- 👩⚖️ Biden administration plans for legal psychedelic therapies within two years - The Intercept, 27 July 2022
- 🧬 Research reveals role of genetic variants on psychedelics' therapeutic effects - Science Daily, 27 July 2022
- 🧪 The High-Stakes Race to Engineer New Psychedelic Drugs - The Wired, 26 July 2022
- 🥽 Meet two researchers bringing VR to psychedelic therapy. An article on Enosis Therapeutics and the use of VR in psychedelic therapy - New Atlas, 25 July 2022
- 🌳 [Watch, 48 min] Psyched Up: The race to make psychedelic drugs part of mainstream medicine - Four Corners, 25 July 2022
- 🎪 The hope and hype of psychedelics. Inside the underground world of psychedelic therapy and the controversial charity pushing hard to bring the treatment into the mainstream - ABC News, 25 July 2022
- 🌈 Microdosing: Scientists tackle psychedelic trend becoming ‘creative enhancer of choice’. Commentary from Dr Paul Liknaizky and Dr Vince Polito - Sydney Morning Herald, 23 July 2022
- 👩⚖️ Breaking News: DEA Reverses Decision to Ban 5 Psychedelics - Microdose, 23 July 2022
- 🍄 Restrictions on Psilocybin ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Are Easing as Research Ramps Up - Scientific American, 22 July 2022
- 💗 Ann Shulgin, 91, Who Explored Psychedelics With Her Husband, Dies - New York Times, 19 July 2022
- 🌅 Psychedelics Provide New Frontier For Venture Funding, But Nuances Prevail - Crunchbase, 19 July 2022
- 🔆 Michael Pollan on How Psychedelics Will Play a Bigger Role in American Life - Wall Street Journal, 18 July 2022
- ✨ With ‘How to Change Your Mind,’ Taking a Trip With Michael Pollan - New York Times, 15 July 2022
- 🧪 Taking the Magic Out of Magic Mushrooms - New York Times, 15 July 2022
- 💎 The promise of psychedelics - Investor's Chronicle, 14 July 2022
- 🚀 Investors See Far Out Profits in Psychedelic Medicine - The Wall Street Journal, 13 July 2022
- 💚 Michael Pollan on the Psychedelic Renaissance and Netflix's New 'How to Change Your Mind' Documentary - Time, 12 July 2022
- 🧠 [Listen, 20 min] Can psychedelics really change your mind, for good? - ABC Radio National, 7 July 2022
|
|
Psylo in the Media
- Psylo's innovative approach to ramping up its psychedelic drug discovery was featured in Drug Discovery World, 22 July 2022
- PSYLO engages CSIRO to evaluate neuroplasticity of novel psychedelic compounds - CSIRO News, 11 July 2022
- Designer Psychedelics of the Future - Dr Sam Banister appeared on a podcast with Brom Rector from Empath Ventures (60 min).
- The Psylo team and Luke Hunter were filmed to create a co-location partnership video between Psylo and UNSW that will be highlighted on the UNSW Science Industry Opportunities page.
|
|
|
SHARE THIS WITH SOMEONE YOU KNOW
|
|
|
This is Psylo's Psychedelic Science Newsletter, delivering curated research right to your inbox. Join the revolution.
|
|
|
