University of Houston tests psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression

In the wake of its decriminalization in some U.S. cities (notably Oakland and Denver), psilocybin is currently attracting the attention of the scientific community in search of evidence of therapeutic efficacy. Researchers at Science Health Center of the University of Texas at Houston (UTHealth) have announced that they were studying psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression.

The study is inspired by previous scientific research suggesting that psilocybin acts to create new mental circuits. A 2012 study concluded that the substance could enable «a state of unconstrained cognition». Another study conducted at Johns Hopkins University and published in 2016 has revealed a link between psilocybin consumption and a reduction in depression and anxiety.

«It's a drug that can change or alter perceptions, cognition, thinking and the way the mind perceives the environment,» said Sudhakar Selvaraj, MD, Ph.D., assistant professor at UTHealth. «This therapy, if it works, could help at least some people get relief from depression and get back to their everyday lives.»

The UTHealth study will use a double-blind method: neither patients nor study physicians will know what dose of psilocybin is being administered to study participants. After ingesting 25, 10 or 1 milligram of psilocybin, patients will spend eight hours in a comfortable treatment room, under the supervision of a therapist.

Before and after the experiment, participants will fill in questionnaires about their symptoms of depression. They will record their mental state again one, three, six, nine and twelve weeks later.

Psilocybin and mental health

Psilocybin may affect depression through the interaction between a chemical produced by the body when ingested, called psilocin, and the body's serotonin system.

In recent months, further advances have been made in the field of psilocybin. Last week, researchers at the University of Miami announced that they had discovered a method for producing the compound based not on cultivating mushrooms, but on splicing their DNA. in E. coli bacteria.

Last year, a team from Johns Hopkins University concluded that psilos could also help people quit smoking. This institution has been conducting research on psychedelics since 2000, and was the first research group to be approved by the US federal government to carry out such tests. Roland Griffith, a pharmacologist at the University, maintains that psychedelics can accomplish in one session what years of psychoanalysis or medication cannot.

Since then, the school has emerged as one of the U.S. leaders in the study of the beneficial effects of hallucinogens. Last month, Johns Hopkins announced the creation of its psychedelic research center and Consciousness, chaired by Mr. Griffiths and which, according to the trustees, will prioritize research into the effects of psilocybin on our bodies and minds.