Bibliometric Analysis of Academic Journal Articles Reporting Results of Psychedelic Clinical Studies
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs – October 11, 2022
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Psychedelics are experiencing a profound resurgence in Psychiatry. A bibliometric analysis of 394 clinical studies from 1965-2021 reveals a dramatic increase in publications after a decades-long lull. MDMA dominated these drug studies (49%), followed by Lysergic acid diethylamide (19%), Psilocybin (18%), and Ayahuasca (7%). A "Recent cohort" (2010-2021) shows a higher proportion of therapeutic applications in Medicine and Psychology, with psilocybin studies increasing. Mescaline research saw a proportional decrease. This highlights the evolving focus on these powerful hallucinogens.
Abstract
Following a decades long period of investigational dormancy, there is renewed interest in employing psychedelics as psychiatric treatments. The academic journals, institutions, and countries that have helped sustain clinical psychedelic research and the evolution of the literature on clinical studies of psychedelics have only recently begun to be investigated. To expand upon this work, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of clinical studies of 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), ayahuasca, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ibogaine, mescaline, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and psilocybin published from 1965-2021. Our search revealed 394 relevant articles. After a lull from the 1970s-1990s, publications in this area have resurged. Studies most frequently focused on MDMA (49%), LSD (19%), psilocybin (18%), and ayahuasca (7%). A subanalysis of studies from 1965 to 2009 ("Older cohort") compared to 2010-2021 ("Recent cohort") revealed that the Recent cohort had a higher proportion of studies investigating psychedelics' therapeutic applications and a lower proportion of studies investigating the effects of psychedelics on people using them in non-research settings. Compared to the Older cohort, psilocybin studies increased proportionally in the Recent cohort, while DMT and mescaline studies decreased. Network analyses of inter-country collaborations suggested that psychedelic researchers in the United Kingdom have the most diverse international collaborations.