PLoS ONE
January 17, 2025
Shakila Meshkat, Wendy Lou, Rakesh Jetly et al.
10 citations
A new pilot study will test whether a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin combined with one week of massed cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is feasible, tolerable, and effective for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which affects 3.9% of the general population. Fifteen participants with chronic PTSD will receive 12 CPT sessions, two psilocybin-related psychotherapy sessions, and one dosing session over 7 days. Feasibility and tolerability will be measured by recruitment, withdrawal, data completion, adherence, and adverse events. Preliminary efficacy will assess reductions in PTSD severity and explore mechanisms of change, with 12 weeks of follow-up and wearable device data. Results will guide a future large-scale randomized trial.
Journal of affective disorders
January 23, 2026
Reinhard Janssen-Aguilar, Jithin Joseph, Huda Al-Shamali et al.
In a retrospective chart review of 209 adults with treatment-resistant depression treated with intravenous ketamine, depressive and anxiety symptoms improved significantly over four or six infusions, but the improvements were modest and highly variable across individuals. Anxiety symptoms improved more slowly and less robustly than depressive symptoms. End-of-treatment response and remission rates were numerically higher after six infusions than after four, but the difference was not statistically significant. Four distinct patterns of symptom change emerged for both depression and anxiety, highlighting the heterogeneity of treatment response. Durability after six infusions could not be assessed because follow-up data were available only for the four-infusion group.
BJPsych open
September 12, 2025
Karim S Ladha, Jiwon Lee, Gabriella F Mattina et al.
A pilot trial tested the feasibility of a four-week course of nitrous oxide compared with midazolam (an active placebo) for treatment-resistant depression. Forty participants were randomly assigned to weekly one-hour inhalations of either 50% nitrous oxide or 50% oxygen plus intravenous midazolam. Recruitment, withdrawal, adherence, and missing data rates met feasibility criteria. Depression severity, measured by the MADRS scale, changed by -20.5% in the nitrous oxide group and -9.0% in the placebo group. Adverse events were mostly mild to moderate and transient. The results support conducting a full-scale trial.