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Adrienne Grzenda

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Fonzo, Barksdale, Nemeroff) and Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy (Fonzo, Nemeroff), University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin (Fonzo, Nemeroff); Department of Behavioral Health, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD (Wolfgang); Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD (Wolfgang); Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (Wolfgang, Krystal); Butler Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI (Carpenter); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham (Kraguljac); Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles (Grzenda); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta (McDonald); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (Widge); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (Rodriguez); Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA (Rodriguez).

2 papers in the library · 61 citations · publishing 2025

Papers

MDMA and MDMA-Assisted Therapy.

The American journal of psychiatry January 1, 2025 Aaron S Wolfgang, Gregory A Fonzo, Joshua C Gray et al. 47 citations

MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) using pharmaceutical-grade MDMA in controlled clinical settings is a safe and efficacious treatment for PTSD. After three MDMA administrations supported by psychotherapy, 67%–71% of individuals with PTSD no longer meet diagnostic criteria, compared with 32%–48% for placebo-assisted therapy, and effects persist at long-term follow-up. Unlike recreational use, which is confounded by adulterants and lack of precautions, MDMA-AT uniquely induces prosocial effects of trust and self-compassion while maintaining cognitive clarity. The review distinguishes evidence from recreational and therapeutic settings, describes neurobiological mechanisms, clinical evidence, public health and policy considerations, and future research directions.

Psilocybin: From Psychiatric Pariah to Perceived Panacea

American Journal of Psychiatry January 1, 2025 Adrienne Grzenda, Gregory A. Fonzo, Aaron Wolfgang et al. 14 citations

Current evidence does not support recommending psilocybin combined with psychological support (PST) as a psychiatric treatment. More rigorous clinical trials are needed to confirm its effectiveness in larger and more diverse patient groups, determine appropriate dosing, improve blinding methods, and understand how it works and for whom it works best. Comparing it directly with other proven treatments will clarify its potential future role in treating major psychiatric disorders.