Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics
January 1, 2021
Emmanuelle A D Schindler, R Andrew Sewell, Christopher H Gottschalk et al.
138 citations
In a small exploratory double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, ten adults with migraine received a single oral dose of psilocybin (0.143 mg/kg) or placebo, with sessions two weeks apart. Over the two weeks following administration, psilocybin reduced weekly migraine days by an average of 1.65 days (95% CI: -2.53 to -0.77), significantly more than placebo, which reduced them by 0.15 days (95% CI: -1.13 to 0.83). The reduction in migraine frequency was not linked to the intensity of acute psychedelic effects. Psilocybin was well-tolerated with no serious adverse events. The findings suggest a lasting therapeutic benefit from a single dose, independent of acute psychological effects.
Journal of the neurological sciences
May 15, 2024
Emmanuelle A D Schindler, R Andrew Sewell, Christopher H Gottschalk et al.
37 citations
In a blinded extension of a prior randomized trial, ten people with cluster headache received a second round of three doses of psilocybin (10 mg/70 kg, five days apart) at least six months after their first round. Attack frequency dropped significantly from a baseline of 18.4 attacks per week to 9.8 attacks per week in the three weeks after the first dose, a reduction of about 50%. This benefit occurred regardless of whether the participant had responded to psilocybin in the first round. No serious or unexpected adverse events occurred. The findings suggest that repeating a pulse of psilocybin can substantially reduce cluster headache attacks and that prior response does not predict the effect of retreatment.
Int J Neuropsychopharmacol
April 1, 2025
Jacob S Aday, Otto Simonsson, Emmanuelle A D Schindler et al.
25 citations
Classic psychedelics show promise for treating neuropsychiatric disorders, but weak blinding integrity in clinical trials limits the interpretability of therapeutic effects, making alternative active placebos necessary. This review describes drawbacks of current placebos, proposes criteria for suitable active placebos—including acute psychoactive and physiological effects, matched onset and duration, safety, and lack of therapeutic effects for the target disease—and identifies several pharmacological agents that may serve as active placebos for moderate-to-high doses of short- and long-acting psychedelics, as well as low-dose and microdosing regimens. Future research should apply a thoughtful selection process and ancillary strategies to improve blinding.
Headache
February 1, 2026
Faraidoon Haghdoost, Dilara Bahceci, Candice Delcourt et al.
Many people with cluster headache lack effective treatments. An online survey of 202 Australian adults with cluster headache found that 35% rated their treatments as not at all or somewhat ineffective, and 27% reported only partial effectiveness. The main treatment challenges were ineffectiveness (74%), side effects (54%), cost (53%), and access difficulties (39%). Among participants, 62% expressed interest in joining future clinical trials, with psilocybin being the highest-ranked treatment (66% very interested), followed by combination therapies (84% very interested or interested). The findings highlight inadequate treatment options and a strong patient interest in research, particularly on psilocybin and combination therapies.