Skip to content

L. Taylor Flynn

Yale University

2 papers in the library · 89 citations · publishing 2022-2023

Papers

Exploratory investigation of a patient‐informed low‐dose psilocybin pulse regimen in the suppression of cluster headache: Results from a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial

Headache The Journal of Head and Face Pain November 1, 2022 Christina Luddy, Yutong Zhu, Hayley Lindsey et al. 75 citations

In an exploratory randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, a pulse regimen of three doses of psilocybin (0.143 mg/kg) given about five days apart did not significantly reduce cluster headache attack frequency compared to placebo. Over three weeks, attack frequency changed by −3.2 attacks per week with psilocybin (baseline 9.6) and 0.03 attacks per week with placebo (baseline 8.9), a difference that was not statistically significant. The overall effect size was moderate (d = 0.69), but large in chronic participants (d = 1.25) and small in episodic participants (d = 0.35). Changes in attack frequency were not linked to the intensity of acute psychedelic effects. Psilocybin was well-tolerated with no serious adverse events.

DNA methylation and the opposing NMDAR dysfunction in schizophrenia and major depression disorders: a converging model for the therapeutic effects of psychedelic compounds in the treatment of psychiatric illness.

Molecular psychiatry November 1, 2023 L. Taylor Flynn, Wen-Jun Gao 14 citations

Psychedelic compounds are being studied as potential treatments for psychiatric conditions, but their mechanism of action is not well understood. This review proposes that changes in DNA methylation, a form of epigenetic regulation, may underlie the therapeutic effects of psychedelics. The authors focus on the N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), which is important for synaptic plasticity and is known to be dysfunctional in schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. They review evidence linking abnormal DNA methylation to NMDAR dysfunction in these disorders and present a model suggesting that psychedelics may act through epigenetic mechanisms to provide therapeutic benefits.