Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
December 23, 2024
Aldrich Chan, Philip D. Harvey, R Hernandez-Cardenache et al.
9 citations
Traumatic responses outside a PTSD diagnosis are linked to changes in default mode network (DMN) functioning. In a study of 27 participants (16 trauma-exposed, 11 non-trauma-exposed), with 15 completing neuroimaging, the trauma-exposed group showed reduced self-referential processing, social cognition, autobiographical recall, and prospection, alongside increased mind-wandering. Correlations between cognitive findings and brain volume were observed, but volumetric differences between groups were insignificant. This suggests that preserved DMN structural integrity may support resilience, and that reduced hippocampal volume may be a pre-existing vulnerability to PTSD rather than a consequence, with DMN-related cognitive reductions being functionally mediated.
Neuropsychopharmacology
January 16, 2026
Philip D. Harvey, Charles B. Nemeroff
2 citations
Interest in psychedelic therapies is booming, yet no psychedelic treatment has been approved for any psychiatric condition. The one large-scale MDMA development program that reached the FDA was disapproved for reasons that could also apply to classical psychedelic trials. This review defines psychedelics, surveys current therapies, targeted conditions, compounds under investigation, and research strategies. Some interventions combine drugs with psychotherapy, bringing both benefits and challenges. Debate continues over whether the psychedelic experience itself is essential for therapeutic effect, complicating blinded trials. The review also addresses societal issues like deregulation of formerly illegal substances and regulatory hurdles, including alternatives to blinded trials and whether targets like adjustment disorder pose problems under current standards.
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
September 25, 2025
Rachel Landrum, Amanda M. Raines, Philip D. Harvey et al.
1 citation
Maintenance intravenous racemic ketamine therapy produced significant, persistent, and broad symptom relief for treatment-resistant depression. Reductions occurred in both clinician-rated (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale) and patient-reported (Patient-Health Questionnaire-9) depression scores. Changes in individual symptoms were similar to prior trials: suicidal ideation and depressed mood improved most, while appetite disturbance improved least.