A review of 19 studies on psychedelic microdosing found potential benefits for mental health, including improved mood, focus, and daily function, but also reported challenges such as physiologic discomfort and increased anxiety. Some studies observed that positive expectations about microdosing led to positive outcomes. The evidence suggests a positive correlation between microdosing and improved mental well-being, but the causal relationship remains uncertain due to limited controlled studies and small sample sizes. The review calls for further research with double-blind experiments, control groups, and larger, more representative samples.
The Psychiatric Consultation Service at Massachusetts General Hospital provides care for medical and surgical inpatients who also have psychiatric symptoms or conditions. During twice-weekly rounds, clinicians discuss diagnosis and management of these complex patients. These discussions are the basis for reports intended to help clinicians working at the intersection of medicine and psychiatry.
A systematic review of five neuroimaging studies found that psilocybin therapy transiently increases global connectivity in major neural tracts and activates specific brain areas, and these changes are associated with antidepressant response in depressed patients. The pattern of functional brain changes resembles a 'brain reset' phenomenon and may serve as a predictor of psilocybin's antidepressant effects. Four of the studies were open-label, and one combined an open-label design with a randomized controlled trial. Three studies included psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, and participants in most studies had treatment-resistant depression.