Implications for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study with psilocybin.

Implications for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study with psilocybin.

This study found increased subjective and neural responses to autobiographical memory cues under psilocybin. Greater activations were evident in visual and other sensory regions, which may explain why recollections were rated as more vivid and visual under psilocybin. Psychedelic drugs have a history of use in psychotherapy, linked to the hypothesis that they lower defences to facilitate access to salient emotions and memories. The results of this study provide initial support for this idea and a potential neurobiological mechanism is proposed: decreased medial prefrontal cortex activity leading to disinhibited limbic and sensory activity. We propose that psilocybin may be used in combination with cognitive strategies designed to reverse cognitive biases in depression – and we also suggest that it may be used in more classic dynamic therapy to assist the exploration and understanding of salient emotional themes.
Carhart-Harris RL, Leech R, Williams TM, Erritzoe D, Abbasi N, Bargiotas T, Hobden P, Sharp DJ, Evans J, Feilding A, Wise RG, Nutt DJ. 
Br J Psychiatry. 2012 Jan 26. [Epub ahead of print 
PMID: 22282432
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Oakland Effect: Researchers explore alternative treatments in treating addiction, depression and anxiety

In a Time magazine story last June, Roland Griffiths, the lead researcher of a psilocybin study at Johns Hopkins University, said, "The important point here is that we found the sweet spot where we can optimize the positive persistent effects and avoid some of the fear and anxiety that can occur and can be quite disruptive."

In the Johns Hopkins study, 94 percent of the participants noted improvements in their lives. Their friends and colleagues also overwhelmingly said they noticed marked improvements in mood, temperament and ability to cope with stress among the volunteers. With the gross overmedication of adult America, and the health care crisis among its most vulnerable population, this is all interesting food for thought. Mercurynews.com...read more

Magic Mushrooms Possible Treatment for Depression, PTSD, Addiction and Cluster Headaches

For generations, the mind expansion powers of magic mushrooms were explored in legends and pop culture. On Monday, findings from a group of British neuroscientists opened the door to the possibility of using psilocybin as a treatment for depression as well as PTSD and addiction. Oddly, psychedelic drugs are rarely found to be addictive. Psilocybin also seemed to help people with cluster headaches.

With the power of brain scanners, researchers were able to observe the effects of psilocybin. The blood flow in the brain experienced lowered activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). These parts of the brain seem to be players in grouding people in reality. They also are the areas that come to life when the mind wanders. HULIQ...read more

Your Brain On Psilocybin Might Be Less Depressed (NPR)

Magic mushrooms are said to blow your mind, but the hallucinogenic chemical psilocybin, the active ingredient, actually reins in key parts of the brain, according to two new studies.

The memorably vivid emotional experiences reported by mushroom users may flourish because the parts of the brain suppressed by psilocybin usually keep our world view tidy and rational.

And since the brain area affected by psilocybin can also be out of whack in mental health problems such as depression, the researchers speculate that the drug may turn out to be useful in treating mental illness. NPR

"Magic mushroom" trips point to new depression drugs

The brains of people tripping on magic mushrooms have given the best picture yet of how psychedelic drugs work and British scientists say the findings suggest such drugs could be used to treat depression. Reuters

Magic Mushrooms Possible Treatment for Depression, PTSD, Addiction and Cluster Headaches

The first of two studies was published in the January 23, 2012 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Subjects were 30 healthy volunteers who received psilocybin, the active ingredient found in magic mushrooms. A second study, involving ten volunteers in MRI machines, will be published on January 25 in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

The studies suggest psilocybin in magic mushrooms allowed people to transcend themselves, which may help them shift priorities and perspectives. Recollection of personal memories also seemed to be enhanced.

Last September, HULIQ reported about a year-long study that showed magic mushrooms produced long-term personality changes. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found those changes included joyfulness and openness.

Psilocybin seems to change “hub” area brain function in ways much like antidepressants. This may become a possible treatment for depression as well as conditions such as addiction and PTSD. According to researchers, the magic mushroom ingredient may even become a supplement to psychotherapy. HULIQ

2 New fMRI Brain Studies Shed Light on How Psilocybin Performs it's 'Magic'

In the first study, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 30 healthy volunteers had psilocybin infused into their blood while inside magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, which measure changes in brain activity. The scans showed that activity decreased in "hub" regions of the brain – areas that are especially well-connected with other areas.

The second study, due to be published online by the British Journal of Psychiatry on Thursday, found that psilocybin enhanced volunteers' recollections of personal memories, which the researchers suggest could make it useful as an adjunct to psychotherapy.

The function of these areas, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), is the subject of debate among neuroscientists, but the PCC is proposed to have a role in consciousness and self-identity. The mPFC is known to be hyperactive in depression, so psilocybin's action on this area could be responsible for some antidepressant effects that have been reported. Similarly, psilocybin reduced blood flow in the hypothalamus, where blood flow is increased during cluster headaches, perhaps explaining why some sufferers have said symptoms improved under psilocybin.

"Previous studies have suggested that psilocybin can improve people's sense of emotional wellbeing and even reduce depression in people with anxiety. This is consistent with our finding that psilocybin decreases mPFC activity, as many effective depression treatments do. The effects need to be investigated further, and ours was only a small study, but we are interested in exploring psilocybin's potential as a therapeutic tool." MedicalXpress

Overview of outcome data of potential meditation training for soldier resilience.

In order to identify potential training to enhance comprehensive soldier fitness, this analysis searched MEDLINE via PubMed and elsewhere for 33 reasonably significant modalities, screening over 11,500 articles for relevance regarding soldier resilience. Evaluation of modalities that are exclusively educational or cognitive/behavioral in nature is deferred. Using the volume and quality of research over 40 parameters distributed among the five domains of resilience (physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and family life), these data allow culling of most of the meditative modalities and discrimination among the remaining techniques. The resulting order of merit is Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and progressive muscle relaxation. Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and progressive muscle relaxation, in that order, have the most supporting data. Fortuitously, they also represent a cross section of the domain of techniques regarded as meditation, stress management, or relaxation, with three very different mechanisms of action. They are suitable potential options for improving soldier resilience. Rees B. Mil Med. 2011 Nov;176(11):1232-42. Review. PMID: 22165650

Association of participation in a mindfulness program with measures of PTSD, depression and quality of life in a veteran sample.

Abstract

Objectives: To assess outcomes of veterans who participated in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Design: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression, functional status, behavioral activation, experiential avoidance, and mindfulness were assessed at baseline, and 2 and 6 months after enrollment. Results: At 6 months, there were significant improvements in PTSD symptoms (standardized effect size, d = -0.64, p< 0.001); depression (d = -0.70, p<0.001); behavioral activation (d = 0.62, p<0.001); mental component summary score of the Short Form-8 (d = 0.72, p<0.001); acceptance (d = 0.67, p<0.001); and mindfulness (d = 0.78, p<0.001), and 47.7% of veterans had clinically significant improvements in PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: MBSR shows promise as an intervention for PTSD and warrants further study in randomized controlled trials. Kearney DJ, McDermott K, Malte C, Martinez M, Simpson TL. J Clin Psychol. 2012 Jan;68(1):101-16. Epub 2011 Nov 28. PMID: 2212518

Current Clinical Trials involving mindfulness

Mechanistic Pathways of Mindfulness Meditation in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

Mindfulness and Present Centered Therapies for PTSD: Efficacy and Mechanisms

Efficacy Study of Mindfulness-Based Exercise for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Treatment of Older Veterans With Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (MB-CBCT) on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Relationship Function

Evaluation of a Yoga Intervention for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Mind-Body Skills Groups for the Treatment of War Zone Stress in Military and Veteran Populations

 Preventing Long Term Psychiatric Disability Among Those With Major Burn Injuries

Current Clinical Trials involving psilocybin

Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety in People With Stage IV Melanoma

Effects of Psilocybin in Advanced-Stage Cancer Patients With Anxiety

Psilocybin Advanced Cancer Anxiety Study

Psychopharmacology of Psilocybin in Cancer Patients

Psilocybin and Spiritual Practice

Other recent Johns Hopkins psilocybin research

1. Psilocybin dose-dependently causes delayed, transient headaches in healthy volunteers. Johnson MW, Andrew Sewell R, Griffiths RR. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2011 Nov 28. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22129843

2. Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects.

Griffiths RR, Johnson MW, Richards WA, Richards BD, McCann U, Jesse R. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2011 Dec;218(4):649-65. Epub 2011 Jun 15. PMID: 21674151

3. Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later. Griffiths R, Richards W, Johnson M, McCann U, Jesse R.

J Psychopharmacol. 2008 Aug;22(6):621-32. Epub 2008 Jul 1. PMID: 18593735 PDF

4. Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Griffiths RR, Richards WA, McCann U, Jesse R. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2006 Aug;187(3):268-83; discussion 284-92. Epub 2006 Jul 7. PMID: 16826400

6/27/215 Update:
Pubmed list of Johns Hopkins psilocybin related research

Mystical experiences occasioned by the hallucinogen psilocybin lead to increases in the personality domain of openness

Mystical experiences occasioned by the hallucinogen psilocybin lead to increases in the personality domain of openness.
A large body of evidence, including longitudinal analyses of personality change, suggests that core personality traits are predominantly stable after age 30. To our knowledge, no study has demonstrated changes in personality in healthy adults after an experimentally manipulated discrete event. Intriguingly, double-blind controlled studies have shown that the classic hallucinogen psilocybin occasions personally and spiritually significant mystical experiences that predict long-term changes in behaviors, attitudes and values. In the present report we assessed the effect of psilocybin on changes in the five broad domains of personality - Neuroticism, Extroversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Consistent with participant claims of hallucinogen-occasioned increases in aesthetic appreciation, imagination, and creativity, we found significant increases in Openness following a high-dose psilocybin session. In participants who had mystical experiences during their psilocybin session, Openness remained significantly higher than baseline more than 1 year after the session. The findings suggest a specific role for psilocybin and mystical-type experiences in adult personality change.
Maclean KA, Johnson MW, Griffiths RR. 
J Psychopharmacol. 2011 Nov;25(11):1453-61. Epub 2011 Sep 28. 
PMID: 21956378  (PDF)
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See also:
Psilocybin use leads to increase in openness 

Breast cancer survivors benefit from practicing Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction

Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer have higher survival rates than those diagnosed in previous decades, according to the American Cancer Society. However, survivors continue to face health challenges after their treatments end. Previous research reports as many as 50 percent of breast cancer survivors are depressed. Now, University of Missouri researchers in the Sinclair School of Nursing say a meditation technique can help breast cancer survivors improve their emotional and physical well-being.

Yaowarat Matchim, a former nursing doctoral student; Jane Armer, professor of nursing; and Bob Stewart, professor emeritus of education and adjunct faculty in nursing, found that breast cancer survivors' health improved after they learned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a type of mindfulness training that incorporates meditation, yoga and physical awareness. Eurekalert

Mindfulness Meditation Is Rediscovered

The burgeoning field of neuroscience emits a fairly constant stream of evidence for meditation’s positive impact on immune response, cardiovascular functioning, the brain itself. Meditation can change the brain—measurably. Scientists can see a thickening of the cortex areas where memory and empathy reside. In one famous study, subjects who meditated showed less activity in an area associated with negative emotions like anger, depression, and anxiety, and more activity in the area associated with buoyancy, optimism, and confidence. They also had a stronger immune reaction to flu vaccine than did those in control groups. And all these differences show up in eight weeks.

Jon Kabat-Zinn’s work has inspired a host of mindfulness-based therapies, with offshoots focusing on depression, addiction, eating and sleep disorders, and chronic pain. Mindfulness itself is being applied in psychotherapy—for treating cancer survivors, PTSD, sexual dysfunction—and is now so legit it’s taught around the world in medical centers, hospitals, schools(from primary school to medical school), prisons, and corporations. Newsweek

Dalai Lama - Photo from post by Axel Kratel

Doctor takes psilocybin pt 2

From the BBC,  as part of a Clincal Trial Michael Mosley takes the class A psychadelic drug psilocybin (Video).  David Nutt of Bristol University and a team from Imperial College believe that psilocybin is worth investigating as it may have a role to play in medicine, possibly as a treatment for severe depression. (BBC).  (What a Nutt!)

"In conditions like depression or obsessive compulsive disorder, where people get locked into a maladaptive mindsets, these regions can be overactive. So maybe dampening down these areas will help people move into another mindset which might be better and healthier". (Dr. Nutt).

The administration of psilocybin to healthy, hallucinogen-experienced volunteers in a mock-functional magnetic resonance imaging environment: a preliminary investigation of tolerability. Carhart-Harris RL, Williams TM, Sessa B, Tyacke RJ, Rich AS, Feilding A, Nutt DJ. J Psychopharmacol. 2011 Nov;25(11):1562-7. Epub 2010 Apr 15. PMID: 20395317 [PubMed - in process] Related citations

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