The investigators wish to investigate neurobiological effects of serotonin 2A receptor modulation in healthy volunteers, contrasting effects of an agonist (psilocybin) and an antagonist (ketanserin). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) will be used as neuroimaging tools.
Topic Healthy Subjects
Compound Psilocybin
Country Denmark
Visit trial
Status
Recruiting
Results Published
Yes
Start date
03 March 2017
End date
01 January 2027
Chance of happening
100%
Phase
Phase I
Design
Open
Type
Interventional
Generation
First
Participants
45
Sex
All
Age
18- 99
Therapy
No
Trial Details
The investigators wish to investigate neurobiological effects of serotonin 2A receptor modulation in healthy volunteers, contrasting effects of an agonist (psilocybin) and an antagonist (ketanserin). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) will be used as neuroimaging tools.NCT Number NCT03289949
Sponsors & Collaborators
University of CopenhagenThe Neurobiology Research Unit (NRU) at Copenhagen University Hospital have been carrying clinical and preclinical research with psychedelics since 2017.
Papers
Navigating the chaos of psychedelic neuroimaging: A multi-metric evaluation of acute psilocybin effects on brain entropyThis brain imaging study (n=28) evaluated the acute effects of psilocybin on 12 previously reported brain entropy metrics in healthy participants. It found a positive association for Shannon entropy of path-length and instantaneous correlation distributions, while no significant effects were observed for seven of the 12 metrics, and concluded that the acute effects of psychedelics on brain entropy are nuanced and that 'brain entropy' is not a singular construct.
Psilocybin-Induced Mystical-Type Experiences are Related to Persisting Positive Effects: A Quantitative and Qualitative Report
In this open-label study (n=28), participants were administered medium-high doses of psilocybin (12-30mg) and reported the intensity of their experience using the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ). The Persisting Effects Questionnaire (PEQ) was administered 3-months after psilocybin administration. It was found that the total MEQ score was positively correlated with the later emergence of positive PEQ effects. Using natural language pre-processing, participants' qualitative reports of their experience were analysed to provide descriptions of the "Complete Mystical Experience."
Psilocybin-induced changes in brain network integrity and segregation correlate with plasma psilocin level and psychedelic experience
This fMRI study (n=15) investigated the effects of psilocybin (14-21mg/70kg) on the brain and found that the higher the psilocin (active metabolite of psilocybin) and subjective drug experience (SDI) correlated with lower network integrity and segregation (less top-down, more bottom-up).