First-Ever Mechanistic Study Will Examine Psychedilic’s Impact on Specific Brain Pathways
Over the past few years, psychedelics have shown acceptable safety and efficacy for treating various neuropsychiatric disorders. SafeMinds Shares has previously reported on studies investigating the potential benefits of psilocybin, a hallucinogenic/psychedelic substance, for treating depression, PTSD, and autism. Now, a new study is to be launched by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London that will explore the potential therapeutic effects psilocybin has on adults with autism. Specifically, the study will investigate if there is a difference in the function of serotonin brain networks in adults with autism and neurotypical adults. To determine if a disparity exists, IoPPN researchers will use a range of imaging techniques and behavioral tasks to examine how the serotonin system is modulated by COMP360 psilocybin. The study will enroll 70 adult participants, including 40 people with autism and 30 without the disorder. Dr. Guy Goodwin is involved in the upcoming work. He states, “We are pleased to fund this innovative research, the first of its kind using psilocybin in autistic adults. We hope that this study improves our understanding of how the serotonin system is involved in autism. For autistic people who are seeking treatment for symptoms that are causing distress, this research may be the first step in finding new options.”
