Changes in self-related cognitive processes and depressive symptom severity following a single, moderate dose of psilocybin in depressed patients.
Lydia Belinger, Flora Moujaes, Robin von Rotz et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examined depressive symptoms, self-concept and neural markers of self-referential processing in 37 people with major depressive disorder. Participants received a single moderate dose of psilocybin (0.215 mg kg-1) or placebo, with the same psychological support. Two weeks after administration, the psilocybin group had significantly lower depressive symptom scores and a more positive self-concept than the placebo group. Changes in self-concept were correlated with reductions in depressive scores. Functional MRI also showed differing caudate activation patterns between groups, depending on the attention task.
Key findings
- At two weeks, depressive symptoms were significantly reduced in the psilocybin group compared with placebo.
- Positive self-concept increased significantly with psilocybin compared with placebo at two weeks.
- Changes in self-concept were significantly correlated with decreases in depressive scores.
- Functional MRI showed psilocybin-associated caudate modulation during externally oriented attention, contrasting with placebo-associated changes during self-referential processing.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that changes in self-concept and self-related neural processing may accompany short-term reductions in depressive symptoms after psilocybin. These measures may help clarify psychological processes associated with psychedelic-assisted therapy, although the study does not establish that changes in self-concept cause symptom improvement.
What to keep in mind
The analysis included 37 participants and reports outcomes at two weeks; the abstract calls for replication and further research.