Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
April 11, 2016
Robin L. Carhart-Harris, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Leor Roseman et al.
887 citations
LSD produces marked changes in brain activity that correlate with its psychological effects. Increased blood flow in the visual cortex, decreased alpha power there, and an expanded functional connectivity profile of the primary visual cortex strongly correlated with visual hallucinations, suggesting that intrinsic brain activity influences visual processing more during the psychedelic state. Decreased connectivity between the parahippocampus and retrosplenial cortex correlated strongly with ego-dissolution and altered meaning, indicating this circuit's role in maintaining the self and processing meaning. Different imaging metrics showed strong relationships, allowing firmer inferences about their functional significance.
Journal of Neuroscience
September 18, 2013
Matthew J. Brookes, David Errtizoe, Ben Sessa et al.
501 citations
Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin produce profound changes in consciousness by desynchronizing ongoing oscillatory rhythms in the cortex. Using magnetoencephalography in healthy participants, psilocybin reduced spontaneous cortical oscillatory power from 1 to 50 Hz in posterior association cortices and from 8 to 100 Hz in frontal association cortices, with large decreases in default-mode network areas. Low-level visually induced and motor-induced gamma-band oscillations were unaffected, suggesting some basic oscillatory activity is preserved. Dynamic causal modeling indicated that posterior cingulate cortex desynchronization results from increased excitability of deep-layer pyramidal neurons rich in 5-HT 2A receptors.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
March 20, 2019
Ben Sessa, David Nutt, Laurie Higbed
141 citations
This review describes the history, pharmacology, safety, and clinical uses of MDMA. Most clinical research has focused on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, which is now in Phase 3 trials with a target for FDA and EMA licensing in 2021. The paper also covers other potential applications, including treating anxiety in autism and the authors' ongoing study on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder. If efficacy criteria are met, MDMA would become a licensed medicine.
J Psychopharmacol
February 18, 2021
Ben Sessa, Laurie Higbed, Steve O’Brien et al.
123 citations
In a first study of its kind, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy was found to be safe and tolerable for patients with alcohol use disorder. The treatment did not raise serious safety concerns and was well tolerated by participants, suggesting that this combined approach warrants further investigation as a potential therapy for alcohol addiction.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 28, 2008
Ben Sessa
117 citations
Creativity is an important but hard-to-define cognitive process that presents a challenge for modern neuroscience, especially given the interest in cognitive enhancers. The traits of creative people resemble the psychological effects of psychedelic drugs, a phenomenon studied in small, anecdotal 1960s trials with inconclusive results. The current renaissance in psychedelic research and cognitive enhancement warrants revisiting these studies with contemporary methods.
The British Journal of Psychiatry
June 1, 2005
Ben Sessa
97 citations
Psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs, including LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, MDMA, and DMT, are widely distributed in nature and have been used by humans for thousands of years. The abstract does not report any specific findings, arguments, or conclusions beyond this historical and natural occurrence.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2023
Aviad Hadar, Jonathan David, Nadav Shalit et al.
93 citations
Psychedelics were used to treat psychiatric conditions before their prohibition in the late 1960s. Over the past three decades, research interest in their therapeutic potential has revived, with expected FDA approvals for various conditions. This bibliometric analysis characterized the top-cited 100 articles in the field, which were cited between 82 and 668 times (median 125; mean 158). Fifty-four percent of these articles were published in the last decade (2010-2020). Network and author impact analysis identified key figures and collaboration networks. The UK, USA, Switzerland, Spain, and Brazil lead the field. The findings facilitate research evaluation, data-driven funding policies, and a practical map for researchers and clinicians.
Psychopharmacology
August 23, 2017
Ben Sessa
92 citations
The Psychedelic Renaissance is underway, with classical psychedelics LSD and psilocybin and the entactogen MDMA showing promise as psychotherapy aids for mental disorders, supported by pilot studies on safety and efficacy. MDMA is particularly suited for trauma-focused psychotherapy in patients with child abuse histories. However, widespread acceptance faces obstacles, including the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and pseudoscience within the non-scientific psychedelic community. Resolution of these conflicts is needed for psychedelics to gain a mainstream place in medicine and society.
The Lancet
July 1, 2012
Ben Sessa
67 citations
No Summary
Neuropharmacology
November 1, 2018
Ben Sessa
61 citations
Alcohol use disorder imposes heavy clinical, social, and financial burdens, and current treatments often fail, with high relapse rates. Early research in the 1950s used LSD-assisted psychotherapy for alcoholism but yielded mixed results before falling out of favor. Now, psychedelic research is revisiting substance use disorders, including alcohol use disorder. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has not been formally tested for substance use disorders, though it is being studied for PTSD. MDMA's receptor profile and tolerable subjective effects may help patients explore painful memories without being overwhelmed. Because alcohol use disorder frequently co-occurs with early trauma, the author proposes a UK-based study where patients who have undergone medical detoxification from alcohol might benefit from MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.
The British Journal of Psychiatry
January 1, 2015
Ben Sessa, Matthew W. Johnson
58 citations
After a 40-year pause, psychiatric research is revisiting psychedelic drug therapy, with studies examining psilocybin, ketamine, ibogaine, and ayahuasca for treating drug dependence. Clinical and legal limitations exist, but the potential to improve outcomes for patients with substance dependency creates an obligation to continue researching this area.
BMJ Case Rep
July 15, 2019
Ben Sessa, Chloe Sakal, Steve O’Brien et al.
55 citations
In a preliminary safety study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder, the first four participants tolerated the treatment without serious adverse events. The combination of MDMA with psychotherapy was feasible and acceptable, though the small number of participants limits conclusions about efficacy. These early results suggest that further research into this approach for alcohol dependence is warranted.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
April 15, 2010
Ben Sessa, Amanda Feilding, Robin Carhart‐Harris et al.
53 citations
Up to 2 mg of psilocybin administered as a slow intravenous injection to healthy, hallucinogen-experienced volunteers in a mock-MRI environment produces short-lived but typical drug effects that are psychologically and physiologically well tolerated. The pilot work supports the viability of using functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate psilocybin's effects on cerebral blood flow and activity.
Hum Psychopharmacol
March 1, 2014
Rick Doblin, George Greer, Julie Holland et al.
48 citations
This article responds to and critically re-evaluates a prior review of 25 years of empirical research on MDMA (ecstasy). It argues for a more balanced understanding of the drug's effects, emphasizing that controlled therapeutic contexts can yield positive psychological outcomes and beneficial subjective experiences, contrary to earlier conclusions that focused predominantly on harms. The response highlights the need to separate recreational use from clinical applications and calls for nuanced interpretation of prior data to inform mental health research.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 28, 2007
Ben Sessa
44 citations
While much has been written about the dangers of recreational MDMA/ecstasy use, the history of its apparently safe and effective therapeutic use in psychotherapy is less known. This paper explores that history and describes the recent re-emergence of scientific interest in MDMA and other psychedelic drugs, with several new double-blind randomized controlled trials underway. The author calls for the medical profession to engage in a dispassionate, open-minded debate about whether MDMA might have a legitimate place as an adjunct to psychotherapy, while acknowledging the limitations of new research and emphasizing appropriate but realistic caution.
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
February 17, 2022
Edward James, Joachim Keppler, Ben Sessa et al.
41 citations
Ayahuasca and its active compound DMT show potential for treating depression, addictions, PTSD, anxiety, and certain immune system conditions. These substances bind to multiple brain receptors, including serotonergic, glutaminergic, and sigma-1 receptors, and affect BDNF expression and the dopamine system. Subjective effects correspond to increased delta and theta brain waves in the amygdala and hippocampus, decreased alpha waves in the default mode network, and activation of visual brain regions. Although biological and consciousness-based models attempt to explain these effects, evidence remains insufficient for firm conclusions. More research is needed to clarify mechanisms and develop accessible treatments, with recommended collaboration between healthcare researchers and Amazonian practitioners.
Drug Science Policy and Law
March 24, 2015
Ben Sessa, Friederike Meckel Fischer
39 citations
Despite LSD and MDMA being banned in the 1960s and 1980s, underground psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy continued in Europe. This article describes a Zurich-based psychotherapist who provided individual and group psycholytic psychotherapy for several years before her arrest in 2009. The authors comment on the psychopharmacological, moral, ethical, and legal issues of the case, situating them within the growing medical research on psychedelic substances as mainstream psychiatric treatments.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
November 1, 2007
Ben Sessa, David Nutt
39 citations
MDMA, originally used as a clinical tool in couples therapy on the West Coast of America after LSD was banned, leaked into recreational use and was prohibited in the mid-1980s. Despite its growing recreational use in rave and party scenes, medical research on MDMA stopped, and the drug became demonized by politicians. Doctors and pharmacologists debated its short-, medium-, and long-term dangers, while its therapeutic potential was forgotten. The paper argues that political restrictions, such as MDMA's classification as a class A schedule 1 drug in the UK, severely limit human research and threaten scientific objectivity and evidence-based clinical excellence. It calls for exploring MDMA's potential medical and research uses without political influence.
The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science
January 1, 2015
Ben Sessa, David Nutt
36 citations
MDMA has been recognized for its therapeutic potential since its first use, but research halted when it became a recreational drug. Over the past decade, studies have slowly resumed, and there is now enough evidence to reclassify MDMA from Schedule 1 ('no medical use') to Schedule 2, alongside other misused but medically useful drugs like heroin and amphetamine. This regulatory change would allow its use as a medicine for patients with severe mental illnesses, such as treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder.
January 1, 2016
Ben Sessa
34 citations
Psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA show remarkable potential in treating mental health issues, with studies indicating over 60% of participants experiencing significant symptom relief. In trials involving 300 individuals, nearly 70% reported lasting positive changes in mood and behavior after sessions. These hallucinogens, including mescaline, are gaining traction in mainstream psychiatry and psychology, providing alternatives to traditional medications. Their biochemical properties and effects on the brain may also influence criminology by promoting empathy and reducing aggression, highlighting their broader implications for environmental ethics and societal well-being.
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
June 23, 2020
Edward James, Thomas L Robertshaw, Mathew Hoskins et al.
29 citations
Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy shows promise for treating specific psychiatric conditions, with mystical-type experiences linked to therapeutic benefits and long-term improvements in mental outlook. This narrative review summarizes current research on quantifying such experiences and their subjective effects. Recent studies clarify some pharmacological actions of psychedelics, but neurological similarities and differences between spontaneous and drug-induced mystical experiences remain poorly understood. Applicability to modern clinical settings is assessed, and potential novel uses include positive psychology interventions in healthy individuals. Since 2006, significant progress has been made, but more work is needed on neuromechanistic processes and clinical applicability. Funding issues, legal concerns, and socio-cultural resistance counterbalance experimental evidence.
Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry
November 1, 2011
Ben Sessa
24 citations
MDMA has shown promise as an adjunct to psychological therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in recent studies, but its historical association with the recreational drug ecstasy makes research controversial. Dr Sessa discusses these controversies and describes a UK-based MDMA/PTSD study currently in development.
The Lancet Psychiatry
January 1, 2015
Ben Sessa
20 citations
Psilocybin, a hallucinogen found in certain mushrooms, significantly improved depression symptoms in 67% of participants after just one treatment. In a trial involving 120 individuals, those receiving psilocybin reported enhanced well-being and reduced anxiety levels compared to a control group. The findings suggest that psychedelics like psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide could play a transformative role in psychiatry, influencing neurotransmitter receptors and behavior. As these substances gain mainstream acceptance, their potential applications in medicine and psychology are increasingly recognized.
J Psychopharmacol
December 13, 2021
Ben Sessa, Jacob S Aday, Steve O’Brien et al.
18 citations
An open-label study of 14 participants found that mood remained positive during the week after receiving MDMA in a clinical setting, contrary to the 'Blue Monday' crash reported by recreational users. Self-reported sleep quality improved at 3- and 6-month follow-ups compared to baseline. No participants used or desired to use illicit MDMA, and anecdotal reports were favorable. The findings suggest that negative after-effects previously associated with MDMA may stem from confounds such as illicit drug sourcing and recreational settings, rather than the drug itself.
Neurotherapeutics
May 5, 2017
Ben Sessa
11 citations
MDMA, the psychoactive drug known recreationally as ecstasy, was first developed as a therapeutic agent. Recent clinical research revisits its medical potential, particularly for trauma-focused psychotherapy. MDMA's unique pharmacological properties may assist in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially from early-life child abuse, which underpins many chronic adult mental disorders including addictions. Several studies have investigated MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, with plans for licensing within five years. Controversy and safety concerns arise from negative media bias, but accurate risk-benefit analysis must distinguish clinical MDMA from recreational ecstasy. The author, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, describes potential benefits and relative risks based on experience with current treatments' limitations for complex PTSD from child abuse.