Study Protocol for ‘PsilOCD: A Pharmacological Challenge Study Evaluating the Effects of the 5-HT2A Agonist Psilocybin on the Neurocognitive and Clinical Correlates of Compulsivity’
Sorcha O'Connor, Kate Godfrey, Sara Reed, Joseph Peill, Cyrus Rohani-Shukla, Mairead Healy, Trevor Robbins, Ana Frota Lisboa Pereira de Souza, Robin Tyacke, Maria Papasyrou, Dea Stenbæk, Pedro Castro-Rodrigues, Martina Chiera, Hakjun Lee, Jonny Martell, Robin Carhart-Harris, Luca Pellegrini, Naomi A Fineberg, David Nutt, David Erritzøe
Cureus January 29, 2025 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.78171 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe study aims to uncover the neural mechanisms by which psilocybin-assisted therapy affects obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and whether those brain changes align with improvements in cognitive symptoms. A secondary goal is to test whether a low, tolerable dose is both practical and effective as a clinical treatment. The results will provide essential data for designing a future randomized controlled trial.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Preprint Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin-assisted therapy |
| Dose | low, tolerable dose |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Mental health psychiatry Psychological disorders Mental illness Behavioral health OCD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key finding | Psilocybin-assisted therapy may affect neural mechanisms underlying OCD and cognitive features, and a low dose may be feasible and efficacious. |
Abstract
This study's results are expected to offer critical insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy in treating OCD, and whether these correlate with changes in the cognitive features of the condition. As a secondary aim, it will ascertain whether a low, tolerable dose is a feasible and efficacious clinical treatment, and will provide crucial data to guide the design of a potential follow-up randomised control trial (RCT).