In this episode we take a look at a recent publication which has had a media field day. Claims of psilocybin being four times as effective as typical antidepressant medications have run rampant. Does the data from this study really support a conclusion of that magnitude? If you would like to read the studies cited in the cast they can be found here:

Madsen (2019) - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-019-0324-9

Williams (2008) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18408526/

Davis (2020) - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2772630

Kennedy (2016) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4994790/

Dinis-Oliveira - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28074670/

Fournier (2010) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20051569/

Dimidjian (2006) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16881773/

In this episode we explore the development of studies examining Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) in various psychiatric conditions. From its synthesis in 1938 this chemical has garnered equal parts mysticism and criticism. Entering into the early 1970's many studies which were beginning to characterize LSD and its profound psychological effects ceased as the war on drugs hit back with full force. As a result over the last five decades there has been little in the way of progress. A newfound 'psychedelic renaissance' has re-ignited interest in LSD as a potential therapeutic in a myriad of psychiatric conditions. Most trials of the drug are still in their infancy so getting a good amount of foundational knowledge will be key to understanding developments in the future. If you would like to read the studies cited in the cast they can be found here: 

Lipari & Jean-Francois (2016) - https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_2418/ShortReport-2418.html 

Yockley et al. (2020) - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871620302362 

Schmid et al. (2015) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25575620/ 

Kuypers et al. (2020) - https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsptsci.0c00099 

Liechti et al. (2018) - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158218300755 

Fuentes et al. (2020) - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00943/full 

Schmid & Liechti (2017) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28918441/ 

Nutt, Carhart-Harris & Roseman (2018) - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2017.00974/full