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cannabissciencetech.com june 2022 | Psychedelics: New Frontiers in Alternative Medicine 23 research / feature regrown, or activated. This function is key when the goal is to rescript pain- ful memories. The "Default Mode Net- work" is the system of the brain that functions when the brain is in a wakeful rest, such as daydreaming or ruminat- ing, a common behavior with depres- sion. Amygdala hijack occurs when our brain is stuck in a circuit misfire, where the same impulse continues to recircu- late. Psilocybin performs a type of de- fault mode network reboot, similar to rebooting a computer. While the default mode network is rebooting, psilocybin is rewiring the neural pathways of stored memory to establish new pathways disassociating the experience from the negative emo- tion connected to the trauma that is causing depression or PTSD. For psy- chedelic therapy to truly work, the pa- tient must be willing to surrender con- trol by "giving into the drug" and allowing it to perform its reboot and rewire, something that is not easy. Our desire for control is often the source of our anxieties, believing that if we have control, we will be safe. Current Research What does current clinical research reveal? Here we'll review several recent studies: 1. Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalo- pram for Depression (5). 2. Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Dis- order: A Randomized Clinical Tri- al (6) 3. Efficacy of Psychoactive Drugs for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Re- view of MDMA, Ketamine, LSD, and Psilocybin (7) 4. Novel Psychopharmacological Therapies for Psychiatric Disor- ders: Psilocybin and MDMA (8) 5. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treat- ment with Psychedelic Drugs (10) Psilocybin Versus Escitalopram for Depression The key takeaways from this study were (5): • In a phase 2, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial involving patients with long- standing, moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder, we compared psilocybin with Escitalopram. • Patients were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive two separate doses of 25 mg of psilocybin 3 weeks apart plus 6 weeks of daily placebo • On the basis of the change in depression scores on the QIDS- SR-16 at week 6, this trial did not show a significant difference in antidepressant effects between psilocybin and Escitalopram in a selected group of patients. Secondary outcomes generally favored psilocybin over Escitalopram • Note that dosage of psilocybin used was sub-therapeutic approximately 25% of a known microdose dosage of 1–2 mg (raw mushroom)/kg Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) The key takeaways from this study were (6): • This randomized, waiting list- controlled clinical trial was conducted at the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. • Two psilocybin sessions (session 1: 20 mg/70 kg; session 2: 30 mg/70 kg) were given • In the overall sample, 17 participants (71%) at week 1 and 17 (71%) at week 4 had a clinically significant response to the intervention • Findings suggest that psilocybin with therapy is efficacious in treating MDD, thus extending the results of previous studies of this intervention in patients with cancer and depression and of a nonrandomized study in patients with treatment-resistant depression Efficacy of Psychoactive Drugs for the Treatment of Post- traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review of MDMA, Ketamine, LSD, and Psilocybin The key takeaways from this study were (7): • Systematic review was implemented to examine the efficacy of MDMA, ketamine, LSD, and psilocybin for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) • Observational studies and RCTs which tested the efficacy of MDMA, ketamine, LSD, or psilocybin for reducing PTSD symptoms in adults • There was a significant reduction in self-reported PTSD symptoms • At 12-month follow-up (n = 11), five participants no longer met diagnostic criteria for PTSD Novel Psychopharmacological Therapies for Psychiatric Disorders: Psilocybin and MDMA The key takeaways from this study were (8): • 12 patients functioning as their own controls were given two separate experimental treatment sessions 1 month apart, receiving the active drug, psilocybin, on one occasion and placebo on the other, in a random order. • Significant reductions in anxiety at 1 month and 3 months after treatment were measured with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory trait anxiety subscale, and an improvement of mood was measured with the Beck Depression Inventory, which reached significance at 6 months. • Results included safe physiological and psychological responses