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The first official psychedelic research center in the world will be inaugurated today at Imperial College London.
Funded by more than £ 3 million from five founding donors, the new Imperial Center for Psychedelic Research will build on more than a decade of pioneering work in this field conducted at Imperial Oil, including an essay which has revived global efforts to develop psilocybin. therapy in an approved treatment for depression. He will also study their potential for treatment of other conditions, including anorexia.
Led by Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, the Center will focus on two main research themes: the use of psychedelic substances in mental health care; and as tools for probing the basis of brain consciousness.
Psychedelic therapy is very promising for the treatment of very serious mental health problems and may one day give new hope to people vulnerable to limited treatment options. Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris Head of Psychedelic Research Center, Imperial College London
The newly created center will be based on the Imperial Hammersmith campus, sharing a space between Imperial College London and the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
The center also aims to develop a research clinic that could help gather additional clinical evidence and become a prototype for accredited psychedelic care facilities of the future.
Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, Director of the Imperial Center for Psychedelic Research, said, "This new center represents a decisive moment for psychedelic science; symbolic of his now dominant recognition. Psychedelics will have a major impact on neuroscience and psychiatry in the years to come. It's such a privilege to be at the forefront of one of the most exciting areas of medical science. I am extremely grateful to the donors who made all this possible. "
Dr. Carhart-Harris adds, "It may take a few years before psychedelic treatment is available to patients, but research has been very encouraging to date. Preliminary clinical studies have shown that psychedelic therapy, when delivered in a professional and safe manner, is very promising for the treatment of very serious mental health problems and may one day give new hope to people who are vulnerable to HIV. limited treatment options.
Pioneering research
Over the last decade, several research groups in Europe and the Americas have conducted studies on the safety and efficacy of psychedelics in conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. (ESPT), but the new imperial center is the first to benefit. stature within a large academic institution.
Imperial's psychedelic research group was the first in the world to study the effects of LSD on the brain using modern brain imaging and the first to study psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms – for the treatment of severe depression. These studies have laid the foundation for larger trials that are taking place around the world.
Other pioneering work in the group includes groundbreaking neuroimaging research with psilocybin, MDMA, and DMT (psychoactive compounds found in ecstasy and ayahuasca, respectively).
Earlier this year, the group launched a new trial that directly compared psilocybin therapy to a conventional antidepressant in patients with depression – a study for which it continues to recruit volunteers. On this basis, they also plan to launch another new trial next year to explore the safety and feasibility of psilocybin for the treatment of patients with anorexia.
Professor Paul Matthews, Head of Brain Sciences Division at Imperial Oil, said, "This new center demonstrates the true commitment of funders and the College to conduct a rigorous investigation into what was, until 39, recently a marginal area of medical science. Through this and other aspects of our leading-edge neuropharmacological research, we may one day be better able to deal with widespread and serious mental health problems that can devastate people's lives and for which there are currently few effective treatments. "
For more details on the current clinical trial on treatment-resistant depression, contact Ashleigh Murphy: [email protected] and visit the team's webpage for more details.
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The current Imperial trial, "Psilocybin for Major Depression," is a randomized controlled trial of major depressive disorder. Researchers use fMRI to compare the six-week treatment mechanisms of escitalopram daily (SSRI antidepressant) to two doses of psilocybin. The trial began in January 2019 and the team continues to recruit participants. For more details, visit the psychedelic research group's web page.
The current psilocybin trial is being conducted with financial assistance from the Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust.
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