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Effect of psilocybin on bipolar disorder - new study

Bipolar affective disorder vs psilocybin and other psychedelics

In recent years, a lot of scientific research has been conducted on psilocybin. The effects of this psychedelic substance on depressive and anxiety states are being analyzed, and there are also hypotheses that the compound could help people suffering from bipolar disorder in the future.

What is psilocybin? How does it work?

Psylocybin is an organic chemical compound that belongs to the tryptamine group. In many countries the use of this substance is legal only for scientific purposes, this is due to its psychedelic properties. Psylocybin has an effect on the central nervous system, resulting in an improvement in mood, as well as a change in perception and overall sensory perception.

What is psilocybin derived from?

Psylocybin is extracted from certain species of mushrooms, most commonly extracted from Psilocybe cubensis. The dried mushrooms must be crushed and soaked in a solvent, then the solution is filtered, purified and dried. The final psilocybin is in the form of needle-like crystals, white or light brown in color.

What does psilocybin help with?

In recent years, a lot of scientific research has been conducted on psychedelic substances, including psilocybin. In particular, the effects of psilocybin on depressive and anxiety states are being studied, as well as the validity of its use in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. Clinical studies in these areas look very promising [1] [2]. However, researchers point out a number of limitations associated with the experiments, such as the small sample size, lack of standardized protocols, and potential adverse side effects [3].

The anti-inflammatory properties of psilocybin have been studied, primarily in the context of inflammation involving the central nervous system [4] and stress reactions [5]. Their results suggest that the substance can alter the stress response and alleviate inflammatory changes, but the researchers note the need for further studies, with larger sample sizes. Thus, the results obtained so far should be approached with caution.

How does psilocybin affect bipolar disorder?

Bipolar affective disorder is a chronic mental illness in which treatment-resistant depressive episodes occur. The possible usefulness of psilocybin in treating depressive states and anxiety symptoms has been noted [6] [7]. Having CAD is usually considered an exclusion from psychedelics research - however, two studies related to this area have emerged are, however, at an early stage:

  • According to the results of an international survey published in the January 2023 issue of the Journal of Psychopharmacology, in people with bipolar disorder, the subjective benefits of psilocybin outweighed the substance's side effects [8]. The study included 541 adults (of both sexes) who had been exposed to psilocybin at least once and used it to achieve a so-called trip. In the study, the authors asked about, among other things: frequency of use of the psychedelic substance, intentions during use (and whether they were achieved), mental health history, and perceptions of the impact of psilocybin use on overall health;
  • An older study, an analysis of follow-up interviews with people with bipolar disorder, published in the December 2022 issue of PLoS One, showed both benefits and risks of psilocybin use in this population [9]. It also demonstrated the need for carefully designed clinical trials focused not only on the efficacy, but also on the safety of the substance. A limitation was the small sample size - of the 332 participants in the international study who were willing to participate in a follow-up interview, only 15 were able to be interviewed.

So far, there is not yet enough data to confirm the efficacy and safety of psilocybin in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Researchers stress that whether psychedelic substances such as psilocybin will be more widely used in medicine depends on the results of future rigorous clinical trials with larger sample sizes [10].

Sources:

  1. Carhart-Harris, R. L., Bolstridge, M., Rucker, J., Day, C. M. J., Erritzoe, D., Kaelen, M., et al. (2016). Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(7), 619-627.
  2. Nutt D. (2019). Psychedelic drugs-a new era in psychiatry?Dialogues Clin Neurosci 21(2):139-147. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2019.21.2/dnutt. PMID: 31636488; PMCID: PMC6787540.
  3. Munafò A., Arillotta D., Mannaioni G., Schifano F., Bernardini R., Cantarella G. (2022). Psilocybin for Depression: From Credibility to Feasibility, What's Missing? Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 31;16(1):68. doi: 10.3390/ph16010068. PMID: 36678564; PMCID: PMC9861656.
  4. Zanikov T., Gerasymchuk M., Ghasemi Gojani E., Robinson G.I., Asghari S., Groves A., Haselhorst L., Nandakumar S., Stahl C., Cameron M., Li D., Rodriguez-Juarez R., Snelling A., Hudson D., Fiselier A., Kovalchuk O., Kovalchuk I. (2023). The Effect of Combined Treatment of Psilocybin and Eugenol on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Brain Inflammation in Mice. Molecules 14; 28(6): 2624.
  5. Mason N.L., Szabo A., Kuypers K.P.C., Mallaroni P.A., de la Torre Fornell R., Reckweg J.T., et al. (2022). Psilocybin induces acute and persisting alterations in immune status and the stress response in healthy volunteers. medRxiv; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.10.31.22281688.
  6. Psiuk D., Magdalena Nowak E., Dycha N., Łopuszańska U., Kurzepa J., Samardakiewicz M. (2023). Esketamine and Psilocybin-The Comparison of Two Mind-Altering Agents in Depression Treatment: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23: 11450.
  7. Torrado Pacheco, A., Olson, R.J., Garza, G. et al. (2023). Acute psilocybin enhances cognitive flexibility in rats. Neuropsychopharmacol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-023-01545-z
  8. Morton E., Sakai K., Ashtari A., Pleet M., Michalak E.E., Woolley J. (2023). Risks and benefits of psilocybin use in people with bipolar disorder: An international web-based survey on experiences of 'magic mushroom' consumption. J Psychopharmacol 37(1):49-60. doi: 10.1177/02698811221131997. epub 2022 Dec 14. PMID: 36515370; PMCID: PMC9834328.
  9. DellaCrosse M., Pleet M., Morton E., Ashtari A., Sakai K., Woolley J., Michalak E. "A sense of the bigger picture:" A qualitative analysis of follow-up interviews with people with bipolar disorder who self-reported psilocybin use. PLoS One. 2022 Dec 14;17(12):e0279073. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279073. PMID: 36516137; PMCID: PMC9749989.
  10. Bosch O.G., Halm S., Seifritz E. Psychedelics in the treatment of unipolar and bipolar depression. Int J Bipolar Disord. 2022 Jul 5;10(1):18. doi: 10.1186/s40345-022-00265-5. PMID: 35788817; PMCID: PMC9256889.