Pubdate: Tue, 17 May 2016
Source: Philadelphia Daily News (PA)
Copyright: 2016 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.
Contact: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/about/feedback/
Website: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/339
Author: Robert Preidt

SCIENTISTS TEST "MAGIC MUSHROOM" CHEMICAL FOR TOUGH-TO-TREAT DEPRESSION

TUESDAY, May 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A hallucinogenic compound
found in "magic mushrooms" shows promise in treating depression, a
small, preliminary study found.

"Depression continues to affect a large proportion of the population,
many of whom do not respond to conventional treatments," said Dr.
Scott Krakower, a psychiatrist who reviewed the study.

"Although this was a small study, it does offer hope for new,
unconventional treatments, to help those who are battling with severe
depression," said Krakower, who is chief of psychiatry at Zucker
Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y.

The new trial included 12 people with moderate to severe depression
who had been resistant to standard treatment. All of the patients were
given the compound psilocybin, found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Three months after treatment, seven patients had reduced symptoms of
depression, according to a team led by Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris of
Imperial College London, in England.

There were no serious side effects, the study authors said in the
report published May 17 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Carhart-Harris' team stressed that no strong conclusions can be made
from the findings -- only that further research is warranted.

About 1 in 5 patients with depression does not respond to treatments
such as antidepressants or cognitive behavioral therapy, the study
authors noted.

"This is the first time that psilocybin has been investigated as a
potential treatment for major depression," Carhart-Harris said in a
journal news release.

"The results are encouraging, and we now need larger trials to
understand whether the effects we saw in this study translate into
long-term benefits, and to study how psilocybin compares to other
current treatments," he said.

How might the drug work to ease depression?

"Previous animal and human brain imaging studies have suggested that
psilocybin may have effects similar to other antidepressant
treatments," explained study senior author David Nutt, also of
Imperial College London.

"Psilocybin targets the serotonin receptors in the brain," he said,
"just as most antidepressants do, but it has a very different chemical
structure to currently available antidepressants and acts faster than
traditional antidepressants."

However, Krakower stressed that caution must be taken with such a
powerful drug.

"Psilocybin is still a potent psychedelic compound and can have
unwanted side effects," he said. "Patients should interpret these
results with caution until more studies are conducted."

Another mental health expert agreed.

"Anyone reading of this study should be cautioned to not use this drug
on themselves," said Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical psychiatrist with
Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

He said the study also had some flaws, most notably its small size and
the fact that patients had "expectations" of benefit that might have
skewed the results.

Furthermore, the need to watch over the patient, "for hours after
treatment may make this an impractical drug to clinically use and
further research into dosages is required," Manevitz said.

But he noted that this isn't the first time psilocybin has been
thought of as medicine.

"Psilocybin has been considered for the use for easing the
psychological suffering associated with end-stage cancer," he
explained. "Preliminary results indicate that low doses of psilocybin
can improve the mood and anxiety of patients with advanced cancer,
with the effects lasting two weeks to six months."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on
depression.

- -- Robert Preidt
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D