Psilocybin to Treat Depression in Spinal Cord Injury

Official title

Safety, Tolerability, Outcomes of Psilocybin for Depression (STOP Depression) in Veterans With Spinal Cord Injury

Overview

The main goal of this study is to determine if psilocybin is safe for use in people with SCI. The study will measure how people with SCI respond to three psilocybin doses: low (5mg), medium (10mg), and high (25mg). The main question the study aims to answer is: does psilocybin increase the number and severity of adverse (bad) events reported by people with SCI? These may include pain, muscle spasms, symptoms of depression, and symptoms of low or high blood pressure. The investigators will also measure how well people with SCI tolerate the psychedelic experience, and compare responses between the low (5mg), medium (10mg), and high (25mg) doses. Participants will: * Agree to be enrolled in the study for up to 13 months. * Agree to complete the seven (7) visits that are included in the psilocybin-assisted therapy. * Agree to complete follow-up study visits, including in-person visits to the James J Peters VA Medical Center, located in the Bronx, New York and remote visits. * Agree to keep a log of how they are feeling and any change in the frequency or severity of adverse events.

Detailed description

Background: Depression may be explained partly by decreased signaling of serotonin in the nervous system. Psilocybin, the active component of 'magic mushrooms', is a drug that activates serotonin pathways in the nervous system. Some scientists think psilocybin could help people with major depression, but it is not currently approved as a medicine in the United States. People with spinal cord injuries (SCI) often feel depressed, even more commonly than people without injuries. People with SCI have not been included in psilocybin studies. The goals of this study are first to see if psilocybin can be safely administered, and to determine if psilocybin can help improve symptoms of depression in people with SCI. Study Goals: The investigators will look at how safe psilocybin is for people with SCI, how people with SCI respond to different doses, and whether it helps reduce the severity of depression and other problems, like pain or muscle spasms. The study team will also check to see if psilocybin improves quality of life and wellbeing. The study will track these effects for a year after participants receive psilocybin. Study Plan: Thirty people with chronic SCI with a depressive disorder will be asked to join-15 with paraplegia and 15 with tetraplegia. They will be split into three groups to try different psilocybin doses: low (5mg), medium (10mg), and high (25mg). The study will take a stepwise approach to safety, but participants will not know the dose of psilocybin they receive. There will be at least 16 study visits, including medical and mental health check-ups, psilocybin assisted therapy, primary study endpoint and follow-up visits. What Will Be Measured: The study focus is to see if psilocybin is safe and tolerable in people with SCI. The study will track side effects, how people feel, and any changes in mood, pain, medication use, or body reactions. Doctors will check for problems like chest pain, high blood pressure, and changes in suicidal thoughts. The study team will also measure satisfaction with the therapy, experiences during the psilocybin sessions, and changes in depression. Why It Matters: Some people wrongly believe depression is just a normal part of living with SCI, so their depression may not be adequately treated. Also, people with SCI often can't join trials of new treatments because they have other health problems. Psilocybin could help treat depression and may improve many body functions affected by SCI if it is shown to be safe and effective.

Interventions

• Drug Psilocybin (Usona Institute)
  Oral capsules

Primary outcome measures

• Number of Participants with Treatment-Related Adverse Events as Assessed by the Adverse Events Log. [Time frame: Screening through study completion, an average of 13 months.]

Secondary outcome measures (2)

• Clinician rated change from baseline (V1) in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score at 44(+/-7) days post psilocybin dose (V9). [Time frame: Baseline to 44 days post psilocybin.]
• Self reported change in depression severity score on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) from baseline (V1) to 44(+/-7) days post psilocybin (V9). [Time frame: Baseline to 44 days post psilocybin.]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Able and willing to provide informed consent
• Spinal cord injury for at least 1 year
• Confirmed diagnosis of depression
• At least 22 years of age at time of consent
• At least 50 kg (110 lbs.) body weight
• Fully independent from ventilatory support (ventilator or diaphragm pacer)
• Fluent in speaking and reading English
• Able to swallow pills
• Agree to have study visits recorded with audio and video
• Agree to release outside medical and psychiatric records
• Able and willing to taper off antidepressant, under clinician supervision
• Agree to use adequate contraceptive methods

Exclusion criteria

• Are not able to give adequate informed consent
• Have used psilocybin or another psychedelic within 6 months
• Have received Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) within 12 weeks
• Have used ketamine within 12 weeks
• Have a history of Bipolar I Disorder
• Have a current eating disorder
• Have a current severe alcohol or cannabis use disorder within the 6 months
• Have an illicit drug or prescription drug substance use disorder within 12 months
• Current serious suicide risk
• History of heart attack, aneurysm, or stroke
• Uncontrolled hypertension
• Are pregnant or nursing

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation

Non-randomized

Model

Sequential

Masking

Triple blind

Primary purpose

Treatment

Study locations

United States · 1 center

• James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center — The Bronx

Publications

• Lyes M, Yang KH, Castellanos J, Furnish T. Microdosing psilocybin for chronic pain: a case series. Pain. 2023 Apr 1;164(4):698-702. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002778. Epub 2022 Sep 5. PMID 36066961
• Abrams SK, Rabinovitch BS, Zafar R, Aziz AS, Cherup NP, McMillan DW, Nielson JL, Lewis EC. Persons With Spinal Cord Injury Report Peripherally Dominant Serotonin-Like Syndrome After Use of Serotonergic Psychedelics. Neurotrauma Rep. 2023 Aug 22;4(1):543-550. doi: 10.1089/neur.2023.0022. eCollection 2023. PMID 37636336
• Liu Y, Collins C, Wang K, Xie X, Bie R. The prevalence and trend of depression among veterans in the United States. J Affect Disord. 2019 Feb 15;245:724-727. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.031. Epub 2018 Nov 5. PMID 30699861
• Smith BM, Weaver FM, Ullrich PM. Prevalence of depression diagnoses and use of antidepressant medications by veterans with spinal cord injury. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2007 Aug;86(8):662-71. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0b013e318114cb6d. PMID 17667197
• Sloshower J, Skosnik PD, Safi-Aghdam H, Pathania S, Syed S, Pittman B, D'Souza DC. Psilocybin-assisted therapy for major depressive disorder: An exploratory placebo-controlled, fixed-order trial. J Psychopharmacol. 2023 Jul;37(7):698-706. doi: 10.1177/02698811231154852. Epub 2023 Mar 20. PMID 36938991
• Goodwin GM, Aaronson ST, Alvarez O, Atli M, Bennett JC, Croal M, DeBattista C, Dunlop BW, Feifel D, Hellerstein DJ, Husain MI, Kelly JR, Lennard-Jones MR, Licht RW, Marwood L, Mistry S, Palenicek T, Redjep O, Repantis D, Schoevers RA, Septimus B, Simmons HJ, Soares JC, Somers M, Stansfield SC, Stuart JR, Tadley HH, Thiara NK, Tsai J, Wahba M, Williams S, Winzer RI, Young AH, Young MB, Zisook S, Ma PMID 36740140
• Goodwin GM, Aaronson ST, Alvarez O, Arden PC, Baker A, Bennett JC, Bird C, Blom RE, Brennan C, Brusch D, Burke L, Campbell-Coker K, Carhart-Harris R, Cattell J, Daniel A, DeBattista C, Dunlop BW, Eisen K, Feifel D, Forbes M, Haumann HM, Hellerstein DJ, Hoppe AI, Husain MI, Jelen LA, Kamphuis J, Kawasaki J, Kelly JR, Key RE, Kishon R, Knatz Peck S, Knight G, Koolen MHB, Lean M, Licht RW, Maples-Kel PMID 36322843
• Khazaeipour Z, Taheri-Otaghsara SM, Naghdi M. Depression Following Spinal Cord Injury: Its Relationship to Demographic and Socioeconomic Indicators. Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil. 2015 Spring;21(2):149-55. doi: 10.1310/sci2102-149. Epub 2015 Apr 12. PMID 26364284

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07251491 · 1872390 · SC240097

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗