Psilocybin Shows Promise as OCD Treatment in Mouse Study

A new study highlights the potential of psilocybin, a psychedelic compound, in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette’s Syndrome. Research conducted on mice showed that psilocybin and psychedelic mushroom extract significantly reduced OCD-like behaviors and tic-like head-body twitches. These promising results pave the way for clinical trials and offer hope for new, effective treatments for OCD and Tourette’s Syndrome.

A new study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, led by Prof. Bernard Lerer from the Department of Psychiatry at the Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Center shows promising results for using psilocybin, a psychedelic compound, as a potential treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette’s Syndrome. The research provides significant insights into the benefits of psilocybin for managing symptoms similar to those experienced by people with OCD and Tourette’s Syndrome.

The study included 50 genetically modified mice that displayed excessive grooming and anxiety, similar to human OCD behaviors and head-body twitches similar to tics suffered by patients with Tourette’s Syndrome. These mice were randomly given either a single injection of psilocybin, a psychedelic mushroom extract, or a placebo. Raters, unaware of which treatment each mouse received, evaluated the effects at several points over a three-week period.

Key outcomes of the study include:

• Mice treated with psilocybin showed a 14.60% decrease in excessive grooming, while those receiving the mushroom extract saw a 19.20% reduction, compared to a significant increase of 118.71 in grooming in the placebo group.
• The study also observed reductions in other symptoms like tic-like movements and anxiety, with the mushroom extract showing greater benefit in its effect on anxiety.
• The positive effects from a single treatment lasted up to seven weeks in some mice.

"Understanding that over 40% of OCD patients don't find relief with current treatments, our findings are crucial as they suggest a new way to help these individuals," Prof. Lerer noted. "We look forward to advancing to human trials and further exploring how these treatments can provide long-term benefits. The effects observed on tic-like head body twitches raise the previously unreported possibility that psilocybin may be effect in patients with Tourette’s Syndrome.”

This research highlights the potential of psilocybin and similar substances in treating psychiatric conditions and supports ongoing efforts to discover new, effective mental health therapies.

Reference: Brownstien M, Lazar M, Botvinnik A, et al. Striking long-term beneficial effects of single dose psilocybin and psychedelic mushroom extract in the SAPAP3 rodent model of OCD-like excessive self-grooming. Mol Psychiatry. 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02786-0

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