Status:
RECRUITING
Psilocybin for Depression in People With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Early Alzheimer's Disease
Lead Sponsor:
Johns Hopkins University
Collaborating Sponsors:
Council On Spiritual Practices
Heffter Research Institute
Conditions:
Depressive Symptoms
Depression
Eligibility:
All Genders
18-85 years
Phase:
EARLY_PHASE1
Brief Summary
This open-label pilot study examines whether the hallucinogenic drug, psilocybin, given under supportive conditions, is safe and effective for depression in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)...
Detailed Description
This is a pilot study evaluating the potential efficacy of psilocybin to produce improvement in depression compared to pre-treatment in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or early Alzheimer's...
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion
- Must meet either A) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5) criteria for Mild Neurocognitive Disorder due to AD or Major Neurocognitive Disorder due to AD with Mild severity (including probable), or B) meet criteria for MCI including a subjective memory complaint relative to previous functioning and confirmed by Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Memory score at screening of \>0.5
- Have Mini-Mental State Examination scores \>18
- Have a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score \<26.
- Have Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) patient score \>/= 6, or Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form score ≥ 5, indicating at minimum a mild to moderate degree of distress.
- Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are allowed so long as the dose has been stable for \> 6 weeks.
- Concurrent pharmacotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), and/or bupropion is allowed if the type and frequency of the therapy has been stable for at least two months prior to screening. Allowable bupropion doses for participants will be ≤300mg/day.
- Have a close friend or family member willing and able to serve the role of community observer / informant for data collection procedures
Exclusion
- Individuals 86 years of age or older will be excluded.
- Currently taking antipsychotics, monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, or antidepressant medications other than SSRIs, SNRIs, or bupropion. Allowable bupropion doses for participants will be ≤300mg/day.
- Long-acting opioid pain medications (e.g. oxycodone sustained release, morphine sustained release - which are usually taken at 12 hour intervals) will be allowed if the last dose occurred at least 2 hours before psilocybin administration and the next dose was not scheduled until at least 8 hours after psilocybin administration.
- Participants must agree not to take sildenafil, tadalafil, or similar medications within 72 hours of each psilocybin administration, as these medications may potentiate hypotensive reactions to psilocybin
- Cardiovascular conditions: angina, a clinically significant ECG abnormality (e.g. atrial fibrillation or heart-rate corrected QT interval (QTc) \>450msec), Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) in the last 6 months, stroke, artificial heart valves, or uncontrolled hypertension with resting blood pressure systolic \>150 or diastolic \>95
- Minimum acceptable heartrate at screening is 50 bpm unless the individual is cleared for participation by a cardiologist, in accord with the American College of Cardiology's 2018 guidelines for bradycardia
- Seizure disorder
- Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
- Renal disease (creatinine clearance \< 40 ml/min using the Cockcroft and Gault equation)
- Baseline liver enzyme elevation \>2x the upper limit of normal
- Current or past history of meeting DSM-5 criteria for Schizophrenia, Psychotic Disorder (unless substance-induced or due to a medical condition), or Bipolar I Disorder
- Family (i.e., 1st degree relative) history of Schizophrenia, Psychotic Disorder (unless substance-induced or due to a medical condition), or Bipolar I Disorder
- Past-year hallucinogen use.
Key Trial Info
Start Date :
March 24 2021
Trial Type :
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation :
ESTIMATED
End Date :
December 31 2026
Estimated Enrollment :
20 Patients enrolled
Trial Details
Trial ID
NCT04123314
Start Date
March 24 2021
End Date
December 31 2026
Last Update
August 19 2025
Active Locations (1)
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1
Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit
Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21224