Qualitative content analysis of expectations in participants with depression about to begin LSD microdosing treatment: Identifying the need for psychedelic expectancy measures.

Expectations can impact antidepressant treatment and psychedelic therapy, often enhancing placebo effects and influencing outcomes. However, research in this context is lacking. Our study explored the expectations of participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) before microdosing lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in an open-label trial.

The first year of assisted dying in New Zealand through the lens of healthcare professionals not directly involved in the process.

Background: New Zealand's End of Life Choice Act 2019 was enacted in 2021, allowing terminally ill people experiencing unbearable suffering to request assisted dying if they are expected to die within six months. Healthcare professionals not directly involved in assisted dying provision may have unique perspectives on implementation, yet this remains under-explored.

Methods: This qualitative study was conducted between June and November 2022.

Understanding the Experience of Ketamine-Assisted Therapy and the Importance of Context.

Ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT) is a novel modality that shows promise as a treatment for depression. The current study sought to add to the scarce research in the area and inform future applications of KAT for patients with treatment-resistant depression. The study used in-depth qualitative interviews ( = 12) to explore participants' perceptions of KAT, including working with therapists, the ketamine experience, the therapeutic setting, and how these aspects impacted experiences and their lives following treatment.

Early experiences of the End of Life Choice Act 2019 amongst assisted dying practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Background: The global trend of legalising assisted dying (AD) has reshaped end-of-life care practices, and Aotearoa New Zealand's adoption of the End of Life Choice Act (the Act) in 2019 represents a significant shift. Limited empirical research on AD in New Zealand after the enactment of the Act underscores the need for investigation. Conducting research in the early stages of AD implementation is crucial to building a strong knowledge base and laying the foundation for future research.

Mapping Neuroinflammation With Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Randomized Crossover Study.

Background: The pathophysiology of neuroinflammation in psychiatric conditions remains poorly understood, highlighting the need for noninvasive tools that can measure neuroinflammation in vivo. We explored advanced diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques for detection of low-level neuroinflammation induced by typhoid vaccine, with potential applications to psychiatric disorders.

Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers (10 males; median age 34, range 18-44 years) participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design study.

The Effects of Neuroinflammation Induced by Typhoid Vaccine on Resting and Task-Based Electroencephalography.

Introduction: Considerable evidence suggests a pathophysiological role of neuroinflammation in psychiatric disorders. Lumbar puncture and positron emission tomography (PET) show increased levels of inflammation in psychiatric disorders. However, the invasive nature of these techniques, as well as their expense, make them undesirable for routine use in patients.

LSDDEP2: study protocol for a randomised, double-dummy, triple-blind, active placebo-controlled, parallel groups trial of LSD microdosing in patients with major depressive disorder.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) poses a significant global health burden with available treatments limited by inconsistent efficacy and notable side effects. Classic psychedelics, including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), have garnered attention for their potential in treating psychiatric disorders. Microdosing, the repeated consumption of sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelics, has emerged as a self-treatment approach for depression within lay communities.

LSD increases sleep duration the night after microdosing.

Microdosing psychedelic drugs at a level below the threshold to induce hallucinations is an increasingly common lifestyle practice. However, the effects of microdosing on sleep have not been previously reported. Here, we report results from a Phase 1 randomized controlled trial in which 80 healthy adult male volunteers received a 6-week course of either LSD (10 µg) or placebo with doses self-administered every third day.

PAM trial protocol: a randomised feasibility study of psychedelic microdosing-assisted meaning-centred psychotherapy in advanced stage cancer patients.

Background: An advanced cancer diagnosis can be associated with a significant profile of distress. Psychedelic compounds have shown clinically significant effects in the treatment of psychological distress in patients with advanced-stage cancer. Given the challenges of delivering timely and effective intervention in the advanced cancer context, it is possible that an alternative, more pragmatic, approach lies in psychedelic 'microdosing'.

Resting-state EEG connectivity recorded before and after rTMS treatment in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown efficacy and tolerability in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). However, the underlying mechanisms of its antidepressant effects remain unclear. This open-label study investigated electroencephalography (EEG) functional connectivity markers associated with response and the antidepressant effects of rTMS.

An open-label pilot trial assessing tolerability and feasibility of LSD microdosing in patients with major depressive disorder (LSDDEP1).

Background: Globally, an estimated 260 million people suffer from depression [1], and there is a clear need for the development of new, alternative antidepressant therapies. In light of problems with the tolerability and efficacy of available treatments [2], a global trend is emerging for patients to self-treat depression with microdoses of psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin [3]. Beyond anecdotal reports from those who self-medicate in this way, few clinical trials have evaluated this practice.

Exploring the impact of e-learning modules and webinars on health professionals' understanding of the End of Life Choice Act 2019: a secondary analysis of Manatū Hauora - Ministry of Health workforce survey.

Aim: To explore the importance of health workforce training, particularly in newly regulated healthcare practices such as assisted dying (AD). This study aims to analyse the socio-demographic factors associated with health professionals' completion of the e-learning module and attendance at the two webinars provided by the New Zealand Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora (MH) and whether completion of the e-learning module and webinars supported health professionals' understanding of the End of Life Choices Act 2019.

Method: Secondary analysis of the MH workforce surveys conducted in July 2021.

Detection of Neuroinflammation Induced by Typhoid Vaccine Using Quantitative Magnetization Transfer MR: A Randomized Crossover Study.

Background: The role of neuroinflammation in psychiatric disorders is not well-elucidated. A noninvasive technique sensitive to low-level neuroinflammation may improve understanding of the pathophysiology of these conditions.

Purpose: To test the ability of quantitative magnetization transfer (QMT) MR at 3 T for detection of low-level neuroinflammation induced by typhoid vaccine within a clinically reasonable scan time.

Psychedelic medicines for end-of-life care: Pipeline clinical trial review 2022.

Objectives: People with terminal illnesses often experience psychological distress and associated disability. Recent clinical trial evidence has stimulated interest in the therapeutic use of psychedelics at end of life. Much uncertainty remains, however, mainly due to methodological difficulties that beset existing trials.

Health professionals' understanding and attitude towards the End of Life Choice Act 2019: a secondary analysis of Manatū Hauora - Ministry of Health workforce surveys.

Aim: To determine socio-demographic factors associated with health professionals' understanding of the End of Life Choice Act (the Act), support for assisted dying (AD), and willingness to provide AD in New Zealand.

Method: Secondary analysis of two Manatū Hauora - Ministry of Health workforce surveys conducted in February and July 2021.

Results: Our analysis showed (1) older health professionals (age>55) had a better overall understanding of the Act than their young colleagues (age⁢35), (2) female health professionals were less likely to support and be willing to provide AD, (3) Asian health professionals were less likely to support AD compared to their Pākehā/European counterparts, (4) nurses were more likely to support AD and be willing to provide AD when compared to medical practitioners, and (5) pharmacists were more willing to provide AD when compared to medical practitioners.

Acute Mood-Elevating Properties of Microdosed Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Volunteers: A Home-Administered Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Microdosing psychedelic drugs is a widespread social phenomenon with diverse benefits claimed for mood and cognition. Randomized controlled trials have failed to support these claims, but the laboratory-based dosing in trials conducted to date may have limited ecological validity.

Methods: Healthy male volunteers were randomized into lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) (n = 40) and placebo (n = 40) groups and received 14 doses of either 10 μg LSD or an inactive placebo every 3 days for 6 weeks.

The perceptions of cancer health-care practitioners in New Zealand and the USA toward psychedelic-assisted therapy with cancer patients: A cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: A resurgence of research investigating the administration of psychedelic compounds alongside psychotherapy suggests that this treatment is a promising intervention for anxiety, depression, and existential distress in people with cancer. However, psychedelic treatment that induces a mind-altering experience potentially poses barriers to vulnerable cancer patients, and health-care practitioners may have concerns about referring their patients to trials investigating this approach. The aim of the current study was to investigate the perceptions of cancer health-care practitioners based in New Zealand and the USA related to psychedelic-assisted therapy.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, hybrid parallel-arm study of low-dose naltrexone as an adjunctive anti-inflammatory treatment for major depressive disorder.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. The current treatments are ineffective in approximately one-third of patients, resulting in a large economic burden and reduced quality of life for a significant proportion of the global population. There is considerable evidence that increased inflammation may distinguish a sub-type of MDD, and there are no validated diagnostic tools or treatments for neuroinflammation in MDD patients.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Intravenous Scopolamine Versus Active-Placebo Glycopyrrolate in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder.

To investigate scopolamine's rapid-acting antidepressant effects using an active placebo comparator. Most prior intravenous scopolamine studies reduced depressive symptomatologies compared to saline placebo infusions within 3 days. However, the confounding effect of placebo is unknown given that only saline placebo has been used in prior studies.

Brain temperature as an indicator of neuroinflammation induced by typhoid vaccine: Assessment using whole-brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy in a randomised crossover study.

Prior studies indicate a pathogenic role of neuroinflammation in psychiatric disorders; however, there are no accepted methods that can reliably measure low-level neuroinflammation non-invasively in these individuals. Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) is a versatile, non-invasive neuroimaging technique that demonstrates sensitivity to brain inflammation. MRSI in conjunction with echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) measures brain metabolites to derive whole-brain and regional brain temperatures, which may increase in neuroinflammation.

Decreased salience network fMRI functional connectivity following a course of rTMS for treatment-resistant depression.

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment shown to be effective in treating major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the effect of rTMS therapy on functional connectivity within the brains of patients being treated for MDD remains poorly understood. Few studies have investigated the effects of a course of rTMS on resting-state network activity.

Effect of rTMS on GABA and glutamate levels in treatment-resistant depression: An MR spectroscopy study.

Alterations in levels of neurotransmitters γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate may underlie the mechanism by which repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has efficacy as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). This study used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HMRS) to investigate the effect of rTMS on levels of GABA and combined glutamate/glutamine measure (Glx). Treatment-resistant, currently depressed individuals participated in a naturalistic open-label study with rTMS treatment administered at 10 Hz and 120% of resting motor threshold to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) for 20 sessions.