Psychedelics as pharmacotherapeutics for substance use disorders: A scoping review on clinical trials and perspectives on underlying neurobiology (Wittenkeller, et al, 2025)
"enhancing baseline dopamine while minimising excessive drug-induced dopamine surges may help normalise motivational circuits and reduce relapse risk."
Spotlight: Toward Consensus in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: The Critical Role of Psychotherapeutic Support (Modesto-Lowe, et al, 2025)
"...psychotherapy is essential for the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy... Insight from naturalistic settings emphasizes the importance of group dynamics and context."
Spotlight: MDMA + Psychotherapy as a treatment for major depressive disorder: proof of principle study (Kvam, et al, 2025)
"There were no adverse events of special interest, and no unexpected or serious adverse events. The study met the primary objectives of safety and feasibility, and provided indications of efficacy for MDMA-AT for MDD. Further studies with a randomised design are required to confirm these findings."
Spotlight: From Anesthetic to Neuroprotector: Multi-Omics Reveals Ketamine's Previously Unexplored Neuroprotective Role in Alzheimer's Disease (Gong, et al, 2025)
"This integrative study identifies robust diagnostic biomarkers and nominates ketamine for repurposing in AD. Experimental validation of ketamine's neuroprotective effects and FIBP's role is warranted."
Spotlight: Single Treatment With MM120 (Lysergide) in Generalized Anxiety DisorderA Randomized Clinical Trial (Robinson, et al, 2025)
In this phase 2b, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 4 dose levels of MM120 (a form of LSD) that included 198 adults with generalized anxiety disorder 4 was statistically significant.
Spotlight: Comparing the Cognitive Effects of Repeated Intravenous Ketamine and Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Secondary Analysis of the ELEKT-D Trial
"Patients treated with ketamine demonstrated superior cognitive functioning compared with ECT following a 3-week treatment, no differences between treatments observed. Findings support short-term superiority of ketamine on cognitive functioning and the long-term cognitive safety of both treatments."
