Increased global integration in the brain after psilocybin therapy for depression

Psilocybin therapy shows antidepressant potential, but its therapeutic actions are not well understood. We assessed the sub-acute impact of psilocybin on brain function in two clinical trials of depression. The first was an open-label trial of orally administered psilocybin (10mg and 25mg, 7 days apart) in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). fMRI was recorded at baseline and one day after the 25mg dose. Beck’s depression inventory (BDI) was the primary outcome measure (MR/J00460X/1). The second trial was a double-blind phase 2 randomised control trial (DB-RCT) comparing psilocybin therapy with escitalopram. Major depressive disorder (MDD) patients received either: 2 x 25mg oral psilocybin, 3 weeks apart, plus 6 weeks of daily placebo (‘psilocybin-arm’); or 2 x 1mg oral psilocybin, 3 weeks apart, plus 6 weeks of daily escitalopram [10-20mg] (‘escitalopram-arm’). fMRI was recorded at baseline and 3 weeks after the 2nd psilocybin dose (NCT03429075). In both trials, the antidepressant response to psilocybin was rapid, sustained and correlated with decreases in functional MRI (fMRI) brain network modularity, implying that psilocybin’s antidepressant action may depend on a global increase in brain network integration. Network cartography analyses indicated that 5-HT2A receptor rich higher-order functional networks became more functionally inter-connected and flexible post psilocybin. The antidepressant response to escitalopram was milder and no changes in brain network organisation were observed. Consistent efficacy related brain changes, correlating with robust antidepressant effects across two studies, suggest an antidepressant mechanism for psilocybin therapy: Global increases in brain network integration