Imperial College London
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DrLeorRoseman

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Brain Sciences

Honorary Senior Lecturer
 
 
 
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Contact

 

leor.roseman13

 
 
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Location

 

Commonwealth BuildingHammersmith Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Roseman:2018:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.12.041,
author = {Roseman, L and Demetriou, L and Wall, M and Nutt, D and Carhart-Harris, RL},
doi = {10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.12.041},
journal = {Neuropharmacology},
pages = {263--269},
title = {Increased amygdala responses to emotional faces after psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.12.041},
volume = {142},
year = {2018}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Recent evidence indicates that psilocybin with psychological support may be effective for treating depression. Some studies have found that patients with depression show heightened amygdala responses to fearful faces and there is reliable evidence that treatment with SSRIs attenuates amygdala responses (Ma, 2015). We hypothesised that amygdala responses to emotional faces would be altered post-treatment with psilocybin. In this open-label study, 20 individuals diagnosed with moderate to severe, treatment-resistant depression, underwent two separate dosing sessions with psilocybin. Psychological support was provided before, during and after these sessions and 19 completed fMRI scans one week prior to the first session and one day after the second and last. Neutral, fearful and happy faces were presented in the scanner and analyses focused on the amygdala. Group results revealed rapid and enduring improvements in depressive symptoms post psilocybin. Increased responses to fearful and happy faces were observed in the right amygdala post-treatment, and right amygdala increases to fearful versus neutral faces were predictive of clinical improvements at 1-week. Psilocybin with psychological support was associated with increased amygdala responses to emotional stimuli, an opposite effect to previous findings with SSRIs. This suggests fundamental differences in these treatments’ therapeutic actions, with SSRIs mitigating negative emotions and psilocybin allowing patients to confront and work through them. Based on the present results, we propose that psilocybin with psychological support is a treatment approach that potentially revives emotional responsiveness in depression, enabling patients to reconnect with their emotions.
AU  - Roseman,L
AU  - Demetriou,L
AU  - Wall,M
AU  - Nutt,D
AU  - Carhart-Harris,RL
DO  - 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.12.041
EP  - 269
PY  - 2018///
SN  - 0028-3908
SP  - 263
TI  - Increased amygdala responses to emotional faces after psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression
T2  - Neuropharmacology
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.12.041
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/55623
VL  - 142
ER  -
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