Magic mushroom compound scanned in depression trial
NCT ID NCT06072898
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, changes brain activity in people with depression. Fifty participants will receive either psilocybin or a placebo and undergo MRI scans to measure blood flow and brain network connections. The goal is to understand how psilocybin affects mood-related brain circuits, not to prove it works as a treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- psilocybin
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could reveal how psilocybin affects mood-related brain circuits, pointing toward new ways to treat depression.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase imaging study focused on brain changes, not on proving psilocybin works as a treatment. The results may not lead to a therapy.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2025
- Expected to finish
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May 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 64 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Able and voluntarily willing to provide written informed consent at the screening visit * Over 18 and under 65 years old * Able to complete all protocol required assessment tools without any assistance or alteration to the copyrighted assessments, and to comply with all study visits * Must have a responsible individual/caregiver who is able to monitor the participant at home for 24 hours after each treatment visit in the study * Must have a psychiatrist and/or general practitioner who is able to provide psychiatric follow-up care * Have a Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) confirmed diagnosis of MDD, recurrent or single episode without psychotic features where the duration of the current episode is at least 3 months * Depression of at least moderate severity as defined by a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) score \>17 Exclusion Criteria: * Current or past history of bipolar I/II disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, psychotic disorder, or delusional disorder as assessed by a structured clinical interview (MINI) * A clinical diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder and/or paranoid personality disorder (defined as meeting DSM-5 criteria) based on clinical interview and the MINI 7.0. Positive diagnoses on the MINI will be subject to confirmation at a clinical interview by a psychiatrist. * An active clinical diagnosis of borderline personality disorder as confirmed by the MINI 7.0. * Depression secondary to other medical conditions or bipolar I and II disorder * Family history of a first degree relative with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or a primary psychotic disorder and/or bipolar disorder * Any symptoms consistent with psychosis * Any symptoms consistent with hypomania and/or mania as assessed by a psychiatrist * Personal history of ≥ 1 suicide attempt in the past year requiring hospitalization, defined using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS) (Q6 (past year) = "y") and clinical interview with a psychiatrist * Other personal circumstances or behavior judged to be incompatible with establishment of rapport or safe exposure to psilocybin * Women who are pregnant (self-report or via urine test), nursing, or planning a pregnancy * Lifetime history of substance use disorder with a hallucinogen * Lifetime history of substance-induced psychosis * Positive urine drug screen for illicit drugs or drugs of abuse at screening, a week prior to treatment, and during the trial (any positive urine drug test will be reviewed with participants to determine the pattern of use and eligibility will be determined at the investigator's discretion) * Abnormal and clinically significant results on a physical examination performed within one month of study participation by a general practitioner, vital signs, ECG, or laboratory test at screening * QTc prolongation on ECG * Uncontrolled or insulin-dependent diabetes * History of seizure disorder except for seizures from electroconvulsive therapy and/or febrile seizures in childhood * Diagnosis of any mild or major neurocognitive disorder meeting DSM-5 criteria and based on clinical interview/cognitive screening by a psychiatrist * History of stroke, recent myocardial infarction (\< 1 year from signing of ICF), uncontrolled hypertension (blood pressure \> 140/90 mmHg) or clinically significant arrhythmia within 1 year of signing the ICF * Any other clinically significant cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal or any other major concurrent illness that, in the opinion of the investigator, may interfere with the interpretation of the study results or constitute a health risk for the participant if he/she takes part in the study * Exposure to psilocybin or any other psychedelic in the past 12 months prior to screening and/or during the current MDE and use of psychedelics, such as ayahuasca/LSD, during the current depressive episode * History of substance use and/or alcohol use disorder, of moderate severity or greater, in the past 12 months * Current enrolment in an interventional study for depression or participation in such within 30 days of screening * Serial blood counts to achieve a value to meet eligibility - abnormalities in screening/baseline blood work (complete blood counts, electrolyte panel, etc.) will be reviewed by MD, then repeated serially until abnormalities resolve.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
RECRUITINGToronto, Ontario, M4N3M5, Canada
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