Magic mushroom compound targets Depression's Joy-Sapping symptom
NCT ID NCT07490353
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study explores whether psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can help people with depression who have lost the ability to feel pleasure (anhedonia). Researchers will give 85 participants two doses of psilocybin, sometimes blocking its psychedelic effects with another drug, and use brain scans to see how it affects reward and pleasure pathways. The goal is to understand if the psychedelic experience itself is key to any mood benefits.
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 successful, this could point toward a new way to treat anhedonia (loss of pleasure) in depression, potentially improving mood and well-being.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early Phase 1 trial with only 85 people, so results may not apply broadly. The open-label design means both participants and researchers know who gets what, which can bias results. Psilocybin can cause intense, challenging experiences.
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 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 85 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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May 2028
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 55 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: All participants: * General health based on medical history, physical examination, blood draw, and electrocardiogram * Age 18 to 55 years * Right-handedness (due to potential lateralization effects of left-handed subjects) * Willingness and competence to sign the informed consent form * Normal BMI weight range (18.5-24.9) Specific to healthy subjects: * Psychiatric health based on structured clinical interview for DSM-5 (SCID) * No concomitant medication Specific to anhedonia patients: * Major depressive episode (first or recurrent) based on structured clinical interview for DSM-5 (SCID) and ICD-10 * Fulfilling the ICD-10 diagnostic criterion of anhedonia * No concomitant medication, specifically also free of antidepressants or other psychopharmaceuticals (for at least 2 weeks, 5 weeks for fluoxetin) Exclusion criteria: All participants: * Current or history of neurological disease * Current medical illness requiring treatment * Pregnancy or current breastfeeding * Current or former substance dependency * Any contraindication for MRI * Failure to comply with the study protocol or to follow the instruction of the investigating team * Failure to confirm effective use of contraception in females at least 8 weeks before and after study participation each * First-degree relative with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia Specific to healthy subjects: \- Psychiatric diagnosis Specific to anhedonia patients: \- Psychiatric comorbidities excluding anxiety disorders and/or obsessive-compulsive disorders
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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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Medical University of Vienna, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of General Psychiatry
RECRUITINGVienna, State of Vienna, 1160, Austria
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