Magic mushroom compound tested for OCD in small trial
NCT ID NCT06992999
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early-stage trial will test whether psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can safely reduce symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Twenty adults with moderate-to-severe OCD who haven't responded to standard treatments will receive either a low (10mg) or high (30mg) dose in four supervised sessions over 12 weeks. Researchers will monitor safety, symptom changes, and brain activity using fMRI and EEG.
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 point toward a new treatment option for people with OCD who haven't improved with standard therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-phase trial (Phase 1/2) with only 20 people. It primarily tests safety, not effectiveness. High doses may cause intense altered states, and results may not apply to everyone.
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 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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 years and older
- 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: * Aged 18 years old, and older * Have OCD (DSM-5) based on diagnostic interview using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Research Version (SCID). * At least moderate severity: Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) score ≥16. * Failed at least one adequate trial of guideline concordant treatment. * Considered safe for independent living * Subjects must discontinue use of any of the following prescription or over the counter (OTC) products or nutritional supplements at least two weeks prior to initiating double-blind treatment: * Monoamine oxidase (MAOI), UGT1A10, and UGT1A9 inhibitors * Other active OCD treatments (cognitive behavioral therapy \[CBT\] or other psychotherapy; electrical or magnetic device treatments; pharmacological treatments such as antidepressant medications (e.g., SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, TCAs, 5HT2 blockers, NERIs, etc.), lithium, antipsychotic drugs, 5-HT2 antagonists such as pimavanserin, and glutamatergic acting medications) * Note that fluoxetine must be discontinued at least 6 weeks prior to initiating double-blind treatment. * 5HT2 agonists (e.g., efavirenz, lorcaserin), which may alter the response to psilocybin * Serotonin-acting dietary supplements (e.g., 5-hydroxy-tryptophan, St. John's wort) due to potential for interaction with psilocybin and increased safety risks Exclusion Criteria: * Concurrent active substance use disorder, or a personal history of psychosis. * History of psychosis among first degree relatives as determined by the Family Interview for Genetic Studies (FIGS) 32 * Medical illness based on physical examination and routine blood testing that may complicate cardiovascular safety or drug metabolism or excretion, such as uncontrolled hypertension, severe cardiac disease, or kidney or liver failure. * Unstable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or severe sleep apnea * Clinically significant renal or hepatic impairment, per clinical judgment of a study physician * EKG QTc ≥ 450 msec * Psychiatric comorbidity that may represent an acute risk to their own or other's safety. * Subjects cannot require any sedative, narcotic, or neuroleptic medications on a regular basis. Any of these medications they have taken should have been stopped long enough in the past to allow for their elimination and safe withdrawal prior to starting administration of the study drug. The specific time required will be dependent on the medication the patient was previously receiving. * Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or unwilling/unable to practice medically acceptable highly effective birth control (double barrier, oral and injectable pharmacological contraceptives) during the study. * Suicidal behavior within the 12 months prior to enrollment, or significant risk of suicide as determined by the CSSRS items 4 (suicidal ideation with intent) and 5 (suicidal ideation with intent and plan) during screening or baseline assessment. * Any condition for which MRI is contraindicated, at the discretion of a study investigator or the MRI technician, including: Pacemakers and defibrillators; artificial heart valves which are not MRI safe; any metal in head, spinal cord, eyes or chest; any electrical devices such as cochlear implants, nerve stimulators, deep brain stimulators, gastric pacemaker, or insulin or pain pumps; aneurysm clips; ferrous (i.e. non titanium alloy) implants in any part of the body. * Use within the week prior to screening of drugs of abuse as listed in the current US DOJ DEA Drugs of Abuse Resource Guide, including: * Cannabinoids (marijuana, synthetic cannabinoids) * Simulants (amphetamine, cocaine, methamphetamine, methylphenidate, modafinil) * Opioids (natural and synthetic), * Sedatives (benzodiazepines, barbiturates, GHB, zolpidem, zaleplon, zopiclone) * Hallucinogens (DMT, ibogaine, LSD, MDMA, psilocybin, psilocin, PSP)
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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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University of Arizona-Tucson
Tucson, Arizona, 85724, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can tailored brain stimulation quiet anxiety that drugs Can't?