Latest Updates
What's new on Blossom
Stay up to date with the latest research papers, clinical trials, blog posts, and site updates.
Loading updates...
Stay up to date with the latest research papers, clinical trials, blog posts, and site updates.
This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised study (n=18) with those suffering from bipolar depression (BD; treatment-resistant) found that ketamine (35mg/70kg; 2x 2w apart) produced anti-depressant effects as measured on the MADRS scale. The effects were found immediately (40 minutes) and lasted up to three days.
This multicenter, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study (n=67) investigated the antidepressant effects of ketamine (35mg/70kg) in relation to the dose frequency administered to patients with depression (TRD). Results indicated that both a twice-weekly and thrice-weekly administration regimen maintained antidepressant efficacy over 15 days.
In this randomized double‑blind trial of 84 outpatients with treatment‑resistant depression and prominent suicidal ideation, a single low‑dose ketamine infusion (0.5 mg/kg) produced greater antidepressant effects than midazolam lasting up to 14 days and antisuicidal effects lasting about 5 days. Benefits were most evident in patients whose current episode was under 24 months or who had failed ≤4 antidepressants, and the infusion was safe and well tolerated.
A single dose of ayahuasca acutely raised salivary cortisol and, 48 hours later, normalised the blunted awakening salivary cortisol response in treatment‑resistant depression patients to levels seen in healthy controls, without changing plasma cortisol.
In an open‑label pilot of 16 medically hospitalised recent suicide attempters, a single intravenous ketamine infusion (0.5 mg/kg) produced rapid, large reductions in suicidality and depression at 24 hours and 5 days (Cohen’s d 1.7–8.8) that were sustained up to six months. The study indicates ketamine is a feasible, rapidly acting intervention for acute suicidality in real‑world Consultation‑Liaison settings.
This open-label clinical pilot study (n=3) investigated the efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (75 mg in the 1st session, 75 or 125 mg in the 2nd and 3rd sessions) for patients suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder due to sexual abuse. One showed small but clinically significant improvement, one showed moderate improvement, and one showed strong improvement, with regard to diagnostic symptoms for PTSD.
In a randomised trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for moderate–severe depression, stronger therapeutic alliance and pre-session rapport predicted larger emotional‑breakthrough and mystical‑type experiences and were associated with greater symptom reduction. Emotional breakthrough during the first session and mystical experience during the second differentially contributed to improvement, while alliance before the second session had an additional direct effect on endpoint depression.
This triple-masked, randomised, placebo-controlled trial (n=40) of adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) found no short-term effect on depression severity (measured by MADRS) after a single dose of intravenous ketamine (35mg/70kg) compared to placebo (saline) during anaesthesia for routine surgery.
This randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over clinical pilot study (n=10) investigated the antidepressant efficacy of ketamine (35mg/70kg) infusion combined with Mindfulness Based Extinction and Reconsolidation (TIMBER) psychotherapy for patients with PTSD. Ketamine-assisted TIMBER therapy increased the duration of the sustained antidepressant response, as evidenced by improvement of depressive symptoms after switching from the placebo into ketamine condition.
In semi‑structured interviews with 12 participants from a Phase II randomised controlled trial, ketamine infusions delivered in a supportive clinical setting produced varied acute experiences—including dissociation, ego dissolution and mystical/spiritual states—that participants linked to transformative changes in their relationship with alcohol. The authors conclude these broader psychoactive effects may mediate therapeutic benefit and recommend developing measures that capture the full spectrum of ketamine experiences.
In 19 patients with treatment-resistant depression, a single open‑label 25 mg dose of psilocybin reduced ventromedial prefrontal cortex–right amygdala functional connectivity during fearful and neutral (but not happy) face processing and increased amygdala connectivity with occipito‑parietal cortices. The decrease in vmPFC–amygdala coupling correlated with one‑week rumination scores, consistent with the hypothesis that psilocybin restores emotional responsiveness as a key therapeutic mechanism.
This double-blind, randomised, inpatient study (n=8) evaluates the mystical and dissociative effects of ketamine in the treatment of cocaine dependant individuals. Ketamine led to significantly greater acute mystical-type effects than the active control, and mediated motivation to quit cocaine 24h post-infusion.