Placebo for Neuroimaging & Brain Measures

2 papers and 141 clinical trials exploring placebo as a treatment for neuroimaging & brain measures.

CompoundComparator / Control

Placebo

Placebo is the most widely referenced comparator in psychedelic clinical research, appearing in over 500 trials. Understanding how placebos are designed, administered, and interpreted is essential to evaluating the evidence base for psychedelic-assisted therapies — and one of the field’s most contested methodological challenges.

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IndicationApproximately 264 million people globally suffer from depression, with PTSD affecting around 8 million adults in the United States each year.

Neuroimaging & Brain Measures

Recent advances in neuroimaging have shed light on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effects of psychedelics, particularly in the treatment of mental health disorders such as depression and PTSD. Studies involving compounds like psilocybin and MDMA have demonstrated significant changes in brain activity associated with therapeutic outcomes.

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Academic Research

2 papers

Open Accessindividual

DMT micro-phenomenology

Using micro-phenomenological interviews with 23 participants who received DMT during fMRI, the study shows DMT reliably produces deeply immersive presence experiences that unfold through a characteristic layering—initial multisensory effects followed by spatial, self-related and social reconfigurations. This structural and temporal mapping extends beyond concepts like ego dissolution to advance understanding of DMT's effects and the architecture of conscious experience, and demonstrates the value of systematic first‑person methods for comparing altered states.

Published: December 29, 2024
Journal: Preprints
Authors: Carhart-Harris, R. L., Daily, Z. G., Milliere, R., Sanders, J. W., Timmermann, C.

Open Accessindividual

Effects of serotonin 2A/1A receptor stimulation on social exclusion processing

Using multimodal brain imaging, the study shows that stimulation of serotonin 2A/1A receptors modulates neural processing of social exclusion and associated emotional responses. This implicates the 2A/1A receptor system as a potential pharmacological target for treating sociocognitive deficits in psychiatric disorders.

Published: April 18, 2016
Journal: PNAS
Authors: Hock, A., Kraehenmann, R., Pokorny, D., Preller, K. H., Scheidegger, M., Seifritz, E., Stämpfli, P., Vollenweider, F. X.

Clinical Trials

141 trials

Not yet recruitingPhase I/II

The Acute Effects of Psilocybin on Cognition, Memory, and Brain Function

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial (n=48) will study the effects of psilocybin (15 mg) on memory, cognition, and brain function in healthy adults.

Started: September 1, 2025
Type: interventional
Blinding: quadruple
Randomized: Yes
Registry ID: NCT07079852

CompletedPhase I

A Study Assessing Brain Activity, Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics Following Multiple Doses of MLS101 (Psilocybin) in Healthy Volunteers

This Phase I randomised, single-blind trial (n=20) will study the effects of multiple low doses of psilocybin (MLS101) on brain activity, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in healthy adult volunteers.

Started: July 1, 2025
Type: interventional
Blinding: single
Randomized: Yes
Registry ID: NCT07050368

RecruitingPhase I

Comparative Acute Effects of R-MDMA and S-MDMA in Healthy Participants (R-S-)

This randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled Phase I crossover trial (n=24) will compare the acute effects of two enantiomers of MDMA—R-MDMA (300 mg) and S-MDMA (100 mg)—in healthy adult participants.

Started: May 1, 2025
Type: interventional
Blinding: triple
Randomized: Yes
Registry ID: NCT06905652

RecruitingPhase II

Ketamine and Neurofeedback as Combined Therapeutic Interventions to Target Glutamatergic Neurotransmission in Alcohol Use Disorder (Nektar)

This Phase II, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group single-centre trial (n=75) will assess the effects of a single IV ketamine infusion (0.8 mg/kg) combined with real-time fMRI neurofeedback versus sham NFT and placebo in people with alcohol use disorder.

Started: May 1, 2025
Type: interventional
Blinding: triple
Randomized: Yes
Registry ID: NCT06969937

RecruitingPhase I

Acute Effects of MDMA Co-administration on the Response to Psilocybin in Healthy Subjects (MDMA-Psilo)

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, 4-period crossover study (n=24) testing 20 mg psilocybin and 100 mg MDMA alone and combined in healthy adults to assess subjective and autonomic effects.

Started: April 1, 2025
Type: interventional
Blinding: triple
Randomized: Yes
Registry ID: NCT06884514

RecruitingPhase I

Direct Comparison of Altered States of Consciousness Induced by LSD, Psilocybin, and DMT in Healthy Participants (LPD)

This randomised, placebo-controlled, triple-blind Phase I crossover trial (n=24) will compare the acute and subacute effects of LSD (150µg), psilocybin (30mg), and DMT (up to 2 mg/min intravenous infusion) in healthy adults, with all sessions standardised using ketanserin (20 mg IV) to end the psychedelic experience after three hours.

Started: April 1, 2025
Type: interventional
Blinding: triple
Randomized: Yes
Registry ID: NCT06899334

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Search all Placebo papers Search all Neuroimaging & Brain Measures trials Full Placebo profile Full Neuroimaging & Brain Measures profile

Placebo for Neuroimaging & Brain Measures

Placebo

Neuroimaging & Brain Measures

Academic Research

DMT micro-phenomenology

Effects of serotonin 2A/1A receptor stimulation on social exclusion processing

Clinical Trials

The Acute Effects of Psilocybin on Cognition, Memory, and Brain Function

A Study Assessing Brain Activity, Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics Following Multiple Doses of MLS101 (Psilocybin) in Healthy Volunteers

Comparative Acute Effects of R-MDMA and S-MDMA in Healthy Participants (R-S-)

Ketamine and Neurofeedback as Combined Therapeutic Interventions to Target Glutamatergic Neurotransmission in Alcohol Use Disorder (Nektar)

Acute Effects of MDMA Co-administration on the Response to Psilocybin in Healthy Subjects (MDMA-Psilo)

Direct Comparison of Altered States of Consciousness Induced by LSD, Psilocybin, and DMT in Healthy Participants (LPD)

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