Experimental Alzheimer’s drug delivers promising Phase 2 trial results
According to the new data from pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, the antibody donanemab slowed cognitive decline by 32% compared to a placebo.
Mental health & addiction
Progress on mental health and addiction is real — and often underreported. This archive covers treatment breakthroughs, policy shifts, community-led programs, and research advances that are improving lives. It’s evidence that change is possible.
MDMA-assisted couples therapy shows promising initial results in landmark pilot trial
The new study reports the addition of MDMA to the couples therapy protocol resulted in effects that were, “on par with, or greater than, those achieved with CBCT [cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy] alone.”
Anchorage introduces team of mental health first responders
Starting next year in Anchorage, Alaska, a new team of mental health first responders will replace police for emergency calls for someone with a mental health issue. The Mobile Crisis Team is funded by a new local alcohol tax and the team is trained to be dispatched to situations police do not have adequate training to address.
New York City will try a police-free approach to addressing mental health crises
Thanks to a new pilot program, 911 calls in New York City that are evidently mental health-related will be taken care of by mental health and crisis workers instead of law enforcement. The move is the result of months of protests around the country over police brutality, sparked by the tragic death of George Floyd.
Oregon becomes the first state in the U.S. to legalize access to magic mushrooms
Measure 109 apart it distinct from decriminalization efforts in that it offers a legal pathway to psilocybin therapy. It will establish a state-regulated program for using and obtaining them. In essence, accessing psilocybin as an adult in Oregon would be about as easy as signing up for counseling.
Microdosing LSD improves mood and cognition, according to new study
In the placebo-controlled study, published in European Neuropsychopharmacology, scientists from University of Basel and Maastricht University gave volunteers either a small dose of LSD or a placebo, then measured their ability to pay attention and process information, as well as keeping an eye on their mood.
Ann Arbor, Michigan decriminalizes all psychedelic plants and fungi
The city will now allow banned substances including ayahuasca, peyote, mescaline, and psilocybin, better known as “magic mushrooms,” in the area.
Monitoring brainwaves during sleep can pinpoint best antidepressant
Currently, in order to see if an antidepressant works, patients have to take the drug for at least a month. New research, however, suggests that by monitoring a patient’s brainwaves as they sleep, the effectiveness of an antidepressant can be gauged in as little as one week.
UC Berkeley launches new center for psychedelic science and education
With $1.25 million in seed funding from an anonymous donor, the new UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics will conduct research using psychedelics to investigate cognition, perception and emotion and their biological bases in the human brain.
Microdosing LSD leads to “remarkable” acute pain relief, according to new study
The researchers saw “remarkable” results for the 20 microgram dose compared to the placebo, comparable to those seen from many common opioid painkillers, such as morphine and oxycodone.