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Depression and anxiety are behind 40 percent of sick leave in Sweden, which according to a recent report is lengthening. But a third are not helped by available treatments.
Therefore, a research team from the Karolinska Institutet is investigating experimental alternatives. On Wednesday, they launch the first modern Swedish study on psilocybin, the active substance in hallucinogenic mushrooms. The study is led by psychiatrist Johan Lundberg, who has high hopes:
– If it turns out that psilocybin helps people, it would be a paradigm shift. The substance differs from all other treatments. There are signs that many are already feeling better after a few days, and that the effect of a single dose can last for several months.
Together with colleagues, recently completed a study on ketamine, a pain reliever that is also known as a party drug. It can already be prescribed for depression in the form of a nasal spray, but according to Johan Lundberg, the substance is not ideal as it often has unwanted side effects and there is a concern about addiction. Psilocybin, on the other hand, is non-toxic and the hallucinogenic effect diminishes if you use it frequently, which he believes counteracts the risk of addiction.
The dependence potential can be measured by serving the mice both a sugar solution and a nutritional alternative and seeing which they prefer.
– They prefer both alcohol and ketamine to nutrition, which is like choosing Systembolaget over Ica. But they only try psilocybin once.
The study begins in November with 30 participants suffering from depression. Half receive niacin, an active placebo, so it’s not clear which group they belong to. The 25-milligram dose is given in combination with five weeks of therapy and one year of follow-up.
Besides seeing how If the moon is affected, the researchers will study the effect on the brain with the help of two brain imaging techniques. Prolonged depression impairs the ability of nerve cells to create and maintain connections in the brain, which is believed to contribute to concentration and learning problems. In animals, both ketamine and psilocybin have been shown to rebuild plasticity, and this study will examine whether the effect also applies to humans.
The study is funded by a SEK 10 million grant from the Osmond Foundation, a newly formed foundation with the aim of promoting clinical research on psychedelic substances. The seed money comes from the Norrsken Foundation, which is run by Klarna founder Niklas Adalberth.
– Of course there are effective treatments, but far from everyone receiving help, we have to lift more stones. If the research results hold up, this may be one of the most important things that has happened to psychiatry in 40 years.
When i ask something technically, he nods to pharmaceutical chemist Ulf Bremberg, CEO of Osmond Labs, which is wholly owned by the foundation. Bremberg says clinical research has been dormant for a long time as the industry lacks financial incentives.
– Normally, the pharmaceutical industry funds clinical trials, but we do not believe they will do so in this case. On the one hand, psilocybin is found in nature and difficult to patent, and if the results hold, we will see a clinical effect of one or two doses. Then there won’t be that many pills to sell, says Ulf Bremberg.
The foundation will follow the principles of open science, which means that even negative results are published. This is in contrast to some psychedelic research drug companies that have been criticized for gagging their researchers.
– Being a non-profit organization, we can manage research funds based on social benefits, nothing more.
