Speaker Bio
Erica Li (she/her) is a third year undergraduate Integrated Science student with a concentration in Psychology at McMaster University. She is a research assistant at the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science in Toronto, where she contributes to the first clinical trial investigating the therapeutic potential of psilocybin microdosing for depression.
Erica is the founder and co-president of the McMaster Psychedelic Society, a vibrant group that fosters the development of psychedelic community and scholarship for students and faculty. She currently coordinates monthly academic seminars through the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Canada, bridging the gap between academia and the wider community and enhancing the accessibility of Canadian psychedelic research.
Erica’s involvement in psychedelic advocacy began in 2020. Her interests encompass mental health, neuroscience, scientific communication, and making art. She aspires to pursue graduate studies to propel her into a career marked by discovery, innovation, and profound impact on mental health therapies.
ICPR 2024 Abstract
Psilocybin Microdosing and Anxiety: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded phase 2 clinical trial of major depressive disorder (MDD)
Background: Consuming sub-hallucinogenic doses of psilocybin (“microdosing”) may reduce depression and anxiety, but well-controlled studies are lacking. Among previous studies, there are mixed findings regarding the relationship between microdosing and anxiety. Given the frequent co-occurrence of depression and anxiety, it is crucial to evaluate whether microdosing to alleviate depression could unintentionally increase anxiety in individuals.
Aim: This placebo-controlled, double-blinded study provides the first well-controlled attempt to evaluate whether microdosing has a short-term impact on participant ratings of anxiety symptoms. Microdosing is expected to increase variability in anxiety symptoms over the placebo condition.
Methods: Twenty adults with a diagnosis of MDD attended the laboratory once a week. For the first four weeks, participants were randomised to receive either 2 mg of psilocybin or placebo. For the last four weeks, 16 of these participants went on to receive open-label 2mg psilocybin. Anxiety was assessed during peak drug effects using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire. To assess blinding effectiveness, participants were asked to speculate about their group assignment.
Status: This study has completed an initial cohort of participants, and data analysis will take place in the coming months. Recruitment is ongoing for the second cohort, which may be incorporated into the dataset.
Potential Impacts: This study assesses the effect of sub-hallucinogenic psilocybin microdoses on depression and anxiety, aiming to resolve previous conflicting findings. This protocol focuses on maximising experimental power and informing future microdosing research. Given the greater challenges in treating comorbid conditions, successful outcomes could significantly impact medical approaches to these disorders.