Speaker Bio
Natasha Mason is an assistant professor at the department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology at Maastricht University. Her research is driven by her desire to find effective treatments for psychiatric disorders, particularly anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. There is ever-growing evidence that substances such as psychedelic drugs and cannabis provide rapid and persisting symptomatic relief. Her question has always been “how”: how do these substances work (to reduce symptoms), and how can we maximize efficacy of these substances, while reducing harms. In pursuit of these research goals, she conducts placebo-controlled, experimental drug trials. Here, she combines methods from psychopharmacology and cognitive neuroscience to determine drug-induced neuroadaptations, and their impact on affect, behavior, and cognition. To complement this work, she also conducts naturalistic field work and survey studies. Here, she gathers data from large samples of drug users, gaining real-word insights into their experiences, to inform the development of new hypotheses which can be tested in experimental trials.
ICPR 2024 Abstract
Psilocybin induces acute and persisting alterations in immune status in healthy volunteers: An experimental, placebo-controlled study
Patients with stress-related disorders, like depression, exhibit elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines and an overactive HPA axis. Although psychedelics show promise in treating these disorders, the underlying therapeutic mechanisms remain unclear. To date the evidence of acute and persisting effects of psychedelics on immune functioning, HPA axis activity in response to stress, and associated psychological outcomes is preliminary. To address this, we conducted a placebo-controlled, parallel-group design comprising of 60 healthy participants who received either placebo (n = 30) or 0.17 mg/kg psilocybin (n = 30). Blood samples were taken to assess acute and persisting (7 day) immune changes, and seven days post-administration, participants underwent further stress induction or control protocols. Ultra-high field (7-Tesla) magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to assess whether acute changes in glutamate were associated with changes in immune functioning. Finally, questionnaires assessed persisting self-report changes in mood and social behavior.
Psilocybin immediately reduced concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), while other inflammatory markers (interleukin (IL)- 1β, IL-6, and C-reactive protein (CRP)) remained unchanged. After seven days, TNF-α returned to baseline, while IL-6 and CRP concentrations reduced. Acute TNF-α reduction correlated with lower hippocampal glutamate concentrations, whereas greater decreases in IL-6 and CRP correlated with persistent positive mood and social effects. Regarding the stress response, after a psychosocial stressor, psilocybin did not significantly alter the stress response. Results will be discussed in regards to the psychological and therapeutic effects of psilocybin demonstrated in ongoing patient trials.