New center to study psychedelics pops up at University of Texas at Austin
Experimenting with psychedelics is taking on a whole new meaning. The Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin is launching the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy, the first-of-its-kind center dedicated to the research of drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, MDMA, and ibogaine.
According to a December 16 release, the center will apply a clinical approach to the use of psychedelics in the treatment of mental illness. To begin, researchers will focus on “military veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder, adults experiencing prolonged grief disorder or depression, and those who have experienced childhood trauma.”
The drugs will be used in tandem with treatment from a trained provider. In some cases, the center will also investigate how psilocybin and transcranial magnetic stimulation work together to provide lasting relief for stress-related depression and anxiety.
“Recent studies have demonstrated considerable promise for these drugs when incorporated with clinical support, and this work has the potential to transform how we treat conditions like depression and PTSD, and to identify synergies between these and other well-established therapies to achieve long-term benefits for those seeking treatment,” says center co-lead Charles B. Nemeroff, professor and chair of Dell Med’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and holder of the Matthew P. Nemeroff Endowed Chair.
UT Austin is launching a new center to study how psychedelics can improve mental health.
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Focusing on veterans is important, the center notes, especially considering Texas is home to the second largest population of military vets in the country, with 250,000 living just in Central Texas alone. Veterans are more likely to suffer from PTSD and “difficult mental health problems” as the result of military service.
Societal interest in psychedelics has gone from the fringe to the mainstream in recent years. Podcasts,documentaries, articles — even a New York Times Bestseller by Michel Pollan, This is Your Mind on Plants — have all helped spotlight the medicinal properties of everything from magic mushrooms to MDMA. As the spotlight has grown, so too has the economy around it. Though most of these drugs remain illegal in the U.S., tech startups have launched to try and capitalize on their popularity while pricey retreats both in the U.S. and abroad are attracting thousands of curious participants.
Along with a societal shift in the use of psychedelics, there have also been legislative changes. Earlier this year, Texas lawmakers passed HB 1802, a bill paving the way for research into “alternative therapies” such as ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin for the treatment of depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, and migraines.
“A key ingredient in how psychedelic therapies promote mental health may be their ability to enhance neural plasticity, the process that allows the brain to adapt to new experiences – which when combined with brain modulation therapies may promote maximum benefit,” says Greg Fonzo, a Dell Med professor and co-lead of the center. “The potential implications are far-reaching for people with these conditions and their families, and also for the future of mental health treatment and care.”
