Researchers from Dell Medical School at the University of Texas Austin have launched a Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy in Austin, Texas as part of the institution’s efforts to use psychedelics to treat various mental conditions.
This center goes down as the first ever psychedelic research and therapy center in Texas and it will be co-headed by Charles B. Nemeroff, a professor and chair of Dell Medical Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
“This research will bring further scientific rigor and expertise to study psychedelic therapy. 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,” said Nemeroff.
The center will be conducting clinical research aiming to have a better understanding about the potential of psychedelics substances including; ibogaine, DMT, MDMA and psilocybin in treating metal conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and severe depression.
Greg Fonzo, an assistant at Dell Medical Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, will also serve as a co-head of the center. Fonzo says they will investigate how psilocybin and transcranial magnetic stimulation work jointly to provide lasting relief to patients suffering from anxiety and stress related depression.
“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. 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,” says Fonzo.
The center will initially focus on military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, adults suffering prolonged grief disorder of depression and people who have experienced childhood trauma.
