Psilocybin Efficacy With or Without Pimavanserin Pretreatment (PRISMatic)
PRISMatic: A Phase 1b Randomized, Double-Armed, Parallel-Group, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Psilocybin Efficacy With or Without Pimavanserin Pretreatment
Twenty healthy adults (≥21 years old) will be enrolled to evaluate the efficacy of a single oral dose of psilocybin (25 mg) administered with or without pretreatment using oral pimavanserin (34 mg) or placebo. Outcome assessments will occur at 1 week and 1 month following psilocybin administration.
The purpose of this study is to clarify the receptor-level mechanisms underlying psilocybin's effects on mood and well-being, along with the associated neurophysiologic signatures. These mechanisms will be examined using psychometric scales, autonomic and fMRI-based neurophysiologic markers, and integrated pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling.
Study Overview
Status
Status
Conditions
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Intervention / Treatment
Study Type
Study Type
Enrollment (Estimated)
Enrollment
Phase
Phase
- Phase 2
- Phase 1
Contacts and Locations
Study Contact
Study Contact
- Name: Arozo Azimi
- Phone Number: 410-550-0007
- Email: aazimi2@jh.edu
Study Contact Backup
- Name: Mazen A. Atiq, MD
- Email: matiq3@jh.edu
Study Locations
-
-
Maryland
-
Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21224
- Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research
-
Contact:
- Arozo Azimi
- Phone Number: 410-550-0007
- Email: aazimi2@jh.edu
-
Contact:
- Mazen A Atiq, MD
- Email: matiq3@jh.edu
-
Principal Investigator:
- David B. Yaden, PhD
-
Sub-Investigator:
- Mazen Atiq, MD
-
-
Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Adult
- Older Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adults aged 21 to 65 years old
- Fluency in English
- At least high school level of education
- Right-handed
- Female participants of childbearing potential must agree to use a highly effective method of contraception throughout the study. Highly effective methods are defined as those that, when used consistently and correctly (alone or in combination), are associated with a failure rate of less than 1% per year. Condoms alone are not considered highly effective. Abstinence is not considered a highly effective method. However, at the investigator's discretion, abstinence may be accepted if, based on the investigator's judgment and knowledge of the participant's usual and preferred lifestyle, it can be reasonably expected to result in 100% effectiveness.
- Agree to abstain from any psychoactive drugs on the day prior to and the day of the drug administration session as demonstrated by a negative toxicology report.
- Agree to consume approximately the same amount of caffeine-containing beverage (e.g., coffee, tea) that he/she consumes on a usual morning, before arriving at the research unit on the mornings of drug session days. If the participant does not routinely consume caffeinated beverages, he/she must agree not to do so on session days.
- Agree not to take any PRN medications on the mornings of drug sessions
- Agree that for one week before the drug session, he/she will refrain from taking any nonprescription medication, nutritional or herbal supplement except when approved by the study investigators. Exceptions will be evaluated by the study investigators and will include acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and common doses of vitamins and minerals.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Non-English speakers and those with language or hearing impairments
- Left-handedness (assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory)
- Any lifetime history of psychedelic use, including serotonergic compounds (e.g., psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT) and nontraditional psychedelics (e.g., MDMA, ketamine, ibogaine)
- Presence of cardiac, pulmonary, vascular, renal, hepatic, or other significant medical comorbidities
- Cardiovascular conditions: coronary artery disease, stroke, angina, uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, and HR >90 bpm), a clinically significant ECG abnormality (e.g., atrial fibrillation), prolonged QTc interval (i.e., QTc > 450 msec), heart valve, or TIA in the past year
- QTc interval prolongation exclusionary criteria: medications known to prolong the QT interval (including: Class 1A antiarrhythmics (e.g., quinidine, procainamide), Class 3 antiarrhythmics (e.g., amiodarone, sotalol), certain antipsychotics (e.g., ziprasidone, chlorpromazine, thioridazine), certain antibiotics (e.g., gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin), subjects with congenital prolongation of the QT interval; subjects with family history positive for long QT syndrome; subjects with a history of cardiac arrhythmias; and subjects with history of any cardiovascular disorder/condition known to increase the possibility of QT prolongation and torsades de pointes (i.e., symptomatic bradycardia, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia, heart failure, or Brugada Syndrome).
- Lifetime history of serious psychiatric or neurological disorders, including bipolar disorder, psychosis, or seizure disorder
- Lifetime history of severe substance use disorder
- Current (within past six months) substance use disorder of moderate or greater severity
- Clinically significant suicidal ideation (with strong intent or means) within the past 6 months or lifetime history of suicide attempt, current suicidal ideation, or otherwise judged by a study clinician to be more than low risk for suicidality
- Current use/positive toxicology for illicit drugs at screening and prior to drug administration session (includes illicit, non-prescribed, or prohibited substances such as amphetamines, barbiturates, buprenorphine, benzodiazepines, cocaine, MDMA, methadone, opioids, phencyclidine (PCP), and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC))
- Nicotine user consuming the equivalent of ≥ 10 cigarettes/day
- Altered gastrointestinal anatomy [history of surgeries that promote a general intestinal malabsorption (e.g., jejunoileal bypass, jejunocolic bypass, roux-en-Y gastric bypass, vertical banded gastroplasty, gastric band, gastric stapling, sleeve gastrectomy, biliopancreatic diversion with partial gastrectomy, distal gastric bypass, duodenal switch)]
- Weight < 40kg
- Have a first degree relative with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders (except substance/medication-induced or due to another medical condition), or bipolar I disorder
- MRI contraindications (e.g., claustrophobia incompatible with MRI scanning, medical device or implant incompatible with MRI, prior history as a metal worker and/or certain metallic objects in the body). Must complete MRI screening form and be approved by MRI technologist before each scan.
- Unable or unwilling to perform study procedures, or inappropriate for further study participation as determined by the PI and/or study clinicians
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Basic Science
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Quadruple
Number of Arms
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / ArmParticipant Group / Arm |
Intervention / TreatmentIntervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Experimental: Psilocybin + Pimavanserin
Two oral pretreatment doses of pimavanserin (34 mg each) followed by a single oral dose of psilocybin (25 mg)
|
Psilocybin, 25 mg, oral, single dose
Pimavanserin, 34 mg, oral, two doses
Other Names:
|
|
Placebo Comparator: Psilocybin + Placebo
Two oral pretreatment doses of inactive placebo followed by a single oral dose of psilocybin (25 mg)
|
Psilocybin, 25 mg, oral, single dose
Inactive placebo, oral, two doses
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Persisting Effects Questionnaire (PEQ) score
Time Frame: Day 7, Day 30
|
Persisting effects will be assessed using the single item well-being item from the Persisting Effects Questionnaire (PEQ) at 1-week (primary inferential contrast) and 1-month post-dosing.
The PEQ is an instrument designed to measure participants' retrospective attributions regarding the longer-term impact of the psilocybin experience, including effects on mood, behavior, and overall well-being.
The item is rated on a 7-point Likert scale (-3 = decreased very much; -2 = decreased moderately; -1 = decreased slightly; 0 = no change; 1 = increased slightly; 2 = increased moderately; 3 = increased very much).
Score range -3 to 3.
|
Day 7, Day 30
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Amygdala Response to Stimuli in the Emotion Recognition Test
Time Frame: Day -1 (baseline), Day 7, Day 30
|
Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) percent signal change in response to stimuli in the emotion recognition task will be measured in the left and right amygdala.
|
Day -1 (baseline), Day 7, Day 30
|
|
Pharmacokinetics (PK) of Psilocybin metabolites
Time Frame: 0-6 hours
|
PK parameter (AUC 0-6h) for unconjugated psilocin in plasma.
|
0-6 hours
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Sponsor
Investigators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: David B. Yaden, PhD, Johns Hopkins University
Publications and helpful links
General Publications
- Yaden DB, Griffiths RR. The Subjective Effects of Psychedelics Are Necessary for Their Enduring Therapeutic Effects. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci. 2020 Dec 10;4(2):568-572. doi: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00194. eCollection 2021 Apr 9.
- Barrett FS, Doss MK, Sepeda ND, Pekar JJ, Griffiths RR. Emotions and brain function are altered up to one month after a single high dose of psilocybin. Sci Rep. 2020 Feb 10;10(1):2214. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-59282-y.
- Atiq MA, Baker MR, Voort JLV, Vargas MV, Choi DS. Disentangling the acute subjective effects of classic psychedelics from their enduring therapeutic properties. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2025 Jul;242(7):1481-1506. doi: 10.1007/s00213-024-06599-5. Epub 2024 May 14.
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Estimated)
Study Start
Primary Completion (Estimated)
Primary Completion
Study Completion (Estimated)
Study Completion
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
First Posted
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Posted
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
Other Study ID Numbers
- IRB00526000
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
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