A Phase 1 interventional study of Psilocybin and Placebo in Anhedonia and Emotional Blunting, sponsored by NYU Langone Health. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-15.
Sponsored by NYU Langone Health · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment
This study is for adults with major depressive disorder (depression) who are currently taking an SSRI or SNRI antidepressant but continue to experience anhedonia (reduced interest or pleasure) and emotional blunting.
The study will test whether a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin, compared with placebo, can improve these symptoms and improve the function of brain circuits involved in reward and motivation. Researchers will measure changes using brain imaging (fMRI) and clinical questionnaires, including the Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS).
134 studies on the registry are indexed under Anhedonia; 50 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 90 is above the median of 72 across 111 interventional studies indexed under Anhedonia.
Browse Anhedonia studies →NYU Langone Health is the lead sponsor of 1,430 studies on the registry; 258 are open to participants now.
Of its 235 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 197 (84%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
DSM diagnostic criteria
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will complete a total of six MRI sessions; two sessions prior to psilocybin administration day and four sessions after. On administration day, the psilocybin arm will receive psilocybin (25 mg single dose, under supervision).
Drug: Psilocybin
Participants will complete a total of six MRI sessions; two sessions prior to placebo administration day and four sessions after. The control arm will receive placebo on administration day.
Drug: Placebo
One-time dose of psilocybin 25 mg, oral, in capsule form.
One-time dose of placebo (25 mg of inert filler), oral, in capsule form.
Change in Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) Score
DARS is a 17-item, patient-reported instrument designed to measure "state" anhedonia (how a person is feeling right now). The total score is the sum of responses and ranges from 0-68; lower scores indicate more severe anhedonia.
Time frame: Baseline (Week -3), End of Study (Week 8)
Change in Fronto-Striatal Connectivity (pgACC-NAcc FC)
This outcome measures the change in functional connectivity (FC) between the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) and the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). PgACC-NAcc FC will be measured using fMRI sequencing. The standard deviation of FC is assumed to be 0.1.
Time frame: Baseline (Week -3), End of Study (Week 8)
Change in Motivation and Pleasure Scale - Self-Report (MAP-SR) Score
MAP-SR is an 15-item self-report assessment designed to measure the "experiential" negative symptoms of psychiatric disorders. Each item is rated on a scale from 0-4; the total score is the sum of responses and ranges from 0-60; lower scores indicate more severe psychiatric symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline (Week -3), End of Study (Week 8)
Change in Experiential Avoidance (BEAQ) Score
The Brief Measure of Experimental Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) is a 15-item assessment of experiential avoidance. Each item is rated on a scale from 1-6; the total score is the sum of responses and ranges from 15 to 90. Higher scores indicate greater levels of experiential avoidance (and lower psychological flexibility).
Time frame: Baseline (Week -3), End of Study (Week 8)
Change in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS) Score
The MADRS is a 10-item assessment of depression severity. Each item is rated on a scale from 0-6; the total score is the sum of responses and ranges from 0-60. Higher scores indicate greater severity of depression.
Time frame: Baseline (Week -3), End of Study (Week 8)
Plan to share: Yes — The de-identified participant data from the final research dataset will be shared with researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal, or investigators whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee ("learned intermediary") identified for this purpose, beginning 9 to 36 months after publication or as required by a condition of awards or supporting agreements, provided the requesting investigator executes a data use agreement with NYU Langone Health. This instance of data sharing will also require separate IRB review as well as review from NYU Langone's Data Sharing Strategy Board (DSSB). Requests should be directed to: Joshua Siegel, MD, PhD, Joshua.Siegel@nyulangone.org. The protocol and statistical analysis plan will be posted on Clinicaltrials.gov only as required by federal regulation or supporting awards and agreements.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form, Analytic code
Time frame: Beginning 9 months and ending 36 months following article publication or as required by a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research.
Access criteria: Researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal, or investigators whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee ("learned intermediary") identified for this purpose, will be granted access upon reasonable request, including to achieve aims in the approved proposal and for individual participant data meta-analysis. Requests should be directed to Joshua.Siegel@nyulangone.org. To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement. This instance of data sharing will also require separate IRB review as well as review from NYU Langone's DSSB.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Sep 2026; primary completion for Aug 2030, 47 months later.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Psilocybin