Psychedelics continue to garner attention as possible treatments for diverse mental health conditions. Now, Compass Pathways (NASDAQ: CMPS) will undertake a study to evaluate psilocybin’s effects on autistic adults.
The study, named Psilaut, is being co-sponsored by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Forty autistic and 30 non-autistic adults will be enrolled at the double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled Psilaut.
The goal of the study is to see how COMP360, Compass’ flagship synthetic psilocybin, affects the serotonin system of the patients. For that, a wide variety of imaging techniques and behavioral tasks will be utilized.
Professor Grainne McAlonan is the lead investigator of Psilaut and has led other studies in autism at King’s IoPPN. In a press release issued by the company, McAlonan said: “Our long-term goal is to provide more and better-tailored choices for autistic people and those with related conditions. Before embarking on clinical trials, we need to really understand brain mechanisms in autistic people.”
