NIH Allocates $2.4 Million to Research Psychedelics as Treatment for Methamphetamine Use Disorder
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced a significant investment of $2.4 million towards studying the potential use of psychedelics to treat methamphetamine use disorders, as researchers revealed this week. This funding is in response to alarming increases in deaths related to methamphetamine and other psychostimulants, with fatal overdoses involving these substances rising nearly fivefold between 2015 and 2022.
The five-year grant, provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), will support research teams at the University of California San Diego’s (UCSD) Center for Psychedelic Research, Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Shreveport, and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW).
Addressing a Critical Need
“There are currently no pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine addiction,” said John McCorvy, a professor at MCW and one of the grant recipients. McCorvy emphasized the potential impact of the project, stating that its findings “could ultimately pave the way for new therapeutic approaches to treat stimulant use disorder, impacting the lives of so many who are coping with addiction.”
The research not only aims to explore whether psychedelic treatments could be a viable therapy for methamphetamine addiction but also seeks to understand the mechanisms behind the beneficial effects of substances like psilocybin. The ultimate goal is to develop psychedelic-related drugs that treat underlying health conditions without inducing a psychedelic experience.
Exploring the Potential of Psychedelics
“Psychedelics appear to have significant therapeutic activity against different types of substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders,” explained Adam Halberstadt, director of the UCSD Center for Psychedelic Research and another grant recipient. However, he noted the challenges in clinical application due to the intense psychoactive effects and potential side effects of existing psychedelics. “Our project seeks to understand the mechanism for the therapeutic effects of psychedelics against methamphetamine addiction,” Halberstadt added, highlighting the potential for developing new, more manageable therapeutic molecules.
The research is particularly focused on the serotonin receptor 5-HT2A, which is associated with the effects of psychedelics. By unraveling the precise mechanisms through which psychedelics influence this receptor, McCorvy believes it could lead to the development of treatments that reduce the psychoactive effects of these drugs, opening the door to their more widespread use.
Addressing the Methamphetamine Crisis
The need for more effective treatments for methamphetamine use disorder is urgent, as methamphetamine-related overdose deaths have spiked in recent years. In 2017, methamphetamine was the most common drug detected in overdose deaths in the U.S. South and West, surpassing opioids. This is part of a broader trend, with NIDA data showing that 34,022 people died from overdoses involving methamphetamine and other psychostimulants in 2022, up from just 5,716 deaths in 2015.
Kevin Murnane, a professor at the Louisiana Addiction Research Center at LSU Health Shreveport, emphasized the public health imperative of developing new treatments. “For methamphetamine addiction, the current standard of care involves behavioral treatments with limited success rates over multiple cycles of therapy,” Murnane said. He noted that the research project will advance the study of psychedelics as a promising new treatment option, building on reported data from initial clinical studies and preliminary research. The project also aims to unlock insights into key physiological mechanisms driving methamphetamine addiction and therapeutic responses, which could lead to the development of second-generation serotonin agents with improved profiles.
A Broader Push for Psychedelic Research
This research is part of a larger effort by NIDA and other federal agencies to explore the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. Last year, NIDA announced a $1.5 million funding round to further study psychedelics and addiction. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), another part of the NIH, has also identified the treatment of alcohol use disorder as one of the potential benefits of psilocybin, despite the substance remaining a Schedule I controlled substance under U.S. law.
A 2022 study highlighted by NCCIH found that psilocybin-assisted therapy reduced the number of heavy-drinking days among participants compared to a control group, suggesting its potential for treating alcohol use disorder. Additionally, recent research suggests that full-spectrum psychedelic mushroom extract may have a more powerful effect than chemically synthesized psilocybin alone, indicating a possible “entourage effect” similar to that seen with cannabis.
Future Prospects
The federal government has been funding research into the development of psychedelic-related drugs that do not cause a psychedelic trip for years, aiming to separate the health benefits from the psychoactive effects. For instance, a 2020 project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) with $26.9 million aimed to create new medications to treat depression, anxiety, and substance abuse rapidly and effectively, without major side effects.
While psychedelics like ketamine and potentially psilocybin show rapid antidepressant actions, their hallucinogenic and disorienting side effects currently limit their clinical use. The ongoing research funded by NIDA and other agencies could ultimately pave the way for new, effective treatments for substance use disorders, potentially transforming the landscape of addiction therapy.
The $2.4 million NIH grant represents a critical step forward in the exploration of psychedelics as a treatment for methamphetamine use disorder. As overdose deaths from methamphetamine and other psychostimulants continue to rise, the research conducted by UCSD, LSU, and MCW could lead to groundbreaking new therapies that save lives and provide hope for those struggling with addiction.
