Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38658877›Full record

ArticleBMC psychiatry2024

The 'PSILAUT' protocol: an experimental medicine study of autistic differences in the function of brain serotonin targets of psilocybin.

Tobias P Whelan, Eileen Daly, Nicolaas A Puts, Paula Smith, Carrie Allison, Simon Baron-Cohen, Ekaterina Malievskaia, Declan G M Murphy, Grainne M McAlonan

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychiatry, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05651126 (Modulation of Serotonin Pathways Using Psilocybin in Adults With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder), which is not on this map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05651126 nacompletednot on this map

Modulation of Serotonin Pathways Using Psilocybin in Adults With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

TypeinterventionalSponsorKing's College LondonRan2022 to 2024Enrolled67ConditionsAutism Spectrum DisorderArmsPsilocybin 5 mg, Psilocybin 2 mg, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. The Emergence of Psilocybin in Psychiatry and Neuroscience.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Tobias P WhelanDepartment of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Eileen DalyDepartment of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Nicolaas A PutsDepartment of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Paula SmithAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Carrie AllisonAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Simon Baron-CohenAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Ekaterina MalievskaiaCOMPASS Pathfinder Ltd, London, UK.
Declan G M MurphyDepartment of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Grainne M McAlonanDepartment of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. grainne.mcalonan@kcl.ac.uk.
King's College London · GBUniversity of Cambridge · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe underlying neurobiology of the complex autism phenotype remains obscure, although accumulating evidence implicates the serotonin system and especially the 5HT

methodsThe 'PSILAUT' "shiftability" study is a case-control study autistic and non-autistic adults. How neural responses 'shift' in response to low doses (2 mg and 5 mg) of psilocybin compared to placebo will be examined using multimodal techniques including functional MRI and EEG. Each participant will attend on up to three separate visits with drug or placebo administration in a double-blind and randomized order.

resultsThis study will provide the first direct evidence that the serotonin targets of psilocybin function differently in the autistic and non-autistic brain. We will also examine individual differences in serotonin system function.

conclusionsThis work will inform our understanding of the neurobiology of autism as well as decisions about future clinical trials of psilocybin and/or related compounds including stratification approaches.

trial registrationNCT05651126.

Indexed as

Autistic DisorderBrainMagnetic Resonance ImagingPsilocybinAdolescentAdultCase-Control StudiesDouble-Blind MethodElectroencephalographyFemaleHallucinogensHumansMaleRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicReceptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2ASerotoninHallucinogensPsilocybinReceptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2ASerotoninAutismNeuroimagingPharmacologyPsilocybinPsychedelicsSerotonin

Identifiers

PMID38658877
PMCPMC11044362
OpenAlexW4395462414

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.