Psilocybin paired with cognitive behavioral therapy for adults with depression
Official title: Psilocybin-assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11248770 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project combines two supervised psilocybin sessions with 12 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy for adults living with major depressive disorder.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | December 17, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $236,250 |
| NIH project number | 5R34AT013077-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11248770 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 or older with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder who are willing and able to attend regular in-person CBT sessions and supervised psilocybin dosing visits.
✕Less likely to help
People who cannot take psilocybin for medical or psychiatric reasons, who are unwilling to participate in psychotherapy, or who cannot attend in-person visits are unlikely to benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you join, you would receive a manualized course of cognitive behavioral therapy alongside two supervised psilocybin dosing sessions (a lower and a higher dose). The team will follow safety procedures used in prior psychedelic research and collect information on how well the combined treatment can be delivered. Data from this work will be used to refine the therapy manual and plan a larger efficacy trial. The focus is on feasibility, safety, and creating a consistent treatment that could be tested more widely later.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could produce a well-defined psilocybin-plus-CBT approach that may improve depressive symptoms and make psychedelic-assisted care safer and more consistent.
How similar studies have gone: Early clinical studies of psilocybin for depression have shown promising but mixed results, and pairing psilocybin with a standardized CBT protocol is a newer approach that requires further testing.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Weintraub, Marc Joshua — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Weintraub, Marc Joshua
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Psilocybin-Assisted ACT for Co-Occurring Cocaine Use Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder
A new treatment combines psilocybin with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people who have both cocaine use disorder and major depressive disorder.
-
Single-cell study of mood-regulation brain circuits in depression
A large study will map which genes and cell types in mood-related brain circuits are linked to major depressive disorder, including differences by ancestry and sex.
-
Single-cell map of mood circuits in major depressive disorder
Researchers will map the tiny brain cells in mood-control areas to understand how genes and cell types relate to depression, with attention to ancestry and sex.
-
Making genetic research clearer to find genes linked to major depression
Researchers will use health records and genetic data to pinpoint genes that drive major depression, aiming to help people with depression get better-targeted treatments.
-
How iTBS and a brain drug could boost brain wiring to help depression
A study tests whether a brain-stimulating treatment (iTBS) works by improving brain plasticity and whether adding a drug (DCS) enhances this effect for people with major depressive disorder.
-
Portable, low-cost genetic test to guide antidepressant choices
This project is creating a small, affordable device that rapidly reads genes that affect how people with major depressive disorder process antidepressants to help choose safer, more effective medicines.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.