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Perception DisturbancePhase 1NCT04424225

Visual Surround Suppression and Perceptual Expectation Under Psilocybin

A Phase 1 study testing Psilocybin and Niacin in people with Perception Disturbance and Visual Suppression, run by University of Minnesota at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

The prospective pilot study will address the critical need for more precise characterizations of the acute visual effects of the drug psilocybin by measuring the impact of acute psilocybin intoxication on a perceptual task known as visual surround suppression, compared to an active placebo control. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 25 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Psilocybin and Niacin
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
10 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
30 Aug 2021to 1 Sep 2023
Phase
Phase 1
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 25 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Have given written informed consent
  • Have at least a high-school level of education or equivalent (e.g. GED), and be able to read and write in English
  • General health status: Participants should be in good physical (BMI between 20.0 and 28.0 kg/m2) and psychiatric health.
  • Experience taking psilocybin (at the PI's discretion).
  • Participants must also have a person that can reliably transport them to and from the CRU for dosing session days.
  • Geographic location: Minnesota counties that are approximately within 1 hour driving distance to Twin Cities, including not limited to Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington, Anoka, Wright, Carver, Scott, Dakota, Sherburn
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  • Participants must be willing to wear a face mask at all times during in-person study visits, except for dosing sessions, to ensure COVID-19 protection.
  • Participants must be willing to get a COVID-19 test and share results with the study team prior to all in-person visits.
  • Participants must be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines, per CDC guidelines, and share a copy of their proof of vaccination status with the study team prior to the consenting visit.
  • Agrees to refrain from using recreational drugs while enrolled in the study, including, but not limited to, hallucinogens, ketamine, and marijuana.

Who cannot join

  • Current or past history of meeting DSM-5 criteria for schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders (except due to another medical condition), or Bipolar I or II Disorder, personality disorder, major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, dysthymic disorder.
  • Current or past history within the last 5 years of meeting DSM-5 criteria for a moderate or severe alcohol or drug use disorder (excluding caffeine, nicotine, and hallucinogens)
  • Those with a first or second-degree relative with a current or past history of meeting DSM-5 criteria for schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders or bipolar I or II disorder, because they might have an underlying genetic susceptibility for psychosis.
  • Presence of symptoms of the following DSM-5 disorders within the past 6 months (as assessed by the MINI-7):
  • Major depressive Episode
  • Suicidality
Show all 48Show fewer
  • Manic and Hypomanic Episodes
  • Panic disorder
  • Agoraphobia
  • Social Anxiety Disorder
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  • Alcohol Use Disorder
  • Substance Use Disorder (Non-Alcoholic)
  • Psychotic Disorders and Mood Disorders with Psychotic Features
  • Anorexia Nervosa
  • Bulimia Nervosa
  • Binge Eating Disorder
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder
  • Mood Disorders:
  • Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
  • MDD with Psychotic Features
  • Bipolar I
  • Bipolar II
  • Other Specified Bipolar and Related Disorder
  • Presence of abuse or dependence of drugs measured by the MINI-7 in the past 12 months:
  • Lithium, Sodium Valproate (Depakote), Lamotrigine (Lamictal) - Manic/Bipolar disorders
  • Stimulants: amphetamines, "speed", crystal meth, "crank", Dexedrine, Ritalin, diet pills.
  • Cocaine: snorting, IV, freebase, crack, "speedball".
  • Opiates: heroin, morphine, Dilaudid, opium, Demerol, methadone, Darvon, codeine, Percodan, Vicodin, OxyContin.
  • Dissociative Drugs: PCP (Phencyclidine ,"Angel Dust", "Peace Pill", "Hog"), or ketamine ("Special K").
  • Inhalants: "glue", ethyl chloride, "rush", nitrous oxide ("laughing gas"), amyl or butyl nitrate ("poppers").
  • Cannabis: marijuana, hashish ("hash"), THC, "pot", "grass", "weed", "reefer".
  • Sedatives, Hypnotics or Anxiolytics: Quaalude, Seconal ("reds"), Valium, Xanax, Librium, Ativan, Dalmane, Halcion, barbiturates, Miltown, GHB, Roofinol, "Roofies".
  • Miscellaneous: steroids, nonprescription sleep or diet pills. Cough Medicine?
  • History of medication or substance induced psychosis.
  • Medically significant condition considered unsuitable for the current study (e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, severe cardiovascular disease, etc)
  • History of suicide attempts or mania
  • Positive pregnancy test or currently breast-feeding
  • Currently taking on a regular (e.g., daily) basis any prescription medications, with the exception of birth control or other hormone therapy
  • A strong bias either for or against psychedelic substances, or if their responses about psychedelic use indicate that they abuse them from frequent use (more than once per month, with the exception of microdosing).
  • MRI EXCLUSION: we will also exclude anyone with head trauma, claustrophobia incompatible with scanning, cardiac pacemaker, implanted cardiac defibrillator, aneurysm brain clip, inner ear implant, prior history as a metal worker and/or certain metallic objects in the body that cannot be approved for MR scanning by the CMRR safety committee, history of clinically significant vertigo, seizure disorder, middle ear disorder, or double vision, or tattoos that were done less than 4 weeks from the first scheduled MRI.
  • Significant movement disorders including tardive dyskinesia that could disrupt EEG recordings will also be excluded.
  • Uncontrolled hypertension, with an average blood pressure reading across 4 measurements over 2 separate days greater than 140/90mmHg.
  • Unwilling to wear a face mask during in-person study visits that require them.
  • Unwilling to get tested for COVID-19 and share results with study personnel prior to all in-person visits.
  • Are unvaccinated against COVID-19, are not current with their COVID-19 vaccine booster, or are unwilling to share their proof of COVID-19 vaccination with the study team.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Minnesota

    Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455

Other trials in United States

About this study

The prospective pilot study will address the critical need for more precise characterizations of the acute visual effects of the drug psilocybin by measuring the impact of acute psilocybin intoxication on a perceptual task known as visual surround suppression, compared to an active placebo control.

Read the detailed description

The proposed pilot study will address the critical need for more precise characterizations of the acute visual effects of the drug psilocybin by measuring the impact of acute psilocybin intoxication on a perceptual task known as visual surround suppression, compared to an active placebo control. The data collected in the proposed experiment will make important contributions to knowledge of how psilocybin impacts contextual processing in the brain. Moreover, this will in turn inform the neurobiology of visual surround suppression in general, providing the first investigation of links between surround suppression and serotonergic pathways in humans. Furthermore, the impact of psilocybin on surround suppression will complement recent discoveries of differences in surround suppression present in certain clinical populations. Taken together, these points suggest that this relatively simple and straightforward study could have significant payoff in its contribution to knowledge, not only of the effects of psilocybin but also of key brain processes underpinning human vision and context processing more broadly.

Being tested
Psilocybin, Niacin

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • PsilocybinDrug

    25 mg capsules (white opaque, Capsugel Vcaps Plus HPMC size 2)

  • NiacinDrug

    Also called Vitamin B3

    100 mg capsules (white opaque, Capsugel Vcaps Plus HPMC size 2)

Study groups in NCT04424225
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Psilocybin FirstExperimentalParticipants in this arm will receive psilocybin first, then niacin
Receives: Drug: Psilocybin; Drug: Niacin
Niacin FirstExperimentalParticipants in this arm will receive niacin first, then psilocybin
Receives: Drug: Psilocybin; Drug: Niacin

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Psychophysical Descrimination Threshold - No Surround Suppression (NS) Dose 1

    No surround suppression condition for visual psychophysics tasks, consisting of perceptual judgments (e.g., subject reported which of two visual stimuli presented appeared to have higher contrast). Based on these responses, psychophysical discrimination thresholds are calculated using an adaptive staircase technique and reported in units of percent contrast.

    .

    Measured: 3 hours after dose 1

  2. Psychophysical Descrimination Threshold - No Surround Suppression (NS) Dose 2

    No surround suppression condition for visual psychophysics tasks, consisting of perceptual judgments (e.g., subject reported which of two visual stimuli presented appeared to have higher contrast). Based on these responses, psychophysical discrimination thresholds are calculated using an adaptive staircase technique and reported in units of percent contrast.

    .

    Measured: 3 hours after dose 2

  3. Psychophysical Descrimination Threshold - Orthogonal Surround Suppression (OS) Dose 1

    Orthogonal surround suppression condition for visual psychophysics tasks, consisting of perceptual judgments (e.g., subject reported which of two visual stimuli presented appeared to have higher contrast). Based on these responses, psychophysical discrimination thresholds are calculated using an adaptive staircase technique and reported in units of percent contrast. Orthogonal surround suppression condition (OS).

    Measured: 3 hours after dose 1

  4. Psychophysical Descrimination Threshold - Orthogonal Surround Suppression (OS) Dose 2

    Orthogonal surround suppression condition for visual psychophysics tasks, consisting of perceptual judgments (e.g., subject reported which of two visual stimuli presented appeared to have higher contrast). Based on these responses, psychophysical discrimination thresholds are calculated using an adaptive staircase technique and reported in units of percent contrast. Orthogonal surround suppression condition (OS).

    Measured: 3 hours after dose 2

  5. Psychophysical Descrimination Threshold - Parallel Surround Suppression (PS) Dose 1

    Parallel surround suppresion condition for visual psychophysics tasks consisting of perceptual judgments (e.g., subject reported which of two visual stimuli presented appeared to have higher contrast). Based on these responses, psychophysical discrimination thresholds are calculated using an adaptive staircase technique and reported in units of percent contrast. Parallel surround suppression condition (PS).

    .

    Measured: 3 hours after dose 1

  6. Psychophysical Descrimination Threshold - Parallel Surround Suppression (PS) Dose 2

    Parallel surround suppresion condition for visual psychophysics tasks consisting of perceptual judgments (e.g., subject reported which of two visual stimuli presented appeared to have higher contrast). Based on these responses, psychophysical discrimination thresholds are calculated using an adaptive staircase technique and reported in units of percent contrast. Parallel surround suppression condition (PS).

    .

    Measured: 3 hours after dose 2

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted9 Jun 2020
  2. Study start30 Aug 2021
  3. Primary completion1 Sep 2023
  4. Study completion1 Sep 2023

Why it stopped: Could not secure additional funding to continue the study. Pilot phase of study completed.

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
10 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04424225
Sponsor's protocol ID
PSYCH-2019-28235
Status last verified
Jun 2025
First submitted
5 Jun 2020
Last updated
27 Jun 2025
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: For data releases, requests for sharing will be made to the PI, Jessica Nielson or the student investigator, Link Swanson, and/or co-investigators Michael-Paul Schallmo, Kathryn Cullen, or Ranji Varghese and granted on an individual basis

Publications

  • Swanson LR, Jungers S, Varghese R, Cullen KR, Evans MD, Nielson JL, Schallmo MP. Enhanced visual contrast suppression during peak psilocybin effects: Psychophysical results from a pilot randomized controlled trial. J Vis. 2024 Nov 4;24(12):5. doi: 10.1167/jov.24.12.5.

    PubMed 39499526
  • Cotten SW, Strathmann FG, Barrett FS, Labay L, Mullally J, Sherwood AM, Wiegand F. Psychedelics for Medicinal Use: How Will This Alter the Collective Laboratory Consciousness? Clin Chem. 2023 Apr 3;69(4):319-326. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvad016. No abstract available.

    PubMed 36881769

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1 study testing Psilocybin and Niacin in people with Perception Disturbance and Visual Suppression, run by University of Minnesota at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 10 inclusion and 48 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Jun 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 27 Jun 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Psychophysical Descrimination Threshold - No Surround Suppression (NS) Dose 1 (time frame: 3 hours after dose 1). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04424225, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Jun 2025.

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