Bibliometric Analysis of Academic Journal Articles Reporting Results of Psychedelic Clinical Studies

Oct 11, 2022Journal of psychoactive drugs

Analysis of Published Studies Reporting Results from Psychedelic Clinical Trials

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Abstract

A total of 394 articles on psychedelics were published between 1965-2021.

After a decline from the 1970s to the 1990s, there has been a resurgence in clinical studies of psychedelics.
MDMA was the most frequently studied psychedelic, making up 49% of the articles, followed by LSD (19%) and psilocybin (18%).
The Recent cohort (2010-2021) showed a higher proportion of studies focused on therapeutic applications compared to the Older cohort (1965-2009).
Psilocybin studies increased in the Recent cohort, while studies on DMT and mescaline decreased.
Psychedelic researchers in the United Kingdom exhibited the most diverse international collaborations, as indicated by network analyses.

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Following a decades long period of investigational dormancy, there is renewed interest in employing psychedelics as psychiatric treatments. The academic journals, institutions, and countries that have helped sustain clinical psychedelic research and the evolution of the literature on clinical studies of psychedelics have only recently begun to be investigated. To expand upon this work, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of clinical studies of 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), ayahuasca, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ibogaine, mescaline, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and psilocybin published from 1965-2021. Our search revealed 394 relevant articles. After a lull from the 1970s-1990s, publications in this area have resurged. Studies most frequently focused on MDMA (49%), LSD (19%), psilocybin (18%), and ayahuasca (7%). A subanalysis of studies from 1965 to 2009 ("Older cohort") compared to 2010-2021 ("Recent cohort") revealed that the Recent cohort had a higher proportion of studies investigating psychedelics' therapeutic applications and a lower proportion of studies investigating the effects of psychedelics on people using them in non-research settings. Compared to the Older cohort, psilocybin studies increased proportionally in the Recent cohort, while DMT and mescaline studies decreased. Network analyses of inter-country collaborations suggested that psychedelic researchers in the United Kingdom have the most diverse international collaborations.

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Bibliometric Analysis of Academic Journal Articles Reporting Results of Psychedelic Clinical Studies

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You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

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Recent issues from the psychedelic science brief