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Trends in the Top-Cited Articles on Classic Psychedelics
David Wyndham Lawrence1,2,3, Bhanu Sharma1,4, Roland R Griffiths5
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
|February 4, 2021
Summary
This study analyzed top-cited psychedelic research, finding recent studies focus more on clinical applications and psilocybin. Older research emphasized basic science and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
Area of Science:
- Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry
- Bibliometrics and Scientific Trends
Background:
- The study of classic psychedelics has a long history, with significant research published over several decades.
- Understanding citation trends helps identify influential works and shifts in research focus within this field.
- Identifying top-cited publications provides insight into the foundational and evolving landscape of psychedelic research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and analyze trends in the most highly cited publications concerning classic psychedelics.
- To compare characteristics of highly cited psychedelic research published before and after 2010.5.
- To document the evolution of research focus, from basic science to clinical applications.
Main Methods:
- Systematic identification of the top 50 most-cited classic psychedelic publications based on total and annual citation rates.
- Dichotomization of 76 unique articles into "Recent Cohort" (post-2010.5) and "Older Cohort" (pre-2010.5).
- Comparative analysis of study characteristics, including research type, psychedelic compound, and therapeutic targets, between the two cohorts.
Main Results:
- The "Recent Cohort" demonstrated a significantly higher annual citation rate compared to the "Older Cohort" (p < .001).
- Recent studies predominantly featured clinical trials (68.4%) and psilocybin (65.8%), while older studies focused on basic/preclinical science (55.3%) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) (65.8%).
- The "Recent Cohort" increasingly investigated affective and substance use disorders, whereas the "Older Cohort" concentrated on pharmacological outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The field of classic psychedelic research is rapidly advancing, with a notable shift towards clinical applications and therapeutic potential.
- Recent highly cited work highlights psilocybin's role in treating affective and substance use disorders.
- While foundational pharmacological understanding continues, current trends indicate a strong move towards clinical validation and therapeutic efficacy.
