In a September 14 press release, Wesana Health Holdings Inc. announced its commitment to fund $1.5 million to assess the efficacy of Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) MDMA-assisted therapy to treat traumatic brain injury (TBI).
The funding will allow MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) to activate a team to evaluate the scope of the lack of resources needed for TBI treatment.
“Wesana is a serious, thoughtful and ethical company engaged in the development of psychedelic-assisted therapy. What Daniel and his team are doing is in line with MAPS’ ethics, mission, values and scientific rigor, and we believe together, MAPS and Wesana can bring much needed help to the massively underserved TBI population. Data collected from MAPS-sponsored Phase 3 clinical trials suggests that MDMA-assisted therapy appears promising in the treatment of TBI. Consistent with our mission, we seek to investigate treatments for affected patients who can be helped by MDMA—this is an important step in that direction” said MAPS Executive Director Rick Doblin, Ph.D.
Lately, MAPS research zeroed in on MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. The first of two Phase 3 trials demonstrated a “clinically significant reduction” in PTSD symptoms for 88 percent of participants.
Existing research suggests that MDMA improved cognitive function in mice with minimal TBI. Like PTSD, TBI can have a profound impact on mental health. Research indicates that there is a disproportionate impact for people of color.
Over 6.2 million Americans are estimated to have chronic TBI-related disabilities, not to mention the symptoms that are more mild but also impact daily life. Nearly 414,000 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans had a TBI.
“The work MAPS has done for more than 35 years with regulators and clinical researchers to navigate