Trends in the Top-Cited Articles on Classic Psychedelics.

Abstract

This study was designed to identify trends in the top-cited classic psychedelic publications. The top 50 publications on classic psychedelics with the greatest total of number of citations and annual citation rate were identified and pooled. Unique articles (<i>n</i> = 76) were dichotomized by median year of publication (2010.5); the differential distribution of study characteristics between the "Recent Cohort" (<i>n</i> = 38) and "Older Cohort" (<i>n</i> = 38) were documented. The Recent Cohort had a greater annual citation rate (median 76.0, IQR 38.5 to 101.5) compared to the Older Cohort (median10.0, IQR 5.2 to 19.3, <i>p</i> < .001). The Recent Cohort included a greater number of clinical studies (<i>n</i> = 26 [68.4%] vs. <i>n</i> = 9 [23.7%]) while the Older Cohort included more basic science and preclinical studies (<i>n</i> = 21 [55.3%] vs. <i>n</i> = 2 [5.3%], <i>p</i> < .001). Psilocybin was the predominant psychedelic studied in the Recent Cohort (<i>n</i> = 25 [65.8%] vs. <i>n</i> = 9 [23.7%]) while lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was predominantly studied in the Older Cohort (n = 25 [65.8%] vs. <i>n</i> = 18 [47.4%], <i>p</i> = .013). The Recent Cohort included more studies examining affective disorders (<i>n</i> = 15 [39.5%] vs. <i>n</i> = 3 [7.9%]) and substance use disorders (<i>n</i> = 6 [15.8%] vs. <i>n</i> = 0 [0.0%]), while the Older Cohort included a greater number of pharmacological outcomes (<i>n</i> = 29 [76.3%] vs. <i>n</i> = 6 [15.8%], <i>p</i> < .001). This study identified and documented trends in the top-cited classic psychedelic publications. The field is continuing to form a foundational understanding of the pharmacological effects of psychedelics and is now advancing with the identification of therapeutic uses within clinical populations.

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