Grant: Op. Grant: NWHRI: Innovation Fund - Translational Research

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major health and welfare concern that predominantly affects women. ~1/3 of Canadian adult women have experienced IPV, however this is likely underreported. Despite the widespread prevalence of IPV, it remains an underappreciated, underfunded, and unmet issue that requires urgent attention considering the long-term detriments it can have on women's health. Because IPV is inherently traumatising in nature, it is therefore unsurprising that IPV is a major risk factor for psychiatric conditions including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In 2022, Shultz launched a study to investigate the long-term neurological consequences of IPV. This translational project included both a human arm and preclinical arm. Amongst the human participants recruited to date, there is evidence of probable PTSD in 65% of IPV participants compared to 0% in the non-IPV control participants. This is consistent with other initial studies in the IPV literature. Brain injuries such as concussion are also common in IPV, and there is evidence that over 90% of IPV survivors have sustained a brain injury. Our initial studies indicate the presence of persisting post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) in >80% of IPV participants. Unfortunately, evidence-based treatment options for PTSD and PPCS in IPV survivors are limited. Psilocybin-assisted therapy has recently emerged as a promising intervention for conditions relevant to PTSD (e.g., depression, anxiety, end-of-life distress) and well as brain injury/PPCS. For example, we have recently found that psilocybin treatment improves PTSD-related outcomes in rats exposed to models of IPV and PPCS. To address this serious unmet women's health concern, our multidisciplinary team of scientists, clinicians, knowledge users, and other stakeholders propose a clinical trial with psilocybin-assisted therapy for PTSD and PPCS in IPV survivors that will expedite the translation of our promising preclinical findings to the clinic.