Cybin Begins Study Using Kernel Flow Headsets To Measure Ketamine's Effects On The Brain

The first study visit to measure the psychedelic effects of ketamine in the cerebral cortex blood flow is underway,  announced Cybin Inc. CYBN, which is sponsoring the research that will make heavy use of Kernel Flow, a quantitative neuroimaging technology.

Without the need for a more expensive and oversized piece of equipment, Kernal Flow is a wearable headset that measures brain activity by recording local changes in blood oxygenation. Study participants will wear the headset while being administered either a low dose of ketamine or a placebo. After that, they will report their experience using structured questionnaires and validated assessments during in-study visits and at follow-up. The four-week study will also evaluate brain activity before and after administering the agents.

The FDA gave investigational new drug (IND) authorization for the study in October 2021.

“To this point, studies have had to rely on subjective patient reporting”, explained Doug Drysdale, Cybin’s CEO. “This is the first time any company has had the ability to collect and quantify longitudinal brain activity before, during, and after a psychedelic experience.”

Photo: Courtesy of Louis Reed on Unsplash