In a small proof-of-concept study, ten volunteers with alcohol dependence received one or two supervised doses of psilocybin alongside therapy. Abstinence did not increase during the first four weeks of treatment but increased significantly after psilocybin administration, with gains largely maintained up to 36 weeks. The intensity of effects during the first psilocybin session strongly predicted reduced drinking and craving and increased abstinence self-efficacy in the following weeks. No serious adverse events occurred. These preliminary findings support larger controlled trials to test efficacy and mechanisms.
Regular ritual use of hoasca (ayahuasca) within a Brazilian religious group in the United States is associated with lower depression and confusion, higher agreeableness and openness, better memory performance, and less recent alcohol use compared to matched controls. The study of 30 members of the União do Vegetal and 27 non-user controls found no adverse effects on neuropsychological function. Lifetime hoasca use correlated with fewer physical health role limitations and less heavy alcohol use, suggesting the religious use of this psychedelic brew may have positive effects on mood and substance use.
Mindfulness meditation may improve neurovascular health in older adults through three potential mechanisms: directly increasing resting-state cerebral blood flow, indirectly reducing neuroinflammation via stronger default-mode network connectivity, and a top-down control pathway that combines both direct and indirect effects. This review first examines resting-state fMRI studies in older adults, then uses those findings to interpret task-based fMRI studies in clinical and healthy adult samples. The proposed mechanisms offer a framework for understanding how mindfulness could counteract age-related neurovascular decline.