A Brief Review on the Potential of Psychedelics for Treating Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Depression
Alexander Pilozzi, Simmie Foster, David Mischoulon, Maurizio Fava, Xudong Huang
International Journal of Molecular Sciences August 7, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512513 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Depression DMT Ketamine LSD Mescaline Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Alzheimer’s disease Psychedelics hallucinogens Entheogens Alzheimers-treatment dementia therapy Cognitive decline treatment Memory loss intervention Mental- |
| Citations | 16 |
| Key findings | Psychedelic drugs, acting mainly as serotonin receptor agonists, may show promise in treating Alzheimer's disease and attenuating its related depressive symptoms. |
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of senile dementia, is poised to place an even greater societal and healthcare burden as the population ages. With few treatment options for the symptomatic relief of the disease and its unknown etiopathology, more research into AD is urgently needed. Psychedelic drugs target AD-related psychological pathology and symptoms such as depression. Using microdosing, psychedelic drugs may prove to help combat this devastating disease by eliciting psychiatric benefits via acting through various mechanisms of action such as serotonin and dopamine pathways. Herein, we review the studied benefits of a few psychedelic compounds that may show promise in treating AD and attenuating its related depressive symptoms. We used the listed keywords to search through PubMed for relevant preclinical, clinical research, and review articles. The putative mechanism of action (MOA) for psychedelics is that they act mainly as serotonin receptor agonists and induce potential beneficial effects for treating AD and related depression.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on DMT for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered clinical studies investigating psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders. Registered clinical trials on clinicaltrials.gov evaluating psychedelics for... | 2021 | Review | n = 70 |
| Role of Psychedelics in Treatment-Resistant Depression. | 2023 | Review | |
| Psilocybin and Other Classic Psychedelics in Depression. | 2024 | Review | |
| Benefits and Challenges of Ultra-Fast, Short-Acting Psychedelics in the Treatment of Depression | 2025 | Review | |
| Ayahuasca for the Treatment of Depression. | 2022 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
- Psilocybin for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease Frontiers in Neuroscience July 10, 2024
- Mushrooms, Microdosing, and Mental Illness: The Effect of Psilocybin on Neurotransmitters, Neuroinflammation, and Neuroplasticity. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2025
- Psychedelics, entactogens and psychoplastogens for depression and related disorders British Journal of Pharmacology June 15, 2025
- The historical opposition to psychedelic research and implications for credibility in psychiatry. CNS Spectrums November 21, 2024
- Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for Parkinson's disease without depression: A case-report. Journal of Parkinson's disease March 1, 2025
and 6 more in the library
Cites 44
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry May 17, 2016
- Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression New England Journal of Medicine April 14, 2021
- Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Neuroreport December 1, 1998
and 39 more in the library