Psychedelics as a Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia
Simon Vann Jones, Allison O’kelly
Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience August 21, 2020 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2020.00034 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Dementia Hallucinogen Cognition Neuroinflammation Alzheimer's disease |
| Citations | 60 |
| Key findings | Psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD may have therapeutic potential for dementia due to their ability to stimulate neurogenesis, provoke neuroplastic changes, and reduce neuroinflammation. |
Abstract
Currently, there are no disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) or any other dementia subtype. The renaissance in psychedelic research in recent years, in particular studies involving psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), coupled with anecdotal reports of cognitive benefits from micro-dosing, suggests that they may have a therapeutic role in a range of psychiatric and neurological conditions due to their potential to stimulate neurogenesis, provoke neuroplastic changes and reduce neuroinflammation. This inevitably makes them interesting candidates for therapeutics in dementia. This mini-review will look at the basic science and current clinical evidence for the role of psychedelics in treating dementia, especially early AD, with a particular focus on micro-dosing of the classical psychedelics LSD and psilocybin.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| The pharmacology of psilocybin | 2002 | Review | |
| Serotonin research: contributions to understanding psychoses | 2008 | Review | |
| Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness | 2018 | Review | |
| The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 45
- Adults who microdose psychedelics report health related motivations and lower levels of anxiety and depression compared to non-microdosers Scientific Reports November 18, 2021
- From psychiatry to neurology: Psychedelics as prospective therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders Journal of Neurochemistry September 14, 2021
- Psychedelic-inspired approaches for treating neurodegenerative disorders. Journal of Neurochemistry July 1, 2022
- The Effect of Combined Treatment of Psilocybin and Eugenol on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Brain Inflammation in Mice Molecules March 14, 2023
- The Bright Side of Psychedelics: Latest Advances and Challenges in Neuropharmacology International Journal of Molecular Sciences January 10, 2023
and 40 more in the library
Cites 47
- 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
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Cell Reports June 1, 2018
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up. Psychopharmacology November 8, 2017
and 42 more in the library