Psychedelic drugs can surprise you. They might play a major role in treating Alzheimer's and other diseases that include chronic inflammation of the nervous system.
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Psychodelics To The Rescue
Psychedelic drugs have entered the game when it comes to treating diseases of the nervous system. Lately, a number of clinical studies have shown that psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin or LSD can be good against severe depression and similar problems. Especially psilocybin has proven itself so much that the FDA gives it the status of a breakthrough therapy – meaning that it shows great potential even in the first clinical studies and deserves a lot of attention.
One of the ways in which psychedelics affect the human body is by stimulating the 5-HT2A serotonin receptors in the brain. These receptors are used for thinking but affect a number of other processes in the brain. Experts have noticed that they seem to play a role in many early signs of Alzheimer's disease including anxiety and depression.
Just A Sprinkle Of LSD
Charles D. Nichols from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans and his coworkers studied the effects of psychedelics such as LSD on the HT2A receptor. The psychedelics work as agonists – or boosters of its activity. The scientists found that psychedelics could become the key to a new type of treatment for diseases that are connected to chronic inflammations. The unique pharmacology of LSD could affect several key pathological processes that are connected to Alzheimer's and similar diseases.
And the didn't stop with just a theory. Recently, they published the first results of a series of early clinical tests that included a placebo. During the tests they used microdosing – the usage of small doses of LSD – that doesn't create any psychedelic effects but will affect the human metabolism to treat Alzheimer's. The test took place in Great Britain and 48 healthy volunteers with an average age of 63 took part in it.
This was the first phase of clinical tests of humans. In this phase, the doctors and scientists are mainly concerned about the safety of the treatment. For the time being, they did not find out whether microdosing of hallucinogens will be useful for treating Alzheimer's but they came to the conclusion the at the very least it is safe for the treatment of human patients and thus it can go further into other phases where the tests take place on more patients.
Normal dose of LSD – if used for “recreational” purposes is around 100 to 200 micrograms and the effects are different from person to person because of many factors such as the speed of the metabolism or their weight. Nichols and his colleagues tested four different doses of LSD – 0 μg (placebo), 6.5 μg, 13 μg, and 26 μg. The volunteers took a dose after four days six times in total. When using the highest of the dosages the participants described having drug-like sensations. Thus the scientists recommend a maximum dosage of 13 μg for a single dose.
The results of the first wave of clinical tests show promise. But the second wave should tell us much more. The experts are hoping that they will finally get some solid clinical data when it comes to the effects of microdoses of psychedelics on the human body. And if we are lucky, even Alzheimers patients will get to be treated one day.
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