DMT Quest

Remember that case that went viral a few months ago about the 80 yo woman with advanced Alzheimer’s who took a hero’s dose (5g) of psilocybin mushrooms and seemingly reversed her disease? Well @PsychoMechanics and I dove into the research, and while it’s still very early days, there’s compelling biological explanations for how magic mushrooms could play a role in both treating and preventing cognitive decline/dementia. Here’s how: Structural neuroplasticity: 5-HT2A receptor activation appears to promote dendritic growth, synaptogenesis, and plasticity-related signaling. Very relevant in a disease characterized by progressive synaptic loss. Apical hypercontextualization: Psilocybin may amplify signaling through layer V pyramidal neuron apical dendrites, increasing the brain’s sensitivity to contextual information and potentially enabling dysfunctional predictive models to be updated. Neuroinflammation + neuroprotection: Serotonergic psychedelic signaling may modulate inflammatory pathways and cellular stress responses implicated in neurodegeneration. Disease-modifying behavior change: Most compellingly (to me), psilocybin can open up a critical learning window in which entrenched behaviors become more malleable. This can help modify upstream dementia risk factors including physical inactivity, depression, smoking, harmful alcohol use, and social isolation. I made a Youtube video explaining these concepts for a general audience. Check it out, and please share with anyone who wants to prevent cognitive decline!