{"id":49521,"date":"2022-03-11T10:08:17","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T09:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/?p=49521"},"modified":"2023-05-10T07:45:55","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T05:45:55","slug":"psychedelica-als-behandeling-voor-de-ziekte-van-alzheimer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/blog\/psychedelics-as-a-treatment-for-alzheimers-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychedelica als behandeling voor de ziekte van Alzheimer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It is a testament to modern medicine that people are living longer. However, as this continues, more people will develop Alzheimers or other dementia-related conditions during their lifetime.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Photo by Matt Bennett on Unsplash<\/em><\/mark><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

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Psychedelics As A Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease<\/h2>\n

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A growing cohort of scientists however, think there could be hope on the horizon for a condition that previously had very little in the way of treatments. Psychedelics, such as psilocybin<\/a> (from magic mushrooms and truffles) <\/em>and LSD have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. They also improve the brain’s neuroplasticity and fight brain-based symptoms with microbiological action. <\/p>\n

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Globally, around 50 million people are living with dementia, with Alzheimer\u2019s disease accounting for approximately 50 – 70% of these cases. With the growing and aging world population, this number is set to triple. This means any potential methods for the alleviation of these conditions are painfully welcome. This is one of the reasons that the budding psychedelic research is receiving so much attention \u2014 there really has been no spark of hope up until now.<\/p>\n

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What is Alzheimer\u2019s Disease?<\/h2>\n

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Alzheimer\u2019s disease is a progressive neurological disorder. Normal aging generally causes neurodegeneration \u2014 the atrophy and decay of brain cells. However, those suffering with Alzheimer\u2019s experience this to a pathological degree, meaning it happens both far more rapidly and severely. The most common cause of dementia, it is characterized by a decline in cognitive, behavioral and social skills, and thus the ability to function and live independently. Alzheimer\u2019s is also linked to brain inflammation. <\/p>\n

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Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash<\/em><\/mark><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

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The cause of this is not clear, but the effects caused by inflammation can be as devastating as neurodegeneration. Inflammation impacts general brain functioning, which increases the problems with memory and learning. <\/p>\n

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Both neurodegeneration and brain inflammation can severely impact mental health. According to some studies over 40% of Alzheimer\u2019s sufferers show diagnosable symptoms of depression. This means that overall Alzheimer\u2019s patients tend to have a very poor quality of life.<\/p>\n

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A Multi-Pronged Attack<\/h2>\n

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A recent study, published in Current Topics in Behavioural Sciences<\/a> <\/em>explored the multi-pronged way that psychedelics could be used to combat the various symptoms of degenerative brain disease. <\/p>\n

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There is a promising overlap in the the benefits associated with psychedelic therapy, and the symptoms of Alzheimers. Psilocybin and LSD have remarkable anti-inflammatory capabilities, which have the potential to combat the brain inflammation displayed with the disease. <\/p>\n

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Photo by Christopher Ott on Unsplash<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

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Additionally, as much as Alzheimer\u2019s is associated with brain degeneration, psychedelics are beginning to be associated with improved neuroplasticity of the brain. This means its ability to grow new neural pathways<\/a> and change. The frontal lobe and other brain areas that are damaged by Alzheimer\u2019s may have the possibility to improve and grow under the administration of psychedelics. <\/p>\n

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Psychedelics Aid Memory Recall and Mood<\/h2>\n

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The paper\u2019s researchers, headed by Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu, also flagged-up that autobiographical memory is altered during a psilocybin or LSD experience. This means they could perhaps be used to improve memory recall and clarity. The researchers wrote: <\/p>\n

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 \u201c…acute changes in autobiographical memory during psychedelic effects have also been reported, suggesting LSD and psilocybin can facilitate recall and vividness of salient life memories, a potentially relevant mechanism for treatment of [Alzheimer\u2019s disease].\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Photo by Christopher Ott on Unsplash<\/em><\/mark><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

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Finally, the research found that the most researched use for psychedelics \u2014 as a treatment for mental health conditions<\/a> \u2014 was also pertinent here. As well as combating the brain deterioration caused by Alzheimer\u2019s psychedelics could also treat the depression associated with the diagnosis. <\/p>\n

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Care For Both Sufferers And Society<\/h2>\n

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Of course, there is currently no definitive cure for a condition like Alzheimer\u2019s. However, Dr. Garcia-Romeu and his John Hopkins University colleagues believe that psychedelics could ease the pain of both sufferers of the condition, and the society who cares for them. <\/p>\n

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The researchers concluded:<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn sum, three converging biological pathways may be responsible for induced neural plasticity resulting in long-lasting and profound effects following psychedelic administration \u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n

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In addition, classic psychedelics \u2019 antidepressant and anxiolytic effects could provide important inroads for promoting psychological benefits in patients struggling with AD and neuropsychiatric comorbidities such as depression and apathy.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

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To put it more clearly, psychedelics have the potential to target the biological, cognitive and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Talk about a triple threat. <\/p>\n

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More Promising Findings To Come<\/h2>\n

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At this very moment John Hopkins University is recruiting volunteers to take part in a study. This study will explore the use of psilocybin to treat depression caused by an Alzeheimer\u2019s diagnosis. The researchers will administer either a high or moderate dose to volunteers over a course of 8 weeks. During this time, and for 6 months after, they will attend therapeutic meetings. These will be used to assess their mood and quality of life. This will be a key stepping stone in measuring those in the earlier stages of the disease\u2019s reaction to psilocybin. <\/p>\n

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Photo by Jakub Kriz on Unsplash<\/em><\/mark><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

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Research is continuing apace, so fingers crossed there will be more promising findings to come! <\/strong><\/p>\n

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De ziekte van Alzheimer is een groeiend probleem in de moderne wereld. Vroeger was de levensverwachting korter - mensen leefden zelden lang genoeg om de ziekten te ontwikkelen die specifiek met veroudering samenhangen.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":49823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-49521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychedelic-studies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49521"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123331,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49521\/revisions\/123331"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49521"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=49521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}