Researchers at the University of Victoria have found that psychedelics can help heal concussions and traumatic brain injuries.
The Christie Lab at the University of Victoria (UVic) found that the promise of two psychedelic compounds — psilocybin and 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) — can help heal these injuries by enhancing neuroplasticity and reducing inflammation within the brain.
According to the researchers, concussion and other traumatic brain injuries impact an estimated 69 million people every year, as a result of sports collisions, falls, road accidents and interpersonal violence. There are few treatments, and no approved and effective pharmacotherapies.
The research was published in ScienceDirect in collaboration with Leah Mayo from the University of Calgary and Sandy Shultz from Vancouver Island University.
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“When someone receives a blow to the head, this sets off a cascade of events in the brain,” Josh Allen, one of the authors of the review and a UVic postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience, said in a statement.
“One of these is inflammation, which can initially help brain tissue to repair.”
However, when this inflammation is prolonged, it can lead to long-term problems such as learning and memory deficits, depression and anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder, Allen explained.
“These conditions share features such as impaired neuroplasticity that keep patients trapped in rigid loops of thought and behaviour.”
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound found in certain mushrooms, and 5-MeO-DMT is found in toad venom and select plant species.
According to the research team, “over the past decade, clinical research has shown the safety and effectiveness of psilocybin, and the promise of 5-MeO-DMT, for treating depression, anxiety, end-of-life distress, substance-use disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
The team said that more research is needed to understand how psychedelics work on traumatic brain injury and how other health conditions and factors, such as age and sex, can affect the outcomes.
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