Along comes Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, has drawn interest as a potential remedy for the disorder in Germany. Their findings were reported in the journal Science Advances.
Psilocybin being tested in several diseases, including depression. Compass Pathways reported earlier this month that its psilocybin improved symptoms in people with treatment-resistant depression in their phase IIb trial.
More recently, researchers at the University of Heidelberg treated rat models of alcohol addiction with psilocybin and found that the psychedelic reduced cravings.
The promising effects of psilocybin stem from the compound’s ability to restore expression of a specific glutamate receptor known as mGluR. That brain receptor causes both alcohol cravings and impairments in “executive functions,” such as self-control and decision-making, as demonstrated in the study.
The researchers mimic’d the depdency and addiction process in humans in rats. Researchers gave rats one of two different doses of psilocybin to reduce relapses so common to the disease of alcoholism. Both doses were effective compared to a control treatment the researchers said. They also found that lower levels of mGluR2 in certain regions of the cortex trigger alcohol-seeking behavior and impaired cognitive flexibility in the animal model.
The Heidelberg team’s research comes amid a wave of investor interest in psychedelics as treatments for depression, addiction and other conditions.
