Psychedelics for Alzheimer's? Psychedelic & Consciousness Research in Early-Stage Alzheimer's

Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research is exploring the use of psychedelics—primarily psilocybin—for problems ranging from smoking addiction to anorexia and Alzheimer’s disease. The nations oldest research university—launched a dedicated center for psychedelic studies, the first of its kind in the country and perhaps the world’s largest. Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 

Link to Podcast Coming Soon

Questions Asked

• Al - thank you, so happy to meet you virtually! Can you talk about the approach you took screening and accepting participants in the study? Particularly, how did you determine what level of cognitive impairment was acceptable for a participant?
• What is considered a high dose?
• https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/psilocybin-treatment-for-major-depression-effective-for-up-to-a-year-for-most-patients-study-shows?fbclid=IwAR3M3Wk9w1Jq91wCqcfgJkZz4spuZpfaP3T9EvD7vtVggcMAFxfJ-_RUEXs
• How can you expell or minimize any expectancy effect the patient may have?
• Hi Al- Thanks for sharing your work, are there any prospect of or current studies underway working with indidviduals who have developmental or intellectual disabilities? How about PTSD?Building a theraputic relationship/guide role could be more challenging here.
• "Can you suggest books and published studies 
• I am reading How to Change Your Mind by Michael  Pollan . 
• Are you comparing studies with other modalities that calm the limbic system and sensory systems with immediate and long term results ?"
• In terms of using psilocybin for treatment of depression, would you continue to prescribe SSRI's along with CBT between scheduled psilocybin trips?
• Do you use SPECT brain scans or EEG to compare before and after results and then monthly or periodically after
• Do you or will you use the same music selections with subjects with Alzheimer’s disease?
• "if a person has had a bad experience with psychedelics ""back in the day"", would this automatically exclude them from participating in the research? Deb Merriner, Buckley's for Seniors, 703.390.0535"
• I live in Colorado--what are the logistics for me to participate short of me moving there for several weeks?
• Any neuroregenerative effects found so far?
• Dr. Garcia, is your center considering doing research on the benefit of psilocybin in helping family members of people living with dementia cope with their sense of loss and trauma? Much of the suffering people living with dementia experience is caused by their family members difficulty coping with the changes they are experiencing. Those negative interactions are often described as causing more suffering than the actual symptoms of dementia.
• Book recommendation: Changing Our Minds, Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy, by Don Lattin https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Our-Minds-Psychedelic-Psychotherapy/dp/0907791662

Chat Transcript

12:06:50     From  Melissa Bressler : Looking forward to learning today -- Melissa Bressler, Outreach Manager for HandyPro of Washington DC Metropolitan / Licensed Occupational Therapist in DC and MD / Melissa@handypro.com / 301-960-9830 / Construction company specializing in home modifications

12:07:06     From  Rebecca Priest : hi all, Rebecca Priest, nursing home administrator and dementia ally here.

12:08:04     From  Kelly Lambert : Good afternoon! Kelly Lambert Griswold Home Care NoVA West

12:08:36     From  Louise Howell : could he please raise his volume

12:09:07     From  Kelly Lambert : You can raise the volume on your desktop.

12:09:08     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Sourcebook : Hello everyone my name is 

Lois Ndlovu

Maryland Care Adult Medical Day Services

Community Outreach Manager 

4703 Old Soper Rd

Camp Spring, MD 20746

Phone 240-716-3649

Work cell 202-430-6850

Fax 240-427-9999

Email Lndlovu@marylandcare.us

Website www.Marylandcare.us

12:10:52     From  Thomas Batcho : Tom Batcho with Life Force Elder Care in Philadelphia PA.

12:12:45     From  Lindsey Vajpeyi : Hello from Lindsey Vajpeyi, Insight Memory Care Center in northern VA.

12:13:43     From  Bobby Gross   to   Hosts and panelists : https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/alzheimers

12:14:02     From  Bobby Gross : https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/alzheimers

12:16:48     From  Karen Vassar : Happy Friday, all.  Karen Vassar, Griswold Home Care NoVA West in Centreville VA. karen.vassar@griswoldhomecare.com. 703-570-6812

12:16:55     From  Natalie Neviasky : Can you please  make it louder on your end??

12:17:06     From  bob hoffman   to   Hosts and panelists : I have taken raw magic mushrooms - grownup of cow manure.  Does your drug complain also use the mushrooms as part of its formula

12:17:16     From  Natalie Neviasky : This was for Albert

12:17:23     From  Natalie Neviasky : Please make it louder

12:17:42     From  Kavan Peterson : Lol KAY-van.

12:18:03     From  Cedar Dvorin : Yes!  To hear Albert,  Steve's volume hurts my ears.

12:18:17     From  Elva Roy : Love Kavan Peterson...expertise exemplified!

12:18:33     From  Rebecca Priest : hey Kayvan!  Rebecca Priest from Rochester here!

12:19:25     From  Kavan Peterson : Hey hey Rebecca! So nice to see you if only on chat!

12:20:01     From  Natalie Neviasky : Thanks

12:20:08     From  Laura Heinrich : volume is just fine here

12:20:18     From  Natalie Neviasky : hearinh impared here

12:20:21     From  Natalie Neviasky : thanks

12:20:49     From  Cedar Dvorin : Thank you!

12:20:56     From  Michael Smith : What are the pros and cons of the potential use of pslocybin versus typical SSSRIs?? Also does the use of psychlodelics have any impact on amyloid plaques which is a major indicator of the onset of Alzheimer's??

12:21:33     From  Bobby Gross : https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/psilocybin-treatment-for-major-depression-effective-for-up-to-a-year-for-most-patients-study-shows?fbclid=IwAR3M3Wk9w1Jq91wCqcfgJkZz4spuZpfaP3T9EvD7vtVggcMAFxfJ-_RUEXs

12:22:52     From  Cedar Dvorin : Bobby:  please post in the questions- if it's possible to copy from the chat, I can't figure out how.  I can copy from Q & A.  Thanks

12:24:03     From  Donna Bkackwell : what is the down side, negative side effects?

12:24:40     From  Abbie Vogt   to   Hosts and panelists : Is there a component to this study for persons who have formally used psilocybin recreationally vs first time users etc… with the aging boomers many folks in that generation have previously explored this along with other mind altering substances.

12:25:35     From  Abbie Vogt   to   Hosts and panelists : Additionally, what affect do anti depressants have in conjunction with psilocybin therapy? What interactions may occur?

12:26:26     From  Linda Jeffers   to   Hosts and panelists : I have long haul Covid symptoms that are similar to early Alzheimer’s. Also have family history of Alzheimer’s. Would this treatment help with Covid brain fog, fatigue, etc. as well?

12:27:50     From  bob hoffman   to   Hosts and panelists : Are there any tests that are being conducted for healthy individuals who are at end of life and want to use psecolcibin for a smooth death transition.

12:30:10     From  Kavan Peterson : Elva! Well howdy to you too! What a pleasure bumping into you here

12:33:33     From  Elva Roy : Kavan, still out here doing the work that means the most to both of us. Would you please reach out to me at elvaroy@tx.rr.com because I would love for you to be a presenter at the 500+ group I lead called www.ambassadorsforagingwell.org

12:34:34     From  Michael Smith : the second part of my question- does psilocybin have any impact on amyloid plaques??

12:36:36     From  Kavan Peterson : @Michael - I think Dr. Garcia will tell you there is no research on that.

12:37:01     From  Brett Reid : Hey all, I'm a 24 year old, working in mental health research and am very interested in getting into the clinical research field. I would love to chat with some people!

12:37:58     From  Cordell Martin   to   Hosts and panelists : Any research for athletes potentially susceptible to CTE

12:41:11     From  Michael Smith : Thanks Kevin...So its critical how the narrative develops about psilocybin and Early Stage Alzheimer's! In other words the psychedlic merely ehps with depression and no actual correlation with cognitive function or decline outside of the impact of depression on mood or function. The narrative should be that this new drug is promising for all forms of depression whether as a primary diagnosis or secondary like in cognitive decline dues to depression or mental health conditions!

12:43:24     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Sourcebook : Kavan Peterson 12:24 PM 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/psilocybin-treatment-for-major-depression-effective-for-up-to-a-year-for-most-patients-study-shows?fbclid=IwAR3M3Wk9w1Jq91wCqcfgJkZz4spuZpfaP3T9EvD7vtVggcMAFxfJ-_RUEXs

Shoshsna Shamberg 12:32 PM 

Can you suggest books and published studies 

I am reading How to Chsbge Yiur Mind by Michael  Pollan .

12:44:22     From  Bobby Gross : https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/

12:44:23     From  Kavan Peterson : Sacred Knowledge

12:44:30     From  Kavan Peterson : By Bill Richards

12:44:31     From  Albert Garcia-Romeu : https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/index/#research

12:44:46     From  Albert Garcia-Romeu : https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/publications

12:45:15     From  Rebecca Priest : The immortality key is a bit more anthropologic/linguistic but interesting

12:48:38     From  Kavan Peterson : “Changing Our Minds, Psychedelic Sacraments and the new psychotherapy” by Don Lattin is an excellent recent book. There are dozens and dozens recently published.

12:52:14     From  Shoshsna Shamberg   to   Hosts and panelists : Do you survey family members etc as well as self reporting to document results

12:54:10     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Sourcebook : Book recommendation: Changing Our Minds, Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy, by Don Lattin https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Our-Minds-Psychedelic-Psychotherapy/dp/0907791662

12:54:26     From  Shoshsna Shamberg   to   Hosts and panelists : I had post covid brain fog which was helped with cannibus edibles

12:56:08     From  Lindsey Vajpeyi : After this session everyone is invited to head over to the Dementia 101 webinar at 1pm hosted by Dementia Friendly Fairfax. Dffairfax.org

12:58:48     From  Albert Garcia-Romeu : agarci33@jhmi.edu

13:00:00     From  Shoshsna Shamberg   to   Hosts and panelists : Thank you !

13:00:02     From  bob hoffman   to   Hosts and panelists : Are there any tests that are being conducted for healthy individuals who are at end of life and want to use psecolcibin for a smooth death transition.

13:00:17     From  Betty Bahadori : Thank you!

13:00:19     From  Cordell Martin   to   Hosts and panelists : Thank you

13:00:26     From  Albert Garcia-Romeu : https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/

13:00:29     From  Kavan Peterson : Thank you Steve! Thank you Dr Garcuia!

13:00:31     From  Cedar Dvorin : Thank you!

13:00:34     From  Deb Merriner : So informative! Thank you!

13:00:46     From  Rebecca Priest : cheers to you all!