Psilocybin as a Treatment for Repetitive Mild Head Injury: Evidence from Neuroradiology and Molecular Biology
Bryce Axe, Ashwath Maheswari, Reagan Walhof, Rachel Utama, Courtney Sawada, Eric Brengel, Muhammad Abeer, Richard J. Ortiz, Taylor J. Woodward, S. Balaji, Praveen Kulkarni, Heather B. Bradshaw, Michael A. Gitcho, Craig F. Ferris
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) February 6, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.02.03.636248 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractRepetitive mild head injuries from sports, accidents, or military service cause lasting cognitive, motor, and behavioral problems and raise the risk of dementia, Parkinson's disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, yet no approved treatment exists. Testing the psychedelic psilocybin in adult female rats with mild repetitive head injury, the authors report that psilocybin reduces vasogenic edema, restores normal vascular reactivity and functional connectivity, reduces buildup of phosphorylated tau, increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor TrkB, and modulates lipid signaling molecules. These findings suggest psilocybin may have healing effects on head injury-related brain damage.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Animal model study |
|---|---|
| Population | Adult female rats with mild repetitive head injury |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Neuroscience Neuroradiology Head injury Hallucinogen |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key finding | Psilocybin reduces vasogenic edema, restores vascular reactivity and functional connectivity, reduces phosphorylated tau buildup, and enhances brain-derived neurotrophic factor and TrkB levels in a rat model of mild repetitive head injury. |
Abstract
Abstract Repetitive mild head injuries incurred while playing organized sports, during car accidents and falls, or in active military service are a major health problem. These head injuries induce cognitive, motor, and behavioral deficits that can last for months and even years with an increased risk of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. There is no approved medical treatment for these types of head injuries. To this end, we tested the healing effects of the psychedelic psilocybin, as it is known to reduce neuroinflammation and enhance neuroplasticity. Using a model of mild repetitive head injury in adult female rats, we provide unprecedented data that psilocybin can reduce vasogenic edema, restore normal vascular reactivity and functional connectivity, reduce phosphorylated tau buildup, enhance levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor TrkB, and modulate lipid signaling molecules.