By Little by little, researchers are investigating the effects of psilocybin on people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and evidence continues to grow showing the compound’s promise in treating symptoms.
With no cure for ASD and similar conditions, many families rely on behavioral therapy and have few other options. However, a rise of alternative therapies is forming, including cannabis and hallucinogens, and may deserve attention from psilocybin.
a study It was published in the magazine psychopharmacology We investigated the effects of microdosing of psilocybin on fragile X syndrome (FXS), a leading cause of autism. FXS is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability (ID) and the leading cause of ASD involving a single gene.
Researchers administered different doses of psilocybin to rats to test their cognitive abilities.They examined cognitive deficits displayed by recently validated human Fmr1-Δexon 8 A rat “model of ASD” that is also a model for FXS and how psilocybin plays a role.
In a study titled “Psilocybin Attenuates Observed Cognitive Impairment in a Rat Model of Fragile X Syndrome,” rats were microdosed with psilocybin for 5 to 14 days.
A lack of serotonin in childhood affects brain patterning in neurodevelopmental disorders and can manifest as behavioral and emotional symptoms, researchers explained in the study. Because it stimulates signaling, it may hold promise as an effective early intervention for developmental disorders such as ASD and FXS.
Researchers first gave rats a single dose of psilocybin, then tested for changes in cognitive performance and found some improvements. Rats without FXS had cognitive decline.
The researchers then microdosed another group of rats for five days and gave them daily cognitive tests.
They observed improvement in all rats to the extent that cognitive outcomes were about the same. mouse or rat I didn’t have FXS. The researchers extended the experiment to her two weeks and ran it again, with the same results.
“Our results demonstrate that systemic and oral administration of psilocybin microdose normalizes the abnormal cognitive performance exhibited by adolescents. […] Rats on a short-term version of a new object recognition test – a measure of exploratory behavior, perception, and cognition,” the researchers wrote.
This data supports existing theories about how psilocybin affects serotonin production and helps people live with cognitive and emotional states.
“These data support the hypothesis that serotonin-modulating drugs such as psilocybin may help ameliorate ASD-associated cognitive deficits. provide evidence of beneficial effects of different schedules of psilocybin treatment to reduce short-term cognitive deficits.”
The goal is to eventually start clinical trials of psilocybin on human patients.
Researchers across the board are experimenting with using psilocybin (and some cannabis compounds) to treat ASD and other autism-related conditions.
A Canadian research team is already working on it. Dr. Max Jones and Dr. Gale Bozzo, his two professors at the University of Guelph Ontario Agricultural College (Department of Plant Agriculture), October 25thThis license permits the cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms and was one of the first universities to be licensed in Canada.
Dr. Melissa Perot, Professor Ontario Veterinary Collegeof Department of Biomedical Science, experienced and previously involved in researching the molecular and cellular mechanisms associated with disease states such as depression and ASD. Her plan is to examine signaling pathways that psilocybin may affect.
Further research is needed to determine the efficacy of psilocybin for treating ASD in human trials.
