Concussion and other traumatic brain injuries impact an estimated 69 million people every year, as a result of sport collisions, falls, road accidents and interpersonal violence. There are few treatments, and no approved and effective pharmacotherapies.
New research from the Christie Lab at the University of Victoria (UVic) reveals the promise of two psychedelic compounds—psilocybin and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT)—for healing these injuries, by enhancing neuroplasticity and reducing inflammation within the brain.
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound found in certain mushrooms. 5-MeO-DMT is found in toad venom and select plant species. 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 at UVic (Zoe Plummer, Josh Allen, Justin Brand and Brian Christie) reviewed the growing evidence that these compounds also offer potential for treating brain injuries. Their review, published in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, in collaboration with Leah Mayo from the University of Calgary, and Sandy Shultz from Vancouver Island University, drew from preclinical and clinical studies.
"When someone receives a blow to the head, this sets off a cascade of events in the brain," says Allen, one of the authors of the review and a UVic postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience. "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.
"These conditions share features such as impaired neuroplasticity that keep patients trapped in rigid loops of thought and behavior," says Allen. This can occur even with mild traumatic brain injuries—what we call concussion. And many people who play sports or serve in the military experience concussions repeatedly.
