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An 80-year-old woman who had spent years losing her memories to Alzheimer’s stunned researchers after an experimental dose of psychedelic mushrooms appeared to unlock parts of her mind the disease had buried.vAnd, for the woman’s family and caregivers, the changes were difficult to ignore.
Researchers behind a new study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience had been following an 80-year-old Japanese-American woman whose Alzheimer’s had progressively robbed her independence over the previous decade.
By the time she entered the trial, she relied heavily on caregivers, could communicate only in single syllables and had lost bladder control.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 7 million Americans and an estimated 55 million people worldwide, the Alzheimer’s Association reports.
The disease gradually erodes memory, thinking skills and independence, often leaving patients unable to recognize loved ones or perform basic daily tasks.
And, for many families, the progression feels relentless. That’s why what happened next caught researchers’ attention.
What is Alzheimer’s?
The woman was given a five-gram dose of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms. At first, the experience appeared anything but promising.
Researchers reported that she became agitated, sweated heavily and entered what they described as a prolonged sleep-like state. Then, nearly 19 hours later, something changed – she started recalling memories.
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