Psychedelics May Rewire The Brain To Curb Alcohol Use

Psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms) are drawing growing interest in the field of psychiatry. Research indicates they could provide therapeutic benefits for mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, OCD, eating disorders, and addiction.

DMT as a Potential Solution for Reducing Alcohol Use

Our research team is exploring whether N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a fast-acting psychedelic, could help reduce alcohol use.

Alcohol remains the most commonly misused substance in the UK, driven by its legal status, easy availability, and strong cultural presence. While many drink moderately, a significant number find it difficult to manage their intake, leading to serious health, psychological, and social issues.

Since conventional treatments don’t work for everyone, we’re investigating alternative approaches—like psychedelics—that may support lasting behavioural change through a single, transformative experience.

The body quickly metabolizes DMT. When administered intravenously, its effects begin almost immediately, typically within one to two minutes, and last only 10 to 20 minutes.

Despite the brief duration, users often describe the experience as profoundly intense, with vivid visions, intricate patterns, and a sense of entering another reality. For some, it results in a dramatic shift in their thinking, emotions, and worldview, often leaving a lasting, transformative impact.

The key question remains: What happens in the brain during this time, and how might it influence long-term behaviors, such as reducing alcohol consumption?

Brain Plasticity and Addiction

“Our team is actively exploring how psychedelics like DMT can help address addiction.” One theory suggests that psychedelics may temporarily enhance neuroplasticity, the brain’s capacity to create new neural pathways. This brief enhancement could create a window of opportunity, making some individuals more receptive to change.

For someone trapped in the cycle of excessive drinking, this increased plasticity could help them break old habits and adopt healthier behaviors. In essence, it may provide the brain with a chance to “reprogram” itself and interrupt the unhealthy patterns that fuel addiction.

We’re also focusing on the brain’s reward and motivation systems, which play a crucial role in addiction. These systems drive behaviors linked to pleasure, such as eating, sex, and alcohol consumption.

In individuals with alcohol use disorder, these systems become overly responsive to alcohol-related triggers, often overshadowing other rewarding experiences. Some preliminary studies suggest that psychedelics may help “reset” these reward pathways. We’re testing this hypothesis to see if DMT can reduce alcohol consumption by recalibrating the brain’s reward system.

“To explore this, we’ve designed a study involving heavy drinkers who want to reduce their alcohol intake.” Each participant undergoes a thorough screening to ensure they’re suitable for the study, and all sessions take place in a carefully controlled, clinical environment, supervised by medical professionals and experienced researchers.

FMRI and Drug Administration to Explore DMT’s Effects on Brain Activity

The study includes three visits to our lab at UCL. During the first and third visits, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity and observe how different brain regions interact.

Participants watch emotionally engaging films during the scans, providing a more natural way to study brain responses than abstract tasks. This allows us to examine how DMT may affect brain function in emotionally charged, real-life situations.

On the second visit, participants are randomly assigned to receive either DMT, a placebo, or a non-psychedelic drug D-cycloserine or Lisuride). These non-psychedelic substances are thought to promote neuroplasticity without causing the full psychedelic effects of DMT.

The study is double-blind, meaning neither the participants nor the researchers know which substance is being given. This approach helps minimize bias and ensures the results are as accurate and reliable as possible.

In addition, we track changes in brain activity during the drug infusion using electroencephalography (EEG), which records the brain’s electrical signals. This could help us predict which participants are most likely to benefit from DMT.

Participants also complete a variety of psychological assessments, including questionnaires and tasks that evaluate memory, attention, mood, and decision-making. This information will help us understand how changes in brain activity might relate to shifts in drinking behavior.

Our goal is to uncover

We are still in the process of gathering data, but we’re eager to see if DMT can lead to significant reductions in alcohol consumption. As researchers, it’s important for us to remain objective and let the evidence guide our conclusions. By keeping the study “blinded” until all results are collected, we ensure that our findings are unbiased and dependable.

If DMT proves effective in helping individuals reduce their alcohol intake, especially those who have not responded to other treatments, it could introduce a new approach to addiction therapy. Even if the results aren’t definitive, they will still offer valuable insights into the potential role of psychedelics in addiction treatment and open doors for further research.

It’s crucial to highlight that this research is conducted in a safe, controlled environment. Psychedelics are powerful substances, and their effects can be unpredictable, particularly outside of clinical settings. They are not a “quick fix” and are not appropriate for everyone. The controlled setting ensures we can study their effects while minimizing risks to participants.

However, we believe psychedelics offer a unique opportunity to gain deeper insights into the brain and its ability to change. By exploring how transformative experiences can impact behavior, we hope to contribute to the development of more effective treatments for addiction and other mental health disorders.

Read the original article on: Sciencealert

Read more: Scientists May Have Overcome a Major Barrier to Brain Treatment