Alcohol use disorder, otherwise known as an alcohol addiction, is a medical condition that is categorized by an impaired ability to reduce or stop alcohol consumption. The condition can be mild, moderate, or severe and have adverse social, professional, and health consequences. The causes are wide and varied, between drinking at an early age, a family history of AUD, or living with another mental health disorder. Although many people do recover, they often suffer from relapses and require further treatment even after they have seemed to recover from their prior alcohol dependence. Until now, treatment has been focused on behavioral therapy treatments, supervised support groups, and certain medications.
However, earlier this year, a group of researchers in France published a new study showing that psilocybin, which is commonly known as a psychedelic, can reduce alcohol use by altering gene expressions in the brain’s reward center. Many clinical trials have already shown that psilocybin can be used to treat both mental health conditions, such as anorexia, and physical health conditions, such as diabetes, and previous studies have also shown its use in treating substance abuse. This newest study, though, is showing just how these psilocybins treat alcohol use disorder.
Rats in the study, all kept and handled to strict ethical guidelines, were trained to self-select alcohol in a simulation of human voluntary alcohol consumption. The scientists then analyzed genes that are critical to addiction behaviors.
The study showed that psilocybins caused specific changes in the Nucleus Accumbens – an area in the brain that plays an important role in both addiction and chronic pain. More specifically, the particular genes for serotonin receptors, which are linked to sleep, eating, and arousal, and dopamine transporters, which are related to neuropsychiatric and substance abuse disorders. This aligns with previous studies on psilocybin, which showed that when ingested and converted into psilocin, it interacts with the brain’s serotonin receptors, which are linked to mood, perception, and cognition. This study confirmed this, as when the serotonin receptors were blocked before treatment, the results were much worse than those of rats that did not have these receptors blocked (1).
Rats that were administered doses of psilocybin were noted to have a 51% decrease in alcohol intake and a 48% decrease in voluntary alcohol consumption compared to a control group who was administered salt water as a placebo. This is a notable reduction in intake, suggesting that this isn’t just a coincidental finding.
It is important to remember, however, that there are a large number of physiological and behavioral differences between humans and rats that need to be taken into account. However, this study is an important step in getting evidence for the use of psilocybins to aid in the treatment of alcohol use disorder in humans.
Want to learn more about the possible treatment of alcohol use disorder by psilocybin? NYU Langone Health in New York has published a study by Michael P. Bogenschulz showing an 83% reduction in alcohol use in heavy drinkers treated with a combination of psilocybin and psychotherapy. Additionally, a paper published in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics provides an excellent review of previous studies covering the treatment of various substance use disorders by psilocybin (2).
References
- Jeanblanc, Jérôme, Romain Bordy, Grégory Fouquet, Virginie Jeanblanc, and Mickaël Naassila. “Psilocybin Reduces Alcohol Self-Administration via Selective Left Nucleus Accumbens Activation in Rats.” Brain, May 4, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae136.
2. Veen, Bas T.H. de, Arnt F.A. Schellekens, Michel M.M. Verheij, and Judith R. Homberg. “Psilocybin for Treating Substance Use Disorders?” Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics 17, no. 2 (August 12, 2016): 203–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2016.1220834.
