Psilocybin Maintains Better Brain Function in an Alzheimer’s Disease Model with Reduced Neuroinflammation and Improved Hippocampal Neurogenesis
Alzheimer s & Dementia December 1, 2025 Leelavathi N. Madhu, Yogish Somayaji, Sanya Kotian et al.
In a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (5xFAD), monthly psilocybin treatment (0.5 mg/kg for 4 months) preserved cognitive and mood function compared to vehicle-treated mice. Treated mice showed better pattern separation, associative recognition memory, and no anhedonia. Brain tissue analysis revealed reduced chronic neuroinflammation, including less astrocytic hypertrophy, fewer microglial inflammasome complexes, and lower levels of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and related signaling proteins. Psilocybin also increased production of new neurons and maintained BDNF-ERK-CREB signaling and synaptic proteins.