A perspective on Alzheimer's disease: exploring the potential of terminal/paradoxical lucidity and psychedelics.
Mol Neurodegener October 12, 2024 Cong Lin, Xiubo Du, Xiaohui Wang 6 citations
This perspective piece explores two unusual phenomena that may offer new insights into Alzheimer's disease: terminal lucidity—unexpected moments of mental clarity shortly before death in people with severe dementia—and paradoxical lucidity, similar brief episodes not linked to dying. The authors also discuss the potential of psychedelic compounds to induce such lucid states, suggesting these phenomena could challenge current assumptions about irreversible cognitive decline and point toward novel therapeutic avenues. The paper synthesizes existing observations and hypotheses rather than presenting new empirical data, arguing that investigating these transient cognitive improvements might reveal underlying neural mechanisms and treatment targets.