A recent study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has uncovered promising results from using psilocybin—the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms”—to treat people with Parkinson’s disease.
While psilocybin is already being studied for its potential to relieve depression and anxiety, this is the first time it has been tested in patients with a neurodegenerative disease like Parkinson’s. The results surprised researchers by showing not just safety, but also meaningful improvements in mood, memory, and movement.
Parkinson’s disease affects about 1 million people in the U.S. It’s a long-term illness that causes problems with movement, such as shaking, slow walking, and stiff muscles. But beyond these physical issues, many people with Parkinson’s also experience depression and anxiety—often before the motor symptoms even begin.
These mood symptoms can make the physical problems worse and lower quality of life even more. Unfortunately, regular antidepressants often don’t work well for these patients.
In this small pilot study, the UCSF team wanted to see if psilocybin was safe for Parkinson’s patients. Twelve people with mild to moderate Parkinson’s—seven men and five women—were given two doses of psilocybin: a small 10 mg dose first, followed two weeks later by a higher 25 mg dose.
Along with the drug, they also received psychotherapy before and after the treatments to support their emotional experience and safety.
While many participants felt temporary side effects such as nausea, anxiety, or a rise in blood pressure, none of these effects were serious or required medical help. The real surprise came later.
When the participants returned for follow-ups one week, one month, and three months after their treatments, they reported feeling significantly better—not just in terms of mood, but also in how clearly they could think and how well they could move.
Researchers offered a few possible reasons for this. One idea is that by improving a person’s mood, psilocybin helps them feel more motivated and engaged. That, in turn, may lead them to move more, socialize more, and improve overall brain health.
Another theory is that psilocybin might reduce inflammation in the brain and promote neuroplasticity—a process where brain cells grow and form new connections. This could directly help improve both mood and movement in people with Parkinson’s.
Ellen Bradley, the study’s first author and assistant professor at UCSF, explained that these emotional symptoms are often overlooked but are a strong predictor of how much Parkinson’s will affect a person’s daily life. Helping people feel better emotionally might actually help slow down their physical decline too.
Because the results were so encouraging, the UCSF team is already working on a larger follow-up study. This next trial will include 100 people and expand to a second location at Yale University. It will also include brain imaging and other tools to study how psilocybin affects brain inflammation and the rebuilding of brain circuits.
Joshua Woolley, senior author of the study and director of UCSF’s Translational Psychedelic Research Program, said that while many brain diseases have treatments that help with symptoms, they don’t stop the disease from getting worse. But psilocybin could be different. “These results raise the exciting possibility that psilocybin may help the brain repair itself,” he said.
In short, psilocybin—once known only as a hallucinogenic drug—could become a powerful tool to improve not just mood, but also brain function and movement in people with Parkinson’s. The research is still in early stages, but it offers a ray of hope for patients who have few other treatment options.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and Mediterranean diet could help lower risk of Parkinson’s.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how wheat gluten might be influencing our brain health, and Olive oil: a daily dose for better brain health.
The research findings can be found in Neuropsychopharmacology.
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