[40four]

This exact case study came up on a recent Rogan episode with Dean Radin, PhD. While the result is very interesting and perhaps illuminating about the unexpected biological mechanisms, apparently the effects were very short lived.

Even more interesting, Dr. Radin discussed one of his companies is working on a new drug that uses the same brain receptors as psilocybin, that has the potential to induce similar effects (with no psychedelic side effects) with a nasal delivery system that crosses directly into the brain. The benefit of that, he says, is the effect would last for much longer, months perhaps, and patients would only have to take it a few times per year.

[drakythe]

I am immediately skeptical of anyone who goes on Rogan's show. Looking him up the guy has a PhD in education psychology, and his masters was in electrical engineering. I'm curious how much expertise he truly has on the subject and whether this was just spin for his company's work vs the natural option of psilocybin.

Not that I doubt the benefit of a non-psychoactive treatment. Just the adjacency of this idea to Rogan makes me immediately suspicious.

[40four]

I’m a skeptical person to, you should be skeptical, it’s healthy! I just find guys like this super interesting and it was a really fun listen.

He talked about how his whole career he just followed whatever was most interesting to him at the time, hence the different disciplines. He also talked about programs he ran at universities where he was in charge of bringing different disciplines together & the challenges of that since academia is incredibly siloed. Departments don’t talk to each other.

So I think people like him are very valuable, since they aren’t afraid to think it if the box, work on taboo subjects like “psychic” abilities, and see the universe in novel ways.

He mentioned they’ve done trials in mice and chimpanzees with very positive results. I’m not saying it’s some crazy breakthrough or anything, but it’s interesting and something worth keeping an eye on. It sounded also like the killer feature is the nasal delivery tech. I don’t think the are the first ones to study non psychoactive psilocybin like compounds, but the nasal delivery that can cross into the brain directly seemed important.

[bogwog]

Unless it's a different Dean Radin, PhD, Wikipedia describes this guy as a psychic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Radin

[Lucasoato]

> Radin's paranormal ideas and work have been widely criticized by skeptic scientists and philosophers.

I'm not sure I'd trust this person for anything related to science.

[boxed]

What does "the effects were very short lived" mean in this context? If it's hours then it seems useless, but if it's months that is short for us normies that expect to live decades more, but for someone who is 90+ that's a pretty nice percentage that is absolutely acceptable if it just means repeating the treatment.

[dwroberts]

The problem with this study though is that it doesn’t really illuminate anything. Psychedelics restoring the default mode network in the brain is already somewhat understood (*that it happens, not the mechanism of how), so it’s not that strange a temporary reversion of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s would happen.

And it’s not even suggestive of eg making an actual medicine that could be taken long term, because Alzheimer’s physically destroys your brain. The restorative effect of psychedelics is just a bandage over not understanding why that damage is happening in the first place.

[fallinghawks]

And it's a single case which could simply be an anomaly. You'd need a serious controlled study to get any meaningful info about the effectiveness.

Very curious exactly who made the decision/gave permission to take granny on a shroom trip.

[mc32]

Wow, if that turns out to work, that would alleviate lots of suffering for both the patient and her or his relatives and caretakers.

This would be pretty amazing.

[turtlesdown11]

This is crackpot stuff - there's no scientific evidence of any of this, it's pure grifting. The individual cited above has a phd in educational psychology and runs a pseudoscience "institute"

[mc32]

That's quite unfortunate. The victims and relatives of the victims of this disease are looking for any sliver of hope to ease the horrible path it takes so people like this who give false hope are truly degenerate, despicable beings. Like the people who took advantage of Farrah Fawcett's condition.

[Marciplan]

please go find better resources over Rogan come on

[40four]

I think the Rogan hate has gone too far. I don’t really get it. I’m mean I do, I just disagree. It’s just entertainment. I learned about an interesting person I’d never heard of before, and had fun listening a conversation about unusual topics I’d likely have never found anywhere else. Now I can read that guys books and look more into what he’s doing because I’m curious and find what he’s doing fascinating. It’s really nothing more than that

[Marciplan]

“its just entertainment” to you; yes. To many others its an influence. Go look broader than how you personally see things.