A person looking at art. Read time: 3 minutes Psychedelics research in older populations
Psychedelics research is in the spotlight right now. An increasing number of clinical trials evaluating psychedelics are entering ClinicalTrials.gov , and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s upcoming decision on whether to approve MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is eagerly anticipated . According to a 2020 report, the psychedelics drug market is estimated to reach a staggering $10.75 billion by 2027.
Despite the field’s resurgence, there are few clinical studies that incorporate older participants, according to physician–gerontologist, Kallol Kumar Bhattacharyya , who is currently a research fellow at Utah State University and a former PhD student at the University of South Florida (USF). This age bracket should not be excluded from psychedelics research, Bhattacharyya believes, as age-related conditions can adversely affect cognition and mental health.
Alongside Kaeleigh Fearn , former student in aging sciences at the USF, Bhattacharyya sought to understand the association between psychedelic drug usage and cognitive functions in middle-aged and older adults. Their research is published in Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine . “Not much clinical research has been conducted considering the impact of classic psychedelics and other hallucinogenic compounds on cognitive functions, particularly episodic memory and executive function, and depression in middle aged and older adults,” the researchers said . Fearn and Bhattacharyya analyzed data from 3,294 participants, aged 42–92 years (55% women) and mostly (90%) White, taking part in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. MIDUS participants were asked to self-report whether they had used any of the following substances in the last 12 months: LSD or other hallucinogens (such as Peyote, Ecstasy, Mescaline, etc.) or marijuana.
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