Week 6: Mushroom Medicine??–Updates, Psilocybin, and TBI
Shriya S -
Hi everyone! Welcome back to my blog. I’ll just be discussing some updates and another scientific concept I learned about during my time in the lab–psilocybin as a potential treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
Updates
We are almost done targeting our goal antigens through immunohistochemistry (IHC)! We finished analyzing Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) last week, and conducting IHC on the CD83 antigen. Mainly found on astrocytes, AQP4 is a water channel protein that has an important role in regulating water transport in the Central Nervous System (CNS). The AQP4 images were pretty interesting; they were lighter than IHC images of different antigens and the visually optimized tissue sample required a much higher concentration of the primary and secondary antibody. Moreover, the differences between the tissue sample staining were dependent on the primary antibody concentration and not really the secondary antibody concentration (something that was not seen in other images). These findings were unexpected and definitely added a unique datapoint. Why I think this was the case has to do less with our protocol and more with the nature of the AQP4 antigen (maybe there are less AQP4 antigens present in the tissue sample which consequently requires higher antibody concentrations for them to be visible?). But, that does not mean there weren’t a few inevitable inconsistencies with the protocol (tissue scanning not being very focused, folding/degradation of tissue samples…). But, these unavoidable limitations were present throughout and should not have impacted AQP4 tissue samples specifically; yet, probability tells us that the chances of them impacting AQP4 tissue sample imaging is low, but not zero.
In short, there are SO many factors that could have led to lighter AQP4 images. A huge challenge with scientific research is this very variability–the fact that every action one decides to take can affect their results. Acknowledging these limitations is the first step, after which one should speculate on more specific causes to unexpected outcomes; at least, that’s one thing I have learned throughout this process.
We will be conducting IHC on our last antigen–MBP (Myelin Basic Protein) this coming week, as well as analyzing the CD83 tissue samples that we conducted IHC on this past week. Stay tuned!
‘Shrooms and TBI?
Psilocybin, the main chemical in magic mushrooms, may be a potential treatment for TBI, researchers speculate, due to its anti-inflammatory properties and encouragement of neuroplasticity. What? How? The stuff that makes you hallucinate? The way I think about, hallucinations are essentially our imagination on steroids–our minds so warped in overflowing creativity that we eventually cannot discern fantasy from reality. But, if we take small, micro-doses of this chemical, theoretically, we can increase our imagination to an effective, useful level. At the pathological level, this works by increasing neuroplasticity–the brain’s ability to adapt and form new neural connections, allowing it to learn new skills, recover from injury, and adapt to new experiences. If you ever wonder why you were able to learn languages or skills so quickly as a child and struggle as a teenager/young adult, this is why! As we get older and get used to constancy, routine, the ability of our brain to rewire itself decreases, making it harder for us to reap the benefits of high neuroplasticity, which we indulged in as children.
Now if only there was a chemical that could increase our neuroplasticity…
Well, preliminary research on rats at Northeastern University shows Psilocybin may help restore healthy brain function after brain injury by increasing neuroplasticity. Plus, 16-year UFC fighter Ian McCall who has experienced a substantial amount of head trauma claims to experience subtle emotional and cognitive benefits by taking micro-doses of Psilocybin everyday.
Although there is a good amount social stigma around psychedelics like Psilocybin, preliminary and anecdotal evidence suggest it has therapeutic benefits for brain injuries and even cognitive benefits in general, for those who want to learn new languages and skills. If we can moderate the doses of so many of these drugs, it may be possible to reveal their medicinal side, which can have so many useful implications for people like athletes and soldiers–who experience brain injuries and their debilitating symptoms on the daily.
So, that’s Psilocybin in TBI. Very interesting! In addition to learning about it’s scientific benefits, I hope that also encouraged you to ponder about its societal implications and hindrances. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions about Psilocybin, TBI, or my research!
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