This study is being conducted to understand changes in brain activity following administration of two different drugs (Psilocybin and Dextromethorphan) in older adults with low well-being. The main questions it aims to answer are, does psilocybin: 1. Acutely increase complexity of EEG activity in older adults with low well-being, as modulated by the presence of biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. 2. Longitudinally decrease plasma markers of neuroinflammation, as modulated by the presence of biomarkers of AD pathology. 3. Explore longitudinal changes in autonomic physiology via wearable recording devices as well as longitudinal structural and functional brain changes measured in the MRI Participants will be in the study for up to 3 months, which will include 3 to 4 in person visits and 3 to 4 remote visits. Most visits will be between 1 to 3 hours, but the dosing visit will last a minimum of 8 hours and could be as long as 12 hours. During the dosing visit, all participants will receive a single dose of the study drugs and dosages listed below. Researchers will compare participants who receive the following drug options: * A low-to-moderate dose of Psilocybin (5-10 mg) * A moderate-to-high dose of Psilocybin (25-30 mg) * A low-to-moderate dose of Dextromethorphan (30-60 mg) * A moderate-to-high dose of Dextromethorphan (80-90 mg)
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
80
Participants will receive either Psilocybin or Dextromethorphan in this clinical trial
Participants will receive either Psilocybin or Dextromethorphan in this clinical trial
University of California San Francisco, Sandler Neuroscience Building
San Francisco, California, United States
Acute changes in EEG-based ESBA
Compare acute changes in EEG-based Lempel Ziv complexity (pre- to post-dose, arbitrary unit) between the four study arms, with the presence of biomarkers of AD pathology used in the statistical analyses as a moderator. Lempel-Ziv complexity in EEG is a non-linear analysis tool that quantifies the amount of entropy of spontaneous brain activity (ESBA).
Time frame: Pre- to post-dose two hours later
Changes in TNF-alpha
Compare changes in a biomarkers of neuroinflammation (TNF-alpha) psilocybin across the four study arms, with the presence of biomarkers of AD pathology used in the statistical analyses as a moderator. Reference Range 0.56-1.40 pg/mL
Time frame: Screening to three weeks post dosing
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