Berkeley Scientists Test Whether Psilocybin Can Support the Aging Brain
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley want to know whether psilocybin can help the brain age with more flexibility. Their new study carries the name PLASTICITY, short for Psychedelic Longitudinal Aging Study In Cognitively Healthy Older Adults. It is the first psychedelic neuroimaging study designed specifically for older adults. The team will follow healthy volunteers between 60 and 85 as they take the compound under close medical supervision.
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| Key takeaway | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who is running it | The Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics |
| The study | PLASTICITY, the first psychedelic neuroimaging study focused on older adults |
| Participants | Cognitively healthy adults between 60 and 85 |
| The compound | Synthetic psilocybin, in doses from 1 to 30 milligrams |
| The question | Whether psilocybin supports neuroplasticity, emotion regulation, and healthy aging |
| What they measure | MRI scans, cognitive tests, emotion surveys, visual perception, and vagus nerve activity |
| Why it matters | Older adults have been largely missing from modern psychedelic research |
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A Study Built For Older Brains
Most psychedelic research has centered on younger adults, often with depression, anxiety, trauma, or substance use concerns. The aging brain has stayed closer to the margins.
The Berkeley team decided to change that.
Doctoral researcher Tyler Toueg helped design the study alongside neuroscientists William Jagust and Michael Silver. Psychologist Dacher Keltner studies awe and emotion for the project. Psychiatrist Brian Anderson serves as medical director.
Together, they want to know whether a guided psilocybin experience can shift how an older brain works.
That question matters because older adults have been nearly absent from modern psychedelic trials. A 2024 review found they made up only about 1.4 percent of participants.
What The Researchers Measure
The study leans on detailed brain imaging. Participants undergo functional MRI and diffusion MRI scans. These tools help researchers examine brain activity, structure, and communication.
The team will look closely at the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory and learning. They will also study brain activity during memory encoding and retrieval.
The researchers add cognitive tests, perceptual tests, and emotion surveys. They also measure vagus nerve activity during positive emotions, including awe.
That piece is important. Vagus nerve activity is linked to recovery from stress. It may help explain how psilocybin affects emotional well being.
Volunteers complete assessments at baseline, one week, and one month after the experience. That timeline lets researchers look for changes that last beyond the acute psychedelic session.
Why The Aging Brain Matters
Neuroplasticity tends to decline with age. The brain becomes less able to form and reorganize connections.
Psilocybin may work in the opposite direction, at least temporarily. Earlier animal research suggests it can increase synaptic connections in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.
The Berkeley researchers want to know whether similar changes can be measured in older humans. They are also studying whether those changes relate to memory, mood, perception, and emotional resilience.
The stakes are high. Cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease affect millions of families. Health systems are also searching for better ways to support aging before serious decline begins.
Still, the science remains early. This study is not testing psilocybin as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. It is asking whether the compound may help researchers understand healthy brain aging.
What Comes Next
PLASTICITY will not deliver answers overnight. The team must gather scans, analyze the results, and publish the findings.
Until then, the study signals a clear shift in psychedelic science. Researchers are beginning to ask how these compounds may affect aging, not only mental illness.
For clinicians watching the field, that shift is worth tracking. The next chapter of psychedelic research may include older adults in a much more serious way.
