A woman with advanced Alzheimer’s disease saw significant improvements in brain function after taking psilocybin-containing mushrooms.
That’s according to a case report recently published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, which focused on an elderly woman who had been living with Alzheimer's disease for about 10 years.
The Japanese-American woman, whose name was not shared, had experienced severe functional decline for roughly five years. The Brazilian study authors described her as having advanced dementia, with very limited speech or communication, severe cognitive impairment, urinary incontinence and reduced mobility.
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She also depended on caregivers for assistance with daily living activities.
The woman received two sessions of psilocybin-containing mushrooms. The first was a 5-gram oral dose, followed by a 3-gram oral dose a month later.
After the first dose, she experienced profuse sweating and hyperthermia, followed by a prolonged sleep-like state.
Approximately 19 hours later, the patient "spontaneously initiated autobiographical conversation lasting several hours," the researchers wrote.
Over the following days and weeks, the woman experienced restored urinary continence, was able to walk independently and dress herself, and engaged in spontaneous conversation. She was also able to retrieve contextual memories, showed the ability to express emotions, and maintained eye contact — smiling with others.
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After the second session, the authors reported that the woman had even greater speech capabilities, more facial expressions and humor, increased walking agility and continued continence.
Beyond the heavy sweating, hyperthermia and sleep-like state, the patient did not experience severe or persistent adverse effects, the researchers noted.
Although the reported benefits lasted for at least one month, the paper does not provide longer-term follow-up.
The authors said the findings should be interpreted with caution, as they are based on a single patient.
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The case also included no control group, standardized cognitive assessments, brain imaging biomarkers, electrophysiological monitoring or sleep studies, they noted.
The patient’s Alzheimer's diagnosis was not confirmed with modern biomarkers, and other neurodegenerative conditions could not be completely ruled out, the study stated.
As the patient may have experienced natural fluctuations in her medical condition, the study could not establish that psilocybin directly caused the woman’s improvements.
While the study suggests that psilocybin-containing mushrooms could temporarily reactivate brain function in people with late-stage dementia, the authors noted that controlled clinical trials, cognitive assessments, imaging scans and other tests are needed to confirm the findings.
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"Much more research is needed in larger, more representative study populations before any conclusions can be drawn about psilocybin’s safety and effectiveness in people living with Alzheimer’s or any other disease that causes dementia," Courtney Kloske, Ph.D., director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, told Fox News Digital.
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Kloske, who was not involved in the study, emphasized that people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers should talk with their doctor about all medications, vitamins, supplements and other substances they are taking.
"This helps healthcare providers understand how these products may interact with approved Alzheimer’s medications and other therapies to determine whether they could lead to unwanted side effects," she advised.
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said he is "dubious" of the significance of the study because the effect was described as temporary and was limited to one case.
"Also, there is a built-in danger of giving a hallucinogen to someone with this degree of mental impairment, because the behavioral effects are largely unpredictable and can be harmful," Siegel, who also was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
"Having said that, I am not surprised to see that psilocybin could temporarily overcome or alter the gummed-up [brain] circuitry (with plaques) of advanced Alzheimer’s disease – so it might have some value in a carefully controlled setting."
The findings come as several states have expanded legal access to psilocybin. (The substance remains federally illegal in the U.S. as a Schedule I substance.)
Oregon began licensing psilocybin service centers in 2023, Colorado's regulated natural medicine program became operational in 2025, and New Mexico enacted a Medical Psilocybin Act in 2025, according to state officials.
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Still, there are currently no FDA-approved psilocybin treatments for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and legal access remains limited to certain state-regulated programs or approved research settings.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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