To recover from a stroke, neuroplasticity must be stimulated to heal brain damage, and prolonged DMT infusions may help do so faster.
Every forty seconds, someone in the United States is suffering from a stroke. Stroke is the third most common cause of mortality and disability worldwide, costing billions of dollars in long-term health care, rehabilitation, and support for survivors. In addition, conventional stroke intervention therapies frequently fail, requiring long-term rehabilitation. In other words, a novel approach to stroke treatment and recovery is needed.
In September, 2022, Algernon Pharmaceuticals said they would be conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial on slow-release intravenous DMT infusions for stroke patients.
“Dr. David Nutt of Imperial College London and Algernon said that nearly all of the drugs that failed in the stroke treatment space tried to protect neurons by delaying the attempt,” according to the text provided.
“Algernon’s goal is to increase neuroplasticity, thereby helping the brain create new neural networks. DMT is used differently than anything else.”
N, N-dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, is a psychedelic compound that produces similar results to LSD and mushroom psilocybin. DMT, in contrast to other psychedelics, delivers a near-instantaneous, visually intense trip that lasts for roughly 30-45 minutes, as opposed to the usual three to six hours. It is produced by various plant and animal species, as well as being an endogenous hallucinogen present in the human body, and it is also a psychedelic that is produced by diverse plant and animal species.
DMT might have unique therapeutic advantages as a stroke treatment, according to the available evidence. Most strokes are caused by blood clot blocks to critical brain blood flow. If blood flow is switched off, brain cells can be damaged or even die. Furthermore, a stroke may also damage brain cells in other ways. An increase in the immune system occurs following a stroke, particularly as a result of reperfusion injury. Tissue damage results as the paradoxical re-supply of blood to oxygen-depleted brain tissue causes.
DMT has been well-investigated for its impact on neuroinflammation and reperfusion injury. There are currently no highly effective conventional medical therapies for strokes that target reperfusion damage, making the potential of DMT very intriguing. DMT may provide protective after-reperfusion effects as well as stimulate cell growth and enhance neuroplasticity. This neuroplasticity may be a game-changer for stroke victims due to the combination of tissue protection, cellular growth, and enhanced neuroplasticity.
Moreau said that rats who received DMT in a rat stroke occlusion study showed less brain damage from the stroke and regained almost all of their motor function, compared to rats who received a placebo. DMT increased neuroplasticity in a cortical neuron growth assay in preclinical research studies at UC Davis, he said.
After an ischemic stroke, Moreau believes DMT may be utilized to promote healing and recovery.
Moreau commented, “85% of patients suffering an ischemic stroke, which account for 85% of all strokes, are without treatment options. There are hundreds of stroke drugs that have failed in clinical trials but which have focused on neuroprotective measures, while DMT targets a different aspect of stroke treatment.
Over a year ago, Algernon began researching whether DMT could be used to treat stroke. The company's earlier preclinical research found that sub-hallucinogenic doses of DMT stimulated neuron cell growth by 40%. The upcoming clinical research at Algernon will be focused on studying the effects of sub-hallucinogenic doses on human participants.
“In the 1990s, my work with DMT showed that psychedelic drugs may be studied in humans safely and established a framework for studies investigating the therapeutic benefits of the entire class,” said Algernon consultant, psychiatrist, psychopharmacologist, and author of DMT: The Spirit Mole, Rick Strassman MD.
There are several groups testing these agents in psychiatric disorders, but Algernon’s decision to explore the potential benefits of DMT's neuroplasticogenic effects in stroke is a unique and especially exciting strategy.
In the final few months of 2022, Algernon will begin a Phase I stroke trial in the Netherlands that tests the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of DMT on up to 60 participants. Because DMT will be administered intravenously for the first time ever, the trial is particularly innovative. When the brain suffers a stroke, cells can die within five minutes if the blood supply is cut off. Since prolonged intravenous dosing with DMT allows it to enter the bloodstream immediately and remain in the body, it can be used to treat stroke patients.
According to Moreau, bypassing the liver and the stomach is the fastest way to deliver a drug and maximize the dose.
Algernon will administer sub-psychedelic doses to patients over a range of multiple time periods in Phase I. This is a novel strategy.
There is also interest in the potential of sub-hallucinogenic doses for human participants. Some experts believe that hallucinogenic effects are necessary for some or all of psychedelics’ therapeutic effects. To date, there have been few investigations into the therapeutic effects of psychedelics at sub-hallucinogenic doses. Algernon's research will deliver important data on the specific treatment effects of sub-hallucinogenic DMT on patients, using new kinds of DMT.
The company has filed patent applications for novel salt forms of DMT, as well as dosing, formulation, and method of use procedures. Novel salts of DMT can be patented, because they are distinct from the original compound. Salts may be used to create more stable, more acceptable, less harmful, or even more effective drugs.
A single-escalating dose design will be used to determine a safe, tolerable dose that will not produce psychedelic effects in the initial portion of the study. The second part of the study will examine the effects of prolonged, repeated administrations at this dose.60 healthy participants of either psychedelic-naive or psychedelic-experienced varieties will be involved in the study. Algernon plans to use the data generated by the study to assist in the development of Phase II for the DMT IVF formula, which will be tested on stroke patients with acute and recovering deficits.
Comments