It's been a week. A big one. We covered seven stories across psychedelic science, a landmark UK court ruling, and one of the most striking clinical results you'll read this year. If there's one thing the research keeps telling us, it's this: we've barely scratched the surface. Let's get into it. 🌱
🔬 LEAD STORY
Can Psilocybin Protect the Ageing Brain?
The dominant story about the ageing brain has always been one of loss. UC Berkeley's new PLASTICITY study is trying to rewrite it. It's the first psychedelic neuroimaging study designed specifically for adults aged 60 to 85, and it's investigating whether psilocybin can actively support healthy brain ageing, not just treat disease.
1.4% of all psychedelic study participants have been older adults, despite being arguably the population with the most to gain from neuroplasticity-enhancing interventions. PLASTICITY is the first study built specifically for them.
The research team will use diffusion MRI and fMRI to track structural and functional brain changes in the weeks following a psilocybin session. They're not just measuring memory. They're tracking awe, vagal tone, purpose, social connection, and emotional regulation — the full picture of what "successful ageing" actually looks like.
Two participants have now completed all study visits. The goal is 20 participants dosed by end of 2026. This is foundational science, not a clinical trial. And it's long overdue.
→ Read the full breakdown: https://thesporereport.com/can-psilocybin-protect-the-aging-brain/
📰 THIS WEEK'S STORIES
🧬 June 11 · Clinical Trial · Postpartum Depression
5-MeO-DMT Achieves 100% Remission in Postpartum Depression — in a Single Day
Ten women with moderate-to-severe postpartum depression received a single-day inhaled dose of GH001 (synthetic 5-MeO-DMT). By day eight, every single patient was in remission. Mean symptom reduction: 96%. Suicidal ideation dropped to zero by discharge, the same day as dosing.
For context: SSRIs take 4 to 6 weeks. The only FDA-approved PPD treatment requires a 14-day course. This is a small pilot with no control group, but the signal is hard to ignore. The conversation about how postpartum depression gets treated is shifting.
→ Read the full story: https://thesporereport.com/new-study-5-meo-dmt-achieves-100-remission-in-postpartum-depression-patients-in-a-single-day/
🌍 June 9 · Research Design · Real-World Data
The Biggest Real-World Psychedelic Study Ever Is Now Live
Most psychedelic research happens under tightly controlled conditions - screened populations, clinical settings, standardised doses. UCSF's Carhart-Harris Lab is now investigating the other side: what actually happens when people use psychedelics in real life. This is the largest observational psychedelic study ever launched, and it could fill a crucial gap between lab findings and lived experience.
→ Read the full story: https://thesporereport.com/the-biggest-real-world-psychedelic-study-ever-is-now-live/
🧠 June 9 · Neuroscience · Consciousness
What Happens When You Give Magic Mushrooms to Someone in a Coma?
Could psilocybin change brain activity in someone who has almost no consciousness left? It's not a thought experiment anymore. In a conversation between Robin Carhart-Harris and PhD candidate Tommaso Barba, the question came up in the context of real research interest. And the implications for how we understand consciousness, the default mode network, and the floor of human awareness are genuinely staggering.
→ Read the full story: https://thesporereport.com/what-happens-when-you-give-magic-mushrooms-to-someone-in-a-coma/
⚖️ June 7 · UK Policy · Human Rights
UK Woman Fighting for Psilocybin Access Wins Major High Court Victory
A woman known only as EB has won a landmark ruling at the UK High Court. The case centres on her right to access psilocybin therapy under human rights law, and the judgment marks a significant shift in the legal landscape around psychedelic access in the UK. This is the EB case we've been watching closely, and it matters beyond one individual.
→ Read the full story: https://thesporereport.com/uk-woman-fighting-for-access-to-psilocybin-therapy-wins-major-human-rights-court-victory/
🍄 June 8 · Metabolic Health · Preclinical
Microdoses of Psilocybin Reversed Obesity, Fatty Liver, and Diabetes — at the Cellular Level
While the headlines focus on heroic doses for mental health, a new preclinical study found that tiny, sub-perceptual doses of psilocybin produced significant metabolic improvements in animal models: reversing obesity, fatty liver, and markers of type 2 diabetes at the cellular level. The mechanism appears to involve serotonin signalling in the gut-liver axis. Early days, but worth watching closely.
→ Read the full story: https://thesporereport.com/scientists-just-discovered-that-microdoses-of-psilocybin-can-reverse-obesity-fatty-liver-and-diabetes-at-the-cellular-level-2/
🧬 June 6 · Alzheimer's · Mechanism
Psilocybin Might Be the First Drug to Actually Target the Root Cause of Alzheimer's
Following the story of an 80-year-old woman who began speaking again after a 5g psilocybin session (published the previous day), this piece digs into the mechanistic question: why might psilocybin work where decades of amyloid-targeting drugs have failed? The answer involves mitochondrial function, neuroinflammation, and the metabolic theory of Alzheimer's - a framework that reframes the disease entirely.
→ Read the full story: https://thesporereport.com/psilocybin-might-be-the-first-drug-to-actually-target-the-root-cause-of-alzheimers/
👵 June 5 · Case Report · Alzheimer's
An 80-Year-Old Woman With Late-Stage Alzheimer's Took 5g of Psilocybin and Started Speaking Again
A case report that stopped a lot of people in their tracks. A woman who hadn't spoken in full sentences for years took a large dose of psilocybin mushrooms and, in the hours and days that followed, began to speak, recognise people, and re-emerge. A single case is not a cure. But it asks a question the science needs to pursue.
→ Read the full story: https://thesporereport.com/an-80-year-old-woman-with-late-stage-alzheimers-took-5g-of-psilocybin-mushrooms-and-started-speaking-again/
🌿 ALSO WORTH KNOWING
On ego death — Is dissolution of self essential for psychedelic healing, or is it one mechanism among many? We explored that debate here: https://thesporereport.com/is-an-ego-death-essential-for-psychedelic-healing/
The Alzheimer's thread — This week's Alzheimer's coverage connects to a larger framework we've been building around the metabolic theory of brain disease, psilocybin's cellular mechanisms, and the latent capacity hypothesis. The pieces are starting to fit together.
5-MeO-DMT vs psilocybin — The PPD study this week highlights an important distinction: 5-MeO-DMT acts primarily on 5-HT1A receptors, not 5-HT2A like classical psychedelics. This matters for both the safety profile and the mechanism. Not all psychedelics work the same way.
🌱 PROGRAMME — OPENS TOMORROW
AfterGrow: Six Weeks of Post-Psilocybin / Microdosing Integration
All this research points to one thing: what happens after the experience is where the real work begins. AfterGrow is a six-week structured integration programme built around neuroplasticity, daily practice, and the Regenerative Mind framework. The waitlist closes when the doors open - tomorrow, June 15.
→ Join AfterGrow: https://thesporereport.com/aftergrow/
🍄 WANT TO EXPLORE THE MEDICINE?
Whether you're curious about microdosing or growing your own, here are the most trusted options we've found - vetted and used by our community.
Microdosing (pre-made)
🇺🇸 US — Serenite Labs · 10% off with code MUSHIES
https://serenitelabs.com/shop-2/?ref=mushies&utm_source=affiliate
🇪🇺 EU — Go-Microdose · 10% off with code MUSHIES10
https://go-microdose.com/?wpam_id=16/
Grow your own (mushroom kits)
These are beginner-friendly, fully sealed grow-at-home kits. Legal to purchase in many countries, but always check your local laws before ordering.
🚀 Martian Mushrooms (UK/EU) · Easy, fast, beginner-friendly
https://www.martianmushrooms.co.uk/product/mushbag-grow-kit/?ref=8
🌍 Spore Buddies (UK/EU) · The world's only auto-fruiting, fully sealed grow bag · 10% off with code CANNADO10
https://sporebuddies.com/
Retreats (the guided route)
If you want a fully supported, legal psilocybin experience, Beckley Retreats are the gold standard, backed by 25+ years of research from the Beckley Foundation. Upcoming programmes in Jamaica and the Netherlands.
Our community gets $500 / £375 off with code: BRAP-MUSHIESUK
https://www.beckleyretreats.com/upcoming-retreats/#programs-2025
All trusted links in one place → https://thesporereport.com/trusted-links/
⚠️ Spores and grow kits are sold for microscopy and research purposes. Growing psilocybin mushrooms remains illegal in the UK and many other countries. Please check your local laws. What you choose to do is your own responsibility.