Quote:Firing from all canons at all times whilst the chemical is be processed.
Interestingly, there are multiple studies that suggest that psychedelics
decrease the activity of the brain, instead of increasing it.
Here is a good article on it pointing towards several studies, and also offering a critic on what the author calls "Misreporting and Confirmation Bias" on that specific topic and psychedelic research in general.
This is particularly interesting if you consider the view that our consciousness may not
originate in the brain but be
received, and even limited, by it - an idea on which many people (Huxley, Jung, McKenna, Strassman...) have written about.
As for the second part of your question, I'm not aware of research with Alzheimer's and psychedelics. Given that if I'm not mistaken short term memory is the first to be affected, I'm not sure how feasible that would be (because the subject may possibly not even retain the memory of the trip, and lose most of the benefits of it ?).
Although it comes to mind that it could perhaps help with Alzheimer's patient, if not to regain memory, at least in dealing emotionally with what must be the incredibly difficult hardship of losing your memories and mind progressively - the same way psychedelics can help people close to death in dealing with the anxiety of it.