Once stigmatized for their psychedelic effects, magic mushrooms are gaining attention for their potential to treat a wide array of mental health issues. Despite this growing interest, the diverse neurological impacts of psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in these fungi, remain surprisingly underexplored, complicating efforts to harness its therapeutic potential.
A groundbreaking study led by Washington University School of Medicine psychiatrist Joshua Siegel provides new insights into psilocybin’s effects on the brain. The research tracked brain changes in seven healthy adults before, during, and after a high dose of psilocybin, identifying disruptions in brain connectivity that persisted for weeks in some areas.
“These days, we know a lot about the psychological effects and the molecular/cellular effects of psilocybin,” Siegel explains. “But we don’t know much about what happens at the level that connects the two the level of functional brain networks.”
Magic mushrooms exert their influence by mimicking serotonin’s affinity for the 5-HT2A receptor, leading to effects such as euphoria and altered perceptions of self, time, space, sound, and color. Animal studies have shown that activating these receptors can promote neural plasticity, suggesting potential benefits for psychological conditions resistant to conventional treatments.
Investigating Brain Changes
To explore these effects in humans, Siegel and his team conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans on volunteers who ingested 25 milligrams of psilocybin. Scans were taken before the dose, immediately after, and 21 days later. For comparison, the subjects also received a 40-milligram dose of the stimulant methylphenidate, with a similar series of scans.
The scans revealed significant disruption in the brain’s cortical connectivity post-psilocybin dose. Notably, major changes were observed in the default mode network (DMN), a group of brain regions most active when a person is awake but not engaged in a task. This disruption likely results from nerve cell populations falling out of sync, temporarily erasing the patterns that underlie our sense of self.
“The brains of people on psilocybin look more similar to each other than to their untripping selves,” notes neurologist and senior author Nico Dosenbach. “Their individuality is temporarily wiped out. This verifies, at a neuroscientific level, what people say about losing their sense of self during a trip.”
Potential for Groundbreaking Therapies
Interestingly, when volunteers performed a simple auditory-visual matching task post-psilocybin, the disruption in the DMN was reduced. Scans taken three weeks later showed that while most cortical regions returned to pre-dose synchronization, the anterior hippocampus, involved in perception and memory, continued to exhibit persistent functional changes.
Connecting psilocybin’s pharmacology with its subjective effects and neurological impact could pave the way for treatments targeting depression, post-traumatic stress, and other conditions. However, it also highlights the need for caution in situations where such disruptions could be harmful.
While a visit to the doctor for a psilocybin dose may still be in the future, studies like this bring us closer to understanding the intricate relationship between our brain and this extraordinary group of fungi.
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