Health & Medicine
The 'Magic' Of Magic Mushrooms: Brain Shows Hyperconnectivity
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Oct 31, 2014 05:22 PM EDT
The brain's response to magic mushrooms produces a rather "magical" effect. Psilocybin, the psychoactive chemical found in magic mushrooms, produces serotonin receptors in the brain that disrupt communication networks, resulting in a trip. Yet understanding just how this transformation occurs could create big implications for certain areas, like psychiatry and various types of therapy, according to a recent study.
In a recent study, researchers examined 15 healthy participants who underwent brain scans after they took a placebo and after they took psilocybin.
As psilocybin can sometimes cause negative experiences, participants who only reported positive experiences from the past took the drug.
Researchers found that those who were on the drug had more connected brain regions than those who were not. Yet after the drug wore off, the brain connections soon normalized.
Many who have taken the drug in the past have reported spiritual feelings, suggesting that the drug may encourage individuals to become more open to certain things or experiences. Previous studies have even suggested that magic mushrooms could be useful in treating certain types of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
With future research, study authors believe that the drug could hold the potential to alleviate certain depressive symptoms. Yet more research is needed to determine just how the drug could affect the brain, particularly long term.
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Journal of the Royal Society.
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First Posted: Oct 31, 2014 05:22 PM EDT
The brain's response to magic mushrooms produces a rather "magical" effect. Psilocybin, the psychoactive chemical found in magic mushrooms, produces serotonin receptors in the brain that disrupt communication networks, resulting in a trip. Yet understanding just how this transformation occurs could create big implications for certain areas, like psychiatry and various types of therapy, according to a recent study.
In a recent study, researchers examined 15 healthy participants who underwent brain scans after they took a placebo and after they took psilocybin.
As psilocybin can sometimes cause negative experiences, participants who only reported positive experiences from the past took the drug.
Researchers found that those who were on the drug had more connected brain regions than those who were not. Yet after the drug wore off, the brain connections soon normalized.
Many who have taken the drug in the past have reported spiritual feelings, suggesting that the drug may encourage individuals to become more open to certain things or experiences. Previous studies have even suggested that magic mushrooms could be useful in treating certain types of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
With future research, study authors believe that the drug could hold the potential to alleviate certain depressive symptoms. Yet more research is needed to determine just how the drug could affect the brain, particularly long term.
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Journal of the Royal Society.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone