Last updated : November 18, 2024
You’re likely aware that the medical community is pushing for a resurgence in using psychedelic drugs as treatment for post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and other mental disorders. There’s a huge push for further research on the matter. It comes as no surprise that the results of another new study have come out regarding the effects of psilocybin mushrooms on the human brain.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri decided to delve deeper into what happens inside the brain when someone is tripping on “magic mushrooms.” Psilocybin is the compound within the mushrooms that causes hallucinations, warps the user’s sense of time and space, and seems to “connect” the individual to the world in ways previously not experienced.
Hands-on research
Several colleagues at Washington decided to embark on a trip of their own—strictly for scientific purposes, of course. Some of the seven adults participating in the study took high doses of psilocybin. Others took a placebo. Participants confined themselves to an MRI machine off and on throughout the study to record exactly what happens in the brain when it’s under the influence of psychedelics.
Ritalin, often used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), was chosen as the placebo. This drug has similar stimulating effects on the brain but isn’t psychedelic. The candidates weren’t told which drug they would be taking and returned months later to repeat the process. This time, they were given the drug they hadn’t taken during the first round to compare results.
Each participant had their brains scanned approximately 18 times before, during, and, then, three weeks after their experience. Some returned six to twelve months later to repeat the process. The scans enabled scientists to compare the brain’s reaction to psilocybin.
What the study revealed
The results of the study were published in the journal Nature. The team hoped to unlock secrets as to how psychedelic drugs work to distort our perception of space and time. Moreover, though, can this distortion benefit therapy patients if used under the strict supervision of a licensed therapist?
The MRI scans revealed that the largest disruption was in the brain’s “default mode.” It’s the network of regions responsible for our sense of self, time, and space. These networks connect to our introspective thinking, such as daydreaming and remembering. They temporarily dissolve after ingesting the drug.
Psychotherapists believe this process can positively affect treatment for some patients struggling with mental disorders because it makes the connectivity of our brain functions more flexible.
In other words, some believe this drug could allow psychotherapists to help their patients break “bad habits” in the brain that trigger falling into a gloom-and-doom thought process. Moreover, the brain scans done weeks later showed these benefits persisted even without having done more of the drug. However, the study found that the drug’s effects are context-dependent. Brain desynchronization declined when the default mode network wasn’t in control, as when asking participants to do a word-picture matching task.
Washington University’s Associate Professor of Neurology, Nico Dosenbach, participated in the study and, overall, is excited about the possibilities of using mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs for treatment, especially, because the effect of the drug still remained to a lesser degree weeks later.
“There’s a massive effect initially, and when it’s gone, a pinpoint effect remains,” Dosenbach said. “That’s exactly what you’d want to see for a potential medicine. You wouldn’t want people’s brain networks to be obliterated for days, but you also wouldn’t want everything to snap back to the way it was immediately. You want an effect that lasts long enough to make a difference.”
Are all systems “go” then?
It seems that the medical community is getting behind the possibility of using psychedelic medications to treat certain mental disorders. Other studies are ongoing. The United States government currently has seven different studies in progress. It’s taking another look at using these drugs to treat veterans suffering from mental disorders after returning home from war.
According to the study completed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the prognosis is positive. Desynchronizing the brain can benefit those struggling with mental disorders, such as PTSD. It’s possible that the patient’s brain could reroute its thought process. Ultimately, it could be the key that allows someone to make a fresh start. They can learn to have a positive outlook on life opening new doors for them. This is in comparison to their old thought process that caused stress or other triggers to allow negative thoughts to grow out of control.
Further studies must be done before giving the medical community free reign to prescribe magic mushrooms though. One participant in the Washington University study had a “deeply meaningful experience” after taking their first dose of psilocybin. However, their second experience was a “bad trip.” This highlights the fact that using psychedelics must happen in a controlled environment. Especially, when using these drugs to treat mental health issues.
It’s also noteworthy, of course, to reiterate that the participants willingly took high doses of psilocybin. Typically, the dosage for treatment would be much lower. It is unknown at this time if the lower dose would eliminate the possibility of a “bad trip.”
