Patients taking psilocybin to treat depression show reduced symptoms weeks after treatment following a ‘reset’ of their brain activity.
The findings come from a study in which researchers from Imperial College London used psilocybin – the psychoactive compound that occurs naturally in magic mushrooms – to treat a small number of patients with depression in whom conventional treatment had failed.
In a paper, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers describe patient-reported benefits lasting up to five weeks after treatment, and believe the psychedelic compound may effectively reset the activity of key brain circuits known to play a role in depression.
Comparison of images of patients’ brains before and one day after they received the drug treatment revealed changes in brain activity that were associated with marked and lasting reductions in depressive symptoms.
The authors note that while the initial results of the experimental therapy are exciting, they are limited by the small sample size as well as the absence of a control group – such as a placebo group – to directly contrast with the patients.
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, Head of Psychedelic Research at Imperial, who led the study, said: “We have shown for the first time clear changes in brain activity in depressed people treated with psilocybin after failing to respond to conventional treatments.
“Several of our patients described feeling ‘reset’ after the treatment and often used computer analogies. For example, one said he felt like his brain had been ‘defragged’ like a computer hard drive, and another said he felt ‘rebooted’.
“Psilocybin may be giving these individuals the temporary ‘kick start’ they need to break out of their depressive states and these imaging results do tentatively support a ‘reset’ analogy. Similar brain effects to these have been seen with electroconvulsive therapy.”
Exploring the potential of psychedelics
Over the last decade or so, a number of clinical trials have been conducted into the safety and effectiveness of psychedelics in patients with conditions such as depression and addictions, yielding promising results.
In the recent Imperial trial, the first with psilocybin in depression, 20 patients with treatment-resistant form of the disorder were given two doses of psilocybin (10 mg and 25 mg), with the second dose a week after the first. Nineteen of these underwent initial brain imaging and then a second scan one day after the high dose treatment.
Carhart-Harris and team used two main brain imaging methods to measure changes in blood flow and the crosstalk between brain regions, with patients reporting their depressive symptoms through completing clinical questionnaires.
Immediately following treatment with psilocybin, patients reported a decrease in depressive symptoms – corresponding with anecdotal reports of an ‘after-glow’ effect characterised by improvements in mood and stress relief.
‘Resetting’ brain activity
Functional MRI imaging revealed reduced blood flow in areas of the brain, including the amygdala, a small, almond-shaped region of the brain known to be involved in processing emotional responses, stress and fear. They also found increased stability in another brain network, previously linked to psilocybin’s immediate effects as well as to depression itself.
Psilocybin may be giving these individuals the temporary ‘kick start’ they need to break out of their depressive states– Dr Robin Carhart-Harris
Lead author
These findings provide a new window into what happens in the brains of people after they have ‘come down’ from a psychedelic, where an initial disintegration of brain networks during the drug ‘trip’, is followed by a re-integration afterwards.
Dr Carhart-Harris explained: “Through collecting these imaging data we have been able to provide a window into the after effects of psilocybin treatment in the brains of patients with chronic depression.
“Based on what we know from various brain imaging studies with psychedelics, as well as taking heed of what people say about their experiences, it may be that psychedelics do indeed ‘reset’ the brain networks associated with depression, effectively enabling them to be lifted from the depressed state.”
The authors warn that while the initial findings are encouraging, the research is at an early stage and that patients with depression should not attempt to self-medicate, as the team provided a special therapeutic context for the drug experience and things may go awry if the extensive psychological component of the treatment is neglected.
They add that future studies will include more robust designs and currently plan to test psilocybin against a leading antidepressant in a trial set to start early next year.
Learn more: Magic mushrooms may ‘reset’ the brains of depressed patients
The Latest on: Psilocybin
[google_news title=”” keyword=”psilocybin ” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
- California Bill To Legalize Psychedelic Services Get Amendments Ahead Of Expected Committee Vote Next Monthon March 29, 2024 at 7:33 am
A bipartisan bill to legalize psychedelic service centers in California has been amended in a number of different ways as supporters prepare for an expected committee hearing next month. The ...
- K-9 finds 72 pounds of marijuana, mushrooms after North Carolina traffic stopon March 29, 2024 at 6:57 am
K-9 Goose responded and conducted a sniff around the vehicle which resulted in a positive alert to the odor of illegal drugs.
- Atai Life Sciences Q4 And Full-Year 2023 Results: Steep Cash Drain Yet 2026 Target Remains, Update On Psychedelic Pipelineon March 29, 2024 at 6:21 am
Clinical-stage psychedelics biotech Atai Life Sciences ATAI +7.26% + Free Alerts announced its consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2023. Cash, cash equivalents and ...
- Researchers Find New Way To Measure Potency of Mushroomson March 29, 2024 at 3:00 am
A new technique has arrived that measures the potency of psilocybin and psilocin, great news for those medicated by mushrooms.
- Judiciary Committee Sends Psilocybin and Street Takeover Bills Through To Houseon March 27, 2024 at 12:23 pm
The Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to send several bills through to the House, including one that would reduce the penalty for possession of psilocybin, also known as hallucinogenic mushrooms.
- CT lawmakers advance bill that would decriminalize possession of psilocybin mushroomson March 27, 2024 at 11:00 am
The legislative Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would decriminalize possession of small amount of 'magic' mushrooms ...
- Connecticut Lawmakers Approve Psilocybin Decriminalization Bill In Joint Committee Voteon March 26, 2024 at 11:37 am
Connecticut lawmakers have approved a bill to decriminalize psilocybin in a bicameral committee. About two weeks after the legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee first discussed the psychedelics ...
- Many users of Oregon’s legal psilocybin program aren’t Oregonians at allon March 26, 2024 at 7:06 am
Since its implementation, many in Oregon’s burgeoning psilocybin industry say a major percentage of people accessing the service in Oregon are traveling from out of state or even out of the country.
- Utah’s New Law to Authorize MDMA and Psilocybin Therapyon March 25, 2024 at 7:23 am
It's notable for passing though a Republican-dominated political system, though experts have some doubts about its practical efficacy.
- Mushroom Joe? How President Biden could reschedule psilocybin like marijuanaon March 22, 2024 at 3:30 am
President Joe Biden or a successor could reschedule psychedelics like marijuana, but only if states create the right psilocybin policies.
via Google News and Bing News