According to one study, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms helps to open up depressed people’s brains and make them less stuck in negative thinking patterns.
The findings suggest psilocybin could be a real alternative to depression treatments, researchers say
The study found that psilocybin made the brain more flexible, working differently than standard antidepressants even weeks after use.
They claim that in depression, brain activity patterns can become rigid and restricted, and that psilocybin could help the brain break out of the rut in a way that traditional therapies cannot.
These findings are important because for the first time we find that psilocybin works differently than conventional antidepressants, making the brain more flexible and fluid, and less entrenched in the negative thinking patterns associated with depression,” said Prof David Nutt, director of the Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research.
We’d seen a similar effect in the brain when people were scanned while on a psychedelic in previous studies, but here we’re seeing it weeks after treatment for depression, implying a carryover of the acute drug action.”
