Scientists from Imperial College London found psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, helps to “open up” depressed people’s brains, even after use, enabling brain regions to talk more freely to one another.
The team did an analysis of brain scans from close to 60 people receiving treatment for depression. They believe the findings may have untangled how psilocybin exerts its therapeutic effects on the brain.
The research is published in Nature Medicine and was conducted by Professor Robin Carhart-Harris et al.
Psilocybin is one of a number of psychedelics being explored as a potential therapy for psychiatric disorders.
Several studies have tested a synthesized form of the drug to treat patients with depression and anxiety, with promising results.
In the new study, the team found that people who responded to psilocybin-assisted therapy showed increased brain connectivity not just during their treatment, but up to three weeks afterwards.
This “opening up” effect was associated with self-reported improvements in their depression.
However, similar changes in brain connectivity were not seen in those treated with a conventional antidepressant (called escitalopram), suggesting the psychedelic works differently in treating depression.
The researchers explain that patterns of brain activity in depression can become rigid and restricted, and that psilocybin could potentially help the brain to break out of this rut in a way that traditional therapies cannot.
Initial findings from two studies carried out at Imperial reported a reduction in measures of depression, but the mechanism underpinning how the treatment exerts these effects has been unclear.
In this study, the team analyzed fMRI scans of participants from these two trials, which included almost 60 participants:
an open label trial in treatment-resistant depression—where all participants received psilocybin; and a randomized control trial in more general depression that compared psilocybin with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram.
All participants also received talking therapies with registered mental health professionals and brain scans were taken before, and then one day or three weeks after participants received psilocybin therapy.
Both trials found improvements with psilocybin therapy, as measured by improved participant scores on clinical questionnaires. Analysis of the brain scans revealed altered communication or connectivity between brain regions.
The authors caution that patients with depression should not attempt to self-medicate with psilocybin, as taking magic mushrooms or psilocybin in the absence of these careful safeguards may not have a positive outcome.
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