The mechanism by which 'Magic Mushroom' works for depression will be elucidated by brain scan, and it may be used for the treatment of addiction and anorexia nervosa.

A study of administering psilocybin , the active ingredient of magic mushrooms , to depressed patients and analyzing the data obtained by scanning their brains revealed that psilocybin has the function of softening the stiffened brain condition and promoting rewiring. Did. A better understanding of how psilocybin improves depression has also shown that psilocybin may be effective in other psychiatric disorders such as addiction and anorexia nervosa.

Increased global integration in the brain after psilocybin therapy for depression | Nature Medicine
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01744-z

Psilocybin Rewires the Brain for People with Depression | UC San Francisco
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2022/04/422606/psilocybin-rewires-brain-people-depression

Magic mushroom compound increases brain connectivity in people with depression | Imperial News | Imperial College London
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/235514/magic-mushroom-compound-increases-brain-connectivity/

We May Finally Know How Magic Mushrooms Work to Relieve Depression
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-finally-figured-out-how-magic-mushrooms-might-relieve-depression

Studies conducted to date have shown that psilocybin in magic mushrooms has the effect of improving depression, and efforts are being made in the United States to legally use it as a treatment for mental illness. It is being advanced.

The same hallucinogen ingredient as Magic Mushroom is approved by the authorities as a 'breakthrough therapy' for depression-GIGAZINE

However, the mechanism by which psilocybin improves depression has not been well understood. So, a research team led by David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist at Imperial College London, conducted a study to scrutinize brain scan data from two previous clinical trials of psilocybin. rice field.

Of the two clinical trials, the first is for patients with treatment-resistant depression, that is, patients with moderate to severe depression who have difficulty achieving adequate therapeutic effects even with appropriate medication and rest. Participants knew that they had been given sirocibin. In addition, the second clinical trial is aimed at patients with less serious depression, who will be given psilocybin or escitalopram , a common depression treatment, and who will receive either. I didn't know if it was done. Both clinical trials have shown that psilocybin has the effect of improving depression.

The researchers analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from these previous clinical trials and found that in the brains of patients receiving sirocibin, the brains were less connected in normal depressed patients. It turns out that the connection between the areas of is stronger. On the other hand, in normal depressed patients, the connection was weaker in the part where the connection was strong.

The following is a visual representation of the brain condition of a depressed patient obtained by a brain scan. In the pretreatment condition on the left, the difference between the depressed part shown in deep blue and the uplifted part shown in orange was remarkable, but it became flat when the central psilocybin was administered. .. In addition, unevenness can be seen even after the treatment on the right, but the head is considerably gentler than before the treatment. This indicates that 'the brain of a patient who had difficulty changing perspectives due to undulations and became rigid, gained flexibility with psilocybin therapy.'

In addition to improving depression, cognitive function was also improved in people who received psilocybin. It seems that these effects did not appear in patients who received conventional treatments for depression.

Regarding this result, Mr. Nat said, 'For the first time, we found that psilocybin works differently from conventional antidepressants by making the brain more flexible and fluid and preventing it from falling into negative thinking patterns. This supports our initial expectations that psilocybin could be a true alternative approach to treating depression. '

Robin Lester Carhart Harris, co-author of the paper, commented on the finding that psilocybin promotes the reconnection of brain circuits: 'Another finding is that psilocybin therapy depends not only on depression, but also on it. There is a fundamental mechanism that works for other psychiatric disorders such as illness and anorexia nervosa. Further testing is needed to confirm this, but if as expected we are something very important. You have made a discovery. '