‘Magic mushroom’ compound creates a hyper-connected brain to treat depression | Live Science

Psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in “magic mushrooms,” could treat depression by creating a hyper-connected brain.

By boosting connectivity between different areas of the brain, the psychedelic may help people with depression break out of rigid, negative patterns of thinking, a new study suggests.

Recent clinical trials have suggested that psilocybin may be an effective treatment for depression, when carefully administered under the supervision of mental health professionals. In the new study, published Monday (April 11) in the journal Nature Medicine (opens in new tab), researchers probed exactly how the psychedelic works to improve peoples’ depressive symptoms. To do so, the team collected brain scans from about 60 patients who had participated in clinical trials for psilocybin therapy; these brain scans revealed distinct changes in the patients’ brain wiring that emerged after they took the drug. Read More »

Reposted from

merelygifted