The researchers found that psilocybin made the brain more flexible, even weeks after use. They suggest that the findings suggest that psilocybin could be an alternative approach to depression treatment, as it works differently from regular antidepressants. Patterns of brain activity in depression can become rigid and restrained, they said, but psilocybin could help the brain escape the quagmire in a way that traditional therapies cannot. Professor David Nutt, head of the Imperial Center for Psychedelic Research, said: “These findings are significant because we are seeing for the first time that psilocybin works differently from conventional antidepressants – making the brain more flexible and fluid and less entrenched in negative thinking. patterns related to depression. “This supports our initial predictions and confirms that psilocybin could be a real alternative approach to treating depression.” The paper’s lead author, Professor Robin Carhart-Harris, former head of the Imperial Center for Psychiatric Research, now based at the University of California, San Francisco, said: “The effect of psilocybin is consistent in two studies, which related to the improvement of people. and was not observed with a conventional antidepressant. “In previous studies we had seen a similar effect on the brain when people were scanned while taking psychedelics, but here we see it weeks after treatment for depression, which indicates a ‘transfer’ of the drug’s acute action.” Psilocybin is one of the many psychedelics being investigated as a possible treatment for psychiatric disorders. The latest findings are based on an analysis of brain scans by about 60 people receiving treatment for depression, led by the Psychedelic Research Center at Imperial College London. The results of two combined studies reveal that individuals who responded to psilocybin therapy showed increased brain connectivity not only during treatment but also up to three weeks later. The openness phenomenon was associated with individuals who reported improvements in their depression. The researchers said similar changes in brain connectivity were not seen in those treated with a conventional antidepressant, escitalopram, suggesting that psychedelic function works differently in treating depression. The team said the findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, are a promising breakthrough for psilocybin treatment. However, they said, while the findings are encouraging, patients with depression should not attempt to self-medicate with psilocybin, as taking magic mushrooms or psilocybin in the absence of test conditions may not have a positive effect.

title: “Magic Mushroom Psychedelic Compound Opens Up Depressed People S Brains Study Suggests Uk News " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-13” author: “Kathy Andrews”

The researchers found that psilocybin made the brain more flexible, even weeks after use. They suggest that the findings suggest that psilocybin could be an alternative approach to depression treatment, as it works differently from regular antidepressants. Patterns of brain activity in depression can become rigid and restrained, they said, but psilocybin could help the brain escape the quagmire in a way that traditional therapies cannot. Professor David Nutt, head of the Imperial Center for Psychedelic Research, said: “These findings are significant because we are seeing for the first time that psilocybin works differently from conventional antidepressants – making the brain more flexible and fluid and less entrenched in negative thinking. patterns related to depression. “This supports our initial predictions and confirms that psilocybin could be a real alternative approach to treating depression.” The paper’s lead author, Professor Robin Carhart-Harris, former head of the Imperial Center for Psychiatric Research, now based at the University of California, San Francisco, said: “The effect of psilocybin is consistent in two studies, which related to the improvement of people. and was not observed with a conventional antidepressant. “In previous studies we had seen a similar effect on the brain when people were scanned while taking psychedelics, but here we see it weeks after treatment for depression, which indicates a ‘transfer’ of the drug’s acute action.” Psilocybin is one of the many psychedelics being investigated as a possible treatment for psychiatric disorders. The latest findings are based on an analysis of brain scans by about 60 people receiving treatment for depression, led by the Psychedelic Research Center at Imperial College London. The results of two combined studies reveal that individuals who responded to psilocybin therapy showed increased brain connectivity not only during treatment but also up to three weeks later. The openness phenomenon was associated with individuals who reported improvements in their depression. The researchers said similar changes in brain connectivity were not seen in those treated with a conventional antidepressant, escitalopram, suggesting that psychedelic function works differently in treating depression. The team said the findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, are a promising breakthrough for psilocybin treatment. However, they said, while the findings are encouraging, patients with depression should not attempt to self-medicate with psilocybin, as taking magic mushrooms or psilocybin in the absence of test conditions may not have a positive effect.