Dr. Nico Dosenbach of the University of Washington was one of seven participants in an experiment that studied how participants reacted to taking psilocybin.
A scientist said he watched his brain “fall apart” after taking psychedelic drugs as part of a new clinical trial.
Dr. Nico Dosenbach of the University of Washington was one of seven participants in an experiment that studied how participants reacted to taking psilocybin, the main active ingredient in magic mushrooms, also known as shrooms.
The neuroscientist reported that he felt a greater “sense of self” when the drug took effect and had an almost religious experience that made him believe he “was the universe.”
The study’s findings provided a rare glimpse into how these types of medications can offer lasting relief to people suffering from depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders.
“My sense of self expanded as if I were the universe,” Dr. Dosenbach said. CNNtalking about his experience taking psilocybin.
‘Other people said they saw God, and if I was really religious, I could see it, but for me it was more like, ‘Oh, I am the universe.’
Psilocybin affects the part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is responsible for reflecting thoughts and experiences that help people define their sense of identity.
This is similar to the way antidepressants target the brain to disrupt the “cycle of negative thinking or stuck thinking that can occur with depression,” Ginger Nichol, co-author of the study, told CNN.
Psilocybin remains illegal in most of the United States, but the Food and Drug Administration approved it as a “breakthrough therapy” drug in 2018 for clinical trials to treat major depression.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine studied how participants reacted to taking psilocybin, the main active ingredient in magic mushrooms. Pictured: Participant’s brain before psilocybin was administered
The changes occurred primarily in the parts of the brain that are responsible for reflecting the thoughts and experiences that help people define their sense of identity. Pictured: The brain after the participant was given psilocybin
Dr. Dosenbach was part of the psilocybin group that was given 25 milligrams of the drug, while some participants received 40 milligrams of Ritalin. a stimulant prescribed to treat hyperactive disorder and attention deficit (ADHD).
The neuroscientist said he was not told whether he was receiving psilocybin or the stimulant in the new study.
“Until it took effect, no one in the trial knew whether they had taken psilocybin or Ritalin, which was chosen as a placebo because it is also arousing, like drinking a cup of coffee or two,” Dr. Dosenbach told CNN.
“But then I thought, no, this is not a placebo,” he said. “I was the computer tablet and my thoughts were like the thoughts of a computer, which of course makes no sense.
“I knew this wasn’t normal, but it wasn’t scary.”
At least 18 scans of each participant’s brain were performed before, during and after the trial, using a heat map of red, orange and yellow hues to show the change in normal brain activity and blue and green to reflect the brain in its normal state.
Dr. Dosenbach said he was very interested in her reaction to the psychedelic and in seeing the results on the brain scans.
“It was definitely an amazing experience for a neuroscientist,” he said. National Public Radio.
“It’s really fascinating how your brain can fall apart, because the way something breaks tells you how it works.”
Although magic mushrooms (pictured) have shown promise in combating anxiety and mental health disorders, some people may experience persistent and distressing visions depending on their mental state, personality, and current environment.
Another participant, however, reported having a more vivid, biblical reaction, saying he “felt like the light of God was shining on him,” Nichol said.
“We were able to get to that point in the scan and pinpoint exactly when he felt that: It happened at the peak of desynchronization (of typical brain pathways).”
“Psilocybin, unlike any other drug we’ve tried, has this massive effect on the entire brain that was quite unexpected,” said Dr. The New York Times.
“It was quite shocking when we saw the size of the effect.”
The scans also showed a slight change in brain activity among those given Ritalin, but the neural adjustment for those taking psilocybin was three times greater.
The researchers conducted a second study with four of the participants who tried the psychedelic drug again between six and twelve months later, including the man who felt God, but this time his reaction was quite different.
“The first time, he had an almost religious experience,” Nichol told NPR. “The second time, he saw demons.”
Psilocybin remains illegal in most of the United States, but the Food and Drug Administration approved it as a “breakthrough therapy” drug in 2018 for clinical trials to treat major depression.
Although psilocybin has shown promise in combating anxiety and mental health disorders, some people may experience persistent and distressing visions depending on their mental state, personality, and current environment, according to Today’s medical news.
Brain scans revealed that in the days after taking psilocybin, participants’ brain networks returned to normal, but the connection to their hippocampus lasted for up to three weeks.
This persistent effect could explain how the drug could have a therapeutic impact on people with mental disorders.
“At first, the effect is huge, and when it wears off, it’s only a very punctual effect,” says Dosenbach. “That’s exactly what you’d expect from a potential drug.”
“We don’t want people’s brain networks to be destroyed for days, but we also don’t want everything to go back to the way it was right away,” he said. “We want an effect that lasts long enough to make a difference.”
DailyMail.com has contacted the researchers for comment.
