Researchers at UC San Francisco and Imperial College London say a single dose of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, may trigger physical changes in the brain that can still be detected a month later, according to ScienceDaily.
The study, published in Nature Communications, looked at 28 healthy adults who had never used a psychedelic before. Although none of the volunteers had a diagnosed mental health condition, the researchers said the results may help explain why psilocybin has shown promise for depression, anxiety and addiction.
To track what happened in the brain, the team measured activity and connectivity before the dose, during the experience and again weeks later. They focused in part on brain entropy, which refers to the variety and unpredictability of neural activity.
After a 25 mg dose, EEG readings showed a rise in entropy within an hour. One month later, imaging suggested neural tracts were denser and more intact, and participants who showed the biggest early increase in entropy were also the most likely to report greater insight the next day and improved well-being later on.
The researchers said more study is needed to understand what the structural findings mean, but they believe the work could eventually help refine psilocybin-based treatments by identifying doses that encourage meaningful insight without creating an unnecessarily intense experience.
