How “Magic Mushrooms” Can Treat Depression

In France, nearly one person in five has suffered or will suffer from depression during their lifetime. Rumination, concentration disorders, psychomotor slowing… The psychological consequences are multiple. To reduce these undesirable effects, various treatments can be prescribed and, recently, the use of “magic mushrooms” is seriously considered. The study, conducted by British and American researchers, was published in the scientific journal NatureMedicine.

Psilocybin, a powerful psychedelic

Psilocybin is a mind-altering drug found in certain mushrooms. This hallucinogenic substance, whose effects are comparable to certain drugs, modifies the perceptions of those who consume it and can cause visual and auditory distortions.

However, scientists from UC San Francisco and Imperial College London have recently discovered a new effect of this compound. According to their work, psilocybin could treat symptoms of depression quickly and over time.

The results, from two studies and based on brain scans of 60 people, showed that this hallucinogen reduced connections in brain areas linked to depression and increased connections with other regions of the brain.

A “liberation” of the brain

These first tests are very encouraging because they confirm the positive action of psilocybin on the brain.

Concretely, this would reduce undesirable depressive symptoms (excessive rumination, fixed and obsessive thoughts, etc.) and allow the different brain regions to communicate better with each other, even after treatment.

“In previous studies, we observed a similar effect in the brain when people scanned took a psychedelic, but here we observe it weeks after treatment for depression, suggesting a delay in the acute action of the drug.“said Robin. Carhart-Harris, PhD, the study’s lead author.

The scientists also noticed that the change in brain activity one day after treatment proved to be a good “predictor” of determining whether a patient still shows improvement at six months.

Nevertheless, the researchers wish to remain cautious about the “long-lasting” effect of the treatment. “We don’t yet know how long the changes in brain activity seen with this therapy last and we need to do more research on this. We know that some people relapse, and it may be that after a while their brains return to the rigid patterns of activity that we see in depression.”warns Professor Carhart-Harris.

Psilocybin could treat other mental illnesses

Another advantage of this “magic mushroom” according to the researchers: psilocybin could soon cure other mental disorders.

“We have discovered a fundamental mechanism that shows that psychedelic therapy works not only for depression, but also for other mental illnesses, such as anorexia or addiction. We now have to test if that’s the case, and if that’s the case, then we’ve found something essential.”says Professor Carhart-Harris.

Of course, patients with depression should never take psilocybin alone. These results are from controlled trials.