How Psilocybin May Rewire the Brain

“One of the most interesting things we’ve learned about the classic psychedelics is that they have a dramatic effect on the way brain systems synchronize, or move and groove together,” said Matthew Johnson, a professor in psychedelics and consciousness at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

“When someone’s on psilocybin, we see an overall increase in connectivity between areas of the brain that don’t normally communicate well,” Johnson said. “You also see the opposite of that – local networks in the brain that normally interact with each other quite a bit suddenly communicate less.”

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More Psilocybin Research

Studies over the past several years have shown promise in using psilocybin-assisted therapy to treat psychiatric disorders like depression.

A recent follow-up study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found two doses of the hallucinogenic compound coupled with psychotherapy resulted in large decreases in major depressive disorder symptoms for most of the study’s participants.

New research is hinting at how the hallucinogenic compound may facilitate reduced depression symptoms.

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Psilocybin, Depression and Cancer

COMPASS Pathways, a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health, welcomed the topline data shared today from an open-label study of psilocybin therapy for depression in cancer patients.

Within one week of a single administration of COMP360 psilocybin therapy, 50% of participants achieved remission in depression symptoms, which was sustained for the eight week follow-up period.

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Evidence on Mushroom Intelligence

A body of remarkable experiments have shown that fungi operate as individuals, engage in decision-making, are capable of learning, and possess short-term memory.

These findings highlight the spectacular sensitivity of such ‘simple’ organisms, and situate the human version of the mind within a spectrum of consciousness that might well span the entire natural world.

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