Scientists are working to discover how a single psychedelic trip may cause physical changes in a person's brain. There has been a growing interest in psychedelics, with President Donald Trump signing an executive order last month directing the Food and Drug Administration to accelerate access to the hallucinogenic drugs that are still illegal under federal law.
Study Details and Findings
A new small, exploratory study analyzed nearly 30 people in London who had never taken psychedelics before. Researchers tracked the patients' brain activity after they took a 25-milligram dose of the psychedelic compound psilocybin, which is the active ingredient in so-called magic mushrooms. One month after taking psilocybin, researchers observed greater cognitive flexibility, psychological insight, and overall well-being among patients, according to the study published in Nature Communications on Tuesday.
The study found that “the bigger the scores on psychological insight, the bigger the improvements in therapeutic response,” the study’s senior author Robin Carhart-Harris, from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, told NBC News.
Brain Imaging Results
Researchers measured how water moved along neural fibers between different parts of patients’ brains using a type of MRI called diffusion tensor imaging, or DTI. The scans were done before treatment and one month after the psilocybin dose, revealing that water appeared to flow less easily through the tracts between the prefrontal cortex and deeper parts of the brain after the dose. The prefrontal cortex, located at the front of the brain, helps with emotions, self-control and decision-making.
“We don’t really know what it means, but the tracts become denser,” Carhart-Harris said. More research is needed to understand whether the brain changes observed in the study have a therapeutic effect.
Policy Context and Future Research
As scientists search for more answers, the FDA has fast-tracked the review of three psychedelic drugs in development to treat depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, including psilocybin. President Donald Trump’s executive order last month directed the FDA to accelerate access to psychedelics, signaling a shift in federal policy toward these substances.
