Depression : the promising results of hallucinogenic mushrooms

Picture of mushrooms – TTstudio/epictura

Published the 14.10.2017 to 12h44

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psilocybinechampignondépression

So many years ago that the scientific studies analyze the effects of “psychedelic drugs” on the anxiety, stress or depression. For the first time, researchers were able to observe the impact on the brain of the psilocybin, the active principle of the hallucinogenic mushrooms.

To highlight its effects, published in the scientific journal Nature, researchers from Imperial College London have followed 20 patients with depression, and whose symptoms were resistant to traditional treatments. They have received two doses of psilocybin (10 mg and 25 mg), one week gap. The patients also experienced an MRI before and after taking the doses.

The study indicates that the patients have all reported a decrease in depressive symptoms after treatment with psilocybin. These effects – such as improved mood and stress relief – have lasted up to 5 weeks after the treatment. Importantly, the MRI scans revealed a reduction of blood flow in different brain areas, in particular in the amygdala, known to be involved in the processing of emotional reactions, stress and fear.

Patients “reset”

“For the first time, we showed clear changes in brain activity of patients treated with psilocybin [ … ],” said the Guardian dr Robin Carhart-Harris, at the head of the group of psychedelic Research from the Imperial College, who led the study. “Many of our patients have described having felt “restart” after the treatment, and have often used analogies computer. For example, one of them has expressed to feel the impression that his brain has been “defragmented” like a hard drive, and another “reset” “.

This study would tend to show that psilocybin could play the role of “boost” temporary ” to get out of their depressive patients resistant to all current treatments.

Last year, two u.s. studies had already shown that a single dose of psilocybin could ease the anxiety and depression of people living with advanced cancer for six months, or even longer.