Psilocybin Causes “Massive Changes” in the Network of Neurons in the Brain
A small 2024 study from Washington University School of Medicine revealed huge changes in the brain-network patterns of study participants that took a large dose of psilocybin. The effects were so strong that Shan Siddiqi, psychiatric neuroscientist at Harvard School of Medicine, explained that their neural patterns “resembled those of a different person entirely.” Seven adults were given either a single dose of psilocybin or a placebo (a generic version of the stimulant Ritalin), and all underwent 18 MRI brain scans–before, during and after the dosing. The scans revealed that psilocybin has an unexpected effect across the whole brain and its communication pathways, resetting entire networks of brain neurons responsible for controlling a person’s sense of time and self. Certain changes lasted for weeks. The findings could offer insights into why psilocybin might have a therapeutic effect against some neurological conditions.
Access this study
