Patients taking psilocybin to treat depression show reduced symptoms weeks after treatment following a 'reset' of their brain activity.
The findings come from a study in which researchers from Imperial College London used psilocybin - the psychoactive compound that occurs naturally in magic mushrooms - to treat a small number of patients with depression in whom conventional treatment had failed.
In a paper, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers describe patient-reported benefits lasting up to five weeks after treatment, and believe the psychedelic compound may effectively reset the activity of key braincircuits known to play a role in depression.
Comparison of images of patients' brains before and one day after they received the drug treatment revealed changes in brain activity that were associated with marked and lasting reductions in depressive symptoms.
The authors note that while the initial results of the experimental therapy are exciting, they are limited by the small sample size as well as the absence of a control group - such as a placebo group - to directly contrast with the patients.
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, Head of Psychedelic Research at Imperial, who led the study, said: "We have shown for the first time clear changes in brain activity in depressed people treated with psilocybin after failing to respond to conventional treatments.
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10 comments:
It causes brain damage but you can call it resetting if you want...LOL
I've reset a few times without any negative side effects.
Brain damage? Really?
Every time you use it there is damage and continued use will result in permanent brain damage.
Lad should work well, too.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Every time you use it there is damage and continued use will result in permanent brain damage.
October 14, 2017 at 7:42 PM
No sir, that is false.
Brain damage occurs from playing football but you allow your children to play starting at a young age and go cheer them on at high school games. Just sayin.
Stuff made me sick as a dog, but once the puking stopped, it was a magic carpet ride! But alas, its not for me, as I HATE to puke.
The small study gave 19 patients a single dose of the psychedelic ingredient psilocybin.
Half of patients ceased to be depressed and experienced changes in their brain activity that lasted about five weeks.
However, the team at Imperial College London says people should not self-medicate.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Stuff made me sick as a dog, but once the puking stopped, it was a magic carpet ride! But alas, its not for me, as I HATE to puke.
October 15, 2017 at 12:57 PM
that's called purging. getting rid of the bad stuff so the good can work.
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