Researcher takes magic mushrooms for scientific study and watches his brain ‘FALL APART’

A scientist has said he witnessed his brain “falling apart” after taking a hallucinogen as part of a new clinical trial.

Dr. Nico Dozenbach of the University of Washington was one of seven participants in a study that studied subjects’ responses to psilocybin, the main active ingredient in cannabis. Magic Mushroomsalso known as shrooms.

Neuroscientists reported that once the drug began to take effect, people had an increased “sense of self” and had an almost religious experience, coming to believe that “I am the universe.”

The findings of this study have provided valuable information for understanding how these types of medications can provide lasting relief to people suffering from depression. depression, anxiety others Mental illness.

“My sense of self became almost cosmic,” Dr. Dosenbach said. CNNHe spoke about his experience taking psilocybin.

“Other people have reported seeing God. If I was very religious, I would have seen it. But for me, it was more like, ‘Oh, I am the universe.'”

Psilocybin affects a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is responsible for reflecting thoughts and experiences that help define an individual’s sense of self.

This is similar to how antidepressants target the brain to interrupt “negative thought loops” or “stuck thoughts.” depressionGinger Nicol, a co-author of the study, told CNN:

Psilocybin remains illegal in most parts of the United States However, the Food and Drug Administration has called itBreakthrough Therapy Clinical trials began in 2018 for the treatment of severe depression.

Dr. Dosenbach was part of a group given 25 milligrams of psilocybin, while some participants were given 40 milligrams. Ritalin – Stimulants prescribed for treatment Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder).

The neuroscientist said he was not told whether he was taking psilocybin or stimulants in the new study.

“Until the effects began, no one in the trial knew whether they were taking psilocybin or Ritalin, which was chosen as a placebo because it has a stimulant effect similar to drinking a cup or two of coffee,” Dr. Dosenbach told CNN.

“But then I thought: No, this isn’t a placebo,” he says. “I was a computer tablet and my thoughts were like the thoughts of a computer. Of course that doesn’t make sense.”

“I knew this wasn’t normal, but I wasn’t scared.”

Each participant’s brain was scanned at least 18 times before, during and after the trial, and heat maps of red, orange and yellow hues were used to show changes in normal brain activity, with blue and green used to reflect normal brain states.

Dr Dosenbach said he was fascinated by the patients’ reactions to psychedelics and what the results showed on brain scans.

“It was definitely a great experience for a neuroscientist,” he said. NPR.

“Watching the brain break down is really fascinating, because the way something breaks can tell us something about how something works.”

But other participants reported having more vivid, biblical responses and “felt like God’s light was shining on them,” Nicol said.

“We were able to actually go to that spot with the scan and pinpoint exactly when he felt it, and it happened at the peak of desynchronization[from the brain’s typical pathways].”

“Psilocybin is different from any other drug we tested and has such profound effects throughout the brain, which was quite unexpected,” he said. The New York Times.

“It was pretty shocking when I saw the size of the effect.”

The scans also showed slight changes in brain activity in those given Ritalin, but the neural regulation was three times greater in those who took psilocybin.

The researchers conducted a second study with four participants who returned to test the psychedelics six to 12 months later, including the man who had experienced god, but this time his response was completely different.

“The first time, he had an almost religious experience,” Nicol told NPR. “The second time, he saw the devil.”

Psilocybin is believed to be effective in treating anxiety and other psychiatric disorders, but some people may experience persistent and distressing hallucinations depending on their mental state, personality, and current environment. Today’s Medical News.

Brain scans revealed that the subjects’ brain networks returned to normal a few days after taking psilocybin, but connections to the hippocampus persisted for up to three weeks.

This sustained effect may explain why the drug may have therapeutic benefits for people with psychiatric disorders.

“You get a big effect at first, and then after that wears off you’re left with a pinpoint effect,” Dr. Dosenbach said. “And that’s exactly what you’d expect from a promising drug.”

“You don’t want people’s brain networks to be destroyed for days, but you don’t want everything to bounce back immediately,” he said. “You want the effect to last long enough to make a difference.”

DailyMail.com has contacted the researchers for comment.