Psilocybin, the compound that makes magic mushrooms trippy, works its magic by desynchronizing the brain network responsible for a person’s sense of self, new research finds.
Psilocybin warps people’s sense of time and space, as well as shifts their feelings of connection to the world around them. While most of these subjective effects wane pretty quickly, the new study finds that some changes in the brain persist for weeks after a high dose of psilocybin.
This is the first time such persistence has been detailed in humans, and the findings may help explain why psilocybin is a promising treatment for depression and other mental health conditions, said lead study author Dr. Joshua Siegel, a psychiatrist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
“Writer Fuel” is a series of cool real-world stories that might inspire your little writer heart. Check out our Writer Fuel page on the LimFic blog for more inspiration.
