Researches Watch Brains “Fall Apart and Rebuild” During Psychedelic Drug Studies

Dr. Nico Dosenbach, a neuroscientist at Washington University, volunteered for a groundbreaking clinical trial exploring psilocybin’s effects on the brain. This psychedelic, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, has shown promise in treating mental health disorders.

As the psilocybin took effect, Dr. Dosenbach’s experience became increasingly surreal. “My sense of self stretched like I was the universe,” he shared.

Psilocybin’s impact on the brain centers around the hippocampus, which plays a key role in self-reflection. This area of the brain helps individuals define their sense of self, much like how antidepressants work to disrupt negative thought patterns.

Throughout the trial, researchers conducted 18 brain scans on each participant. These scans used heat maps to show changes in brain activity, with red, orange, and yellow indicating heightened states.

One participant reported a vivid, Biblical vision during the peak of his psilocybin experience.

Participants in the trial were initially unaware if they had taken psilocybin or Ritalin, a stimulant used as a placebo. Dr. Dosenbach quickly realized he had consumed the psychedelic.

Brain scans revealed that while participants’ brain networks returned to normal within days, the connection to the hippocampus lasted up to three weeks.

Not all participants had positive experiences. One individual who initially felt a divine presence later reported seeing demons during a follow-up session.

For Dr. Dosenbach, the trial was an incredible opportunity to witness his brain “fall apart” and rebuild.

The trial’s results indicate that psilocybin has a significant impact on brain function, much greater than Ritalin.

Despite its promise, psilocybin remains illegal in most of the US. However, the FDA approved it as a “breakthrough therapy” drug in 2018 for clinical trials aimed at treating severe depression.

This study offers a rare and fascinating glimpse into how psychedelics like psilocybin can transform our understanding of the brain and mental health.

Interest in psychedelic drugs as mental health treatments has grown in recent years as research opens the door to the possibility of a new tool.

Many of the formal studies focus on the effects of ingesting large doses, but the wellness industry has popularized the concept of microdosing.

While many psychedelic drugs are still illegal in the eyes of the federal government, microdosing has inched its way into the mainstream. In some states, microdosing psilocybin has been tested as a treatment for those with bipolar disorders with great results.

Unfortunately, no drug can be approved by the FDA if it is not proven to work. At this moment, scientists cannot agree on whether or not these psychedelics are working.

Studies in placebo-controlled settings show that there is a minimal difference between people who get an active drug versus a placebo, suggesting that there is a participant bias at play in these studies.

This paradox has sparked a bigger debate in psychedelic circles, creating friction between traditional methods of investigating a new drug and burgeoning enthusiasm for psychedelics’ potential medical applications.

Many point to Jim Fadiman for the rise of microdosing as a mental health tool. His book, “The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide,” popularized the concept after he recounted his journey learning about the practice and its effects.

Eventually, Fadiman became interested in microdosing after hearing that Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann had done it. Curious about the effects of microdosing, Fadiman launched the first formal research into modern microdosing in 2010.

“I got reports like a little outline, like two lines a day, and also got people who wrote well over 2,000 words a day,” Fadiman said.

While Fadiman has stopped mailing out microdoses to willing participants, he continues to collect personal accounts from people who are willing to share their experiences for the sake of research.

Based on his trove of anecdotes, Fadiman likens microdosing to a tune-up for the whole system. “Medications are very symptom-specific. If you have a headache, a backache, a stomachache, a tremble, those all (need) different medications,” he said.

Principal investigator Zach Walsh, who is also a professor at the University of British Columbia and a clinical psychologist, launched a study to understand how and why people microdose using microdose.me to collect data.