Researchers shed light on how psychedelic compound in drug can distort sense of space, time and self during a trip
The psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms not only gives people a day trip – it can influence the brain for weeks, researchers have found.
Dr Joshua Siegel, a co-author of the work from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, said the research may also bring benefits to companies testing novel psychedelics and similar, but non-hallucinogenic, drugs. “It was also a requirement that they had taken a psychedelic at some point in their life, partly because they were taking a high dose, equivalent to 5g of magic mushrooms, and they were getting into a big, loud, banging, claustrophobic magnet on psilocybin,” said Siegel, adding the team needed to be sure participants would be able to tolerate the situation.
The results reveal taking psilocybin – but not methylphenidate – was associated with a loss of synchrony in what is known as the default mode network. This is an interconnected group of brain regions that is active when the mind is wandering and the brain isn’t working on a particular task. Crucially, says Siegel, this network is involved in creating a sense of self, as well as showing links to the perception of space and time.
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