Anti-stress psilocybin
The experiment showed how psilocybin helps the brain recover from stress
Maria Azarova, Naked Science
Psilocybin is an alkaloid, a serotonergic psychedelic with untapped therapeutic potential, causing feelings of euphoria and distortion of sensations, visual and auditory hallucinations. In nature, it is found mainly in the so-called magic mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe, in smaller quantities – in fungi of the genera paneolus, stropharia, gymnopilus, fibreglass and others. According to According to the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, psilocybin is a controlled substance from the number one list: it means that it is highly likely to lead to abuse and does not serve legitimate medical purposes.
Psilocybin activates serotonin receptors, most often in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for mood, cognition and perception. Hallucinogens also affect other areas of the brain that regulate arousal and panic reactions. After psilocybin enters the intestine, the body converts it into psilocin, a psychoactive substance–an alkaloid from the tryptamine family. Hallucinogenic effects usually manifest within 30 minutes after ingestion and persist for four to six hours. For some people, changes in sensory perception and way of thinking may remain for several days.
The ritual use of psilocybin for mystical or spiritual purposes dates back to pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies and continues to this day. Although mostly this drug is used for entertainment and the search for "transcendental spiritual experience".
In 2006, the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelia and Consciousness Research published a study on the safety and positive effects of psilocybin. Doctors, in turn, tested this substance for the treatment of cluster headaches, anxiety caused by late-stage cancer, depression and other anxiety disorders. Some scientists have questioned its efficacy and safety as a therapeutic agent, nevertheless psilocybin continues to be studied in the context of the treatment of depression. But what its mechanism is and how long positive results can persist is still not clear.
Scientists from the Department of Psychiatry at the Medical School at Yale University (USA), using a laser scanning microscope, have shown that a single dose of psilocybin administered to stressed mice causes an immediate and prolonged strengthening of connections between neurons. The structural adjustment took place quickly, within 24 hours, and persisted a month later. In addition, the substance leveled behavioral deficits associated with stress and increased the activity of neurotransmitters. This is described in a study published in the journal Neuron (Shao et al., Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spins in frontal cortex in vivo).
As it turned out, psilocybin increases the density of dendritic spines – small protrusions on nerve cells that help transmit information between neurons. At the same time, chronic stress and depression reduce the number of these neural connections.
"Not only did we see a 10% increase in the number of neural connections – they were on average about 10% larger, therefore stronger," said Alex Kwan, associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience.
Do not forget that psilocybin remains an unsafe and illegal drug, although it is believed that it still does not cause addiction. Overdose may be accompanied by agitation, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle weakness, panic or paranoia, psychosis, seizures, confusion, and in severe cases, coma.
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