Psilocybin for depression could help brain break out of a rut, scientists say

The compound found in magic mushrooms helps to open up depressed people's brains and make them less fixed in negative thinking patterns, according to research.

The findings show that the brain works differently to regular antidepressants after use of psilocybin. According to researchers, the findings show that there is a viable alternative to depression treatments.

The brain can become rigid and restricted in depression, and they believe that the drug could help the brain break out of the rut.

Prof David Nutt, the head of the Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research, said: "These findings are important because for the first time we find that the brain is more flexible and fluid, and less entrenched in the negative thinking."

This supports our initial predictions and shows that psilocybin could be an alternative approach to depression treatments.

The paper's senior author, Prof Robin Carhart-Harris, a former head of the Imperial centre who is now based at the University of California, San Francisco, said that the effect seen with psilocybin is consistent across two studies.

In previous studies we had seen a similar effect in the brain when people were scanned whilst on a drug, but here we are seeing it weeks after treatment for depression, which suggests a carryover of the acute drug action.

One of the drugs being explored as a potential therapy for psychiatric disorders is the drug psycoybin. The analysis of brain scans from about 60 people who are receiving treatment for depression is what led to the new findings. The team believes it has untangled how the drug works on the brain.

The people who responded to the therapy showed increased brain activity for up to three weeks afterwards. People who reported improvements in their depression were associated with the opening up effect.

The researchers think that the effects of the drug on the brain are different in treating depression than it is in treating other conditions.

Will the magic of drugs change psychiatrists?

The team says the findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, are a promising advance for the therapy.

While the findings are encouraging, patients with depression should not try to self-medicate with magic mushrooms or psilocybin, as taking them in the absence of trial conditions may not have a positive outcome.