TOPICS: Brain Activity Cognitive Science FMRI Neuroscience Psychedelics Psychiatry A new study reveals that psilocybin, found in “magic mushrooms,” induces a dynamic state of brain hyperconnectivity associated with the sensation of oceanic boundlessness and ego-altering experiences. These findings could improve the therapeutic use of psychedelics in treating mental health disorders such as depression. Credit: SciTechDaily Study shows psilocybin induces dynamic brain connectivity, linked to profound, ego-altering experiences, potentially beneficial in psychotherapy.
Researchers from Elsevier have discovered that psilocybin, the active compound in “magic mushrooms,” creates a state of hyperconnectivity in the brain. The state is associated with ego-modifying effects and a sensation known as oceanic boundlessness, which encompasses feelings of unity, bliss, insight, and spiritual experiences typically reported during psychedelic experiences. Their findings, published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging , help explain the mystical experiences reported during psychedelic use and offer insights into its therapeutic potential for the treatment of mental health disorders. Dynamic Brain Connectivity
Researchers utilized brain imaging to discover a specific association between the experiential, psychedelic state and whole-brain dynamic connectivity changes. While previous research has shown increases in static global brain connectivity under psychedelics, the current study shows that this state of hyperconnectivity is dynamic, and its transition rate coincides with the feeling of oceanic boundlessness, a hallmark dimension of the psychedelic state.
“Psilocybin has been one of the most studied psychedelics, possibly due to its potential contribution in treating different disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, death-related anxiety, depression, treatment-resistant depression, major depressive disorder, terminal cancer-associated anxiety, demoralization, smoking, and alcohol and tobacco addiction. What was not fully understood is what brain activity is associated with these profound experiences,” explained lead researcher Johannes G. Ramaekers, PhD, Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University. A new study finds a pattern of psilocybin-induced dynamic hyperconnectivity in the brain, which is linked to oceanic boundlessness. Credit: Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Psilocybin generates profound alterations both at the brain and the experiential level. The brain’s tendency to enter a hyperconnected-hyperarousal pattern under psilocybin represents the potential to entertain variant mental perspectives. […]
Magic Mushrooms and the Mind: Psilocybin’s Hyperconnected Brain State Linked to Therapeutic Effects
