Are shrooms good for you

Are shrooms good for you

There’s more to it. Psychedelic substances, according to researchers, let neurons in the brain sprout new dendrites, which resemble tree branches, and so boost cell communication.

“These drugs have the ability to increase neuronal outgrowth, neuronal branching, and synapses.” This is known as neuroplasticity, according to Nutt.

This is distinct from neurogenesis, which is the formation of brand-new brain cells from stem cells in the body. Dendrite growth aids in the formation and consolidation of new circuits in the brain, allowing us to, for example, lay down more positive pathways as we practice gratitude.

“Now, our current thinking is that this neuronal outgrowth probably doesn’t contribute to increased connectivity in the brain, but it almost certainly helps people who have insights into their depression while on psilocybin maintain those insights,” Nutt added.

“You shake up the brain, you see things in a more positive way, and then you lay down those positive circuits with neuroplasticity,” he added. “It’s like a double whammy.”

Interestingly, SSRIs have been shown to promote neuroplasticity, something science has known for some time. However, in a 2022 double-blind phase 2 randomized controlled experiment comparing psilocybin to escitalopram, a typical SSRI, Nutt discovered that the latter did not have the same effect.

“The SSRI did not increase brain connectivity, and it actually did not improve well-being as much as psilocybin,” Nutt explained. “For the first time, brain science is aligning with what patients say after a trip: ‘I feel more connected.'” I have greater freedom to ponder. I can break away from unpleasant thoughts and not become caught by them.”

Taking psychedelics is not for everyone. “But when it works really well, it’s like, ‘Oh my god, it’s a cure for PTSD or depression,'” Johnson said. If people have changed the way their brain is automatically built to respond to anxiety, depression, and smoking triggers, that’s a real thing.”

How long do the effects last? In studies where patients had only one dosage of a psychedelic, “a couple of people were better eight years later, but for the majority of those with chronic depression, it creeps back after four or five months,” Nutt said.

“What we do with those people is unknown,” he continues. “One option is to administer another dose of the psychedelic — we don’t know if that would work or not, but it could.” Or we could start them on an SSRI as soon as their mood improves and see whether that keeps the depression at bay.

“There are a lot of different ways we could try to answer that question,” Nutt explained, “but we just don’t know the answer yet.”