Psilocybin effects on cognition
Once upon a time, magic mushrooms were considered taboo. These mind-altering fungi were dismissed as “party drugs”. There was no place for them in healthy living.
Today, these fungi are still stigmatized, but the tides are turning. People now realize that mushrooms offer health benefits. They are becoming more accepted in natural health communities.
One of the most interesting benefits of magic mushrooms is their ability to improve cognitive functioning. Some studies reveal that their active ingredient, psilocybin, may increase neural connections and boost neurotransmitter activity. So put that in your tea and steep it!
Read on to learn more about psilocybin’s effects on cognition.
What is Psilocybin?
Look on the internet and you will find troves of information about mushrooms and their benefits. Indeed, there are plenty of mushrooms that contain nutrients that benefit health. But when we refer to magic mushrooms, we’re talking about mushrooms with psilocybin.
Psilocybin is considered a psychedelic or hallucinogen. It has long been used in religious ceremonies because it was believed to connect people with the spiritual world. It was also a big hit at Woodstock- you may want to ask your parents or grandparents about that!
But today, psilocybin is being explored for its potential health benefits. It is believed to treat depression, addiction, pain, and neurological disorders. Scientists are especially interested in psilocybin’s effects on cognition.
How Does Psilocybin Work in the Brain?
When psilocybin enters the body, it converts into a substance called psilocin. Psilocin interacts with receptors in the brain. It promotes the production of serotonin, a feel-good chemical that induces euphoria, dulls pain, and relieves stress and anxiety.
It also changes how the regions of the brain communicate with each other, hence its mind-altering effects. It may make some parts of the brain more active and other parts less active. The substance can change how we think.
Some studies suggest that psilocin can disrupt communication in the default mode network which is responsible for self-reflection. When self-reflection is reduced, we feel less self-conscious more open-minded, and more connected to the world.
Psilocybin’s Effects on Cognition
Psilocybin has profound effects on the brain. So how does it affect cognitive function?
A 2021 Yale animal study found that magic mushrooms may stimulate neuronal connections. Itfound that mice experienced a significant increase in connections between neurons after just one dose of psilocybin.
Scientists overseeing the study saw a 10% increase in neuronal connection. Additionally, the connections were about 10% larger, and therefore much stronger.
The study also found that psilocybin increased the density of dendritic spines, small protrusions on nerve cells that help transmit information in the brain. In addition to improving cognition, this effect can also treat stress and depression as these emotional disorders are often linked to reducedneuronal connections.
Moreover, psilocybin works fast and produces long-lasting results. Scientists saw size increases in the animals’ dendritic spines just 24 hours after administration. After a month, the changes were still present.
Psychedelics Flatten the Brain’s Dynamic Landscape
An October 2022 study took a deeper dive. Study lead author Parker Singleton set out to do more than assess how psilocybin affects brain cells. His team wanted to find out how the substance impacted overall brain activity.
His study compared two groups of participants. One group was given psilocybin. The other group was given a placebo. MRI tests were administered to track progress.
Findings revealed that psychedelics flattened normal energy barriers in the brain allowing it to transition between states more easily. The smooth surface facilitated the transfer of information. It improved communication.
The scientists also found that psilocybin altered the spatial distribution between serotonin receptors which interact directly with the substance. This effect also facilitates the transmission of information. The scientists plan to study these effects on a wider scale to further confirm their findings.
Psychedelics Restore the Brain’s Youthful Pliability
Shrooms ain’t for kids, but recent research reveals they may help turn back the hands of time when it comes to cognitive function.
A John Hopkins University Research team conducted a 2023 study that revealed thatpsychedelics, such as psilocybin mushrooms, can act as “master keys’ in restoring the brain’s youthful pliability.
Study leader, Gul Dolen, began her research back in 2014. She conducted animal studies with ‘teen mice”. She chose this period in the mice’s lives because that’s when they undergo social learning.
She then turned her focus to adult mice. She administered older mice with MDMA, a hallucinogen and stimulant. She found it helped the animals to revert to the social learning stageof their youth. Her studies also revealed that it reawakened feelings of affection which are also connected to youth.
The science behind it? The drugs made the mice more responsive to oxytocin, AKA, the love chemical, which promotes social bonding and open-mindedness. As an aside, now we know why people at raves are so affectionate!
Dolen’s results led her to conduct studies on how the mice would react when other psychedelics were administered, such as, you guessed it, psilocybin. She found it increased meta-plasticity in the brain. Whereas plasticity refers to changes in the brain’s structure, meta-plasticity is what triggers these changes.
The psychedelics altered how neurons in the brain reacted with oxytocin. Oxytocin increases plasticity making our brains more receptive to new information. Psilocybin and other hallucinogens could also re-sensitize the brain and help reduce symptoms of PTSD and other mental disorders.
Let Me Introduce You to My Friend Paul Stamets
Paul Stamets is a long-time advocate of all kinds of mushrooms, and magic mushrooms are no exception. He believes a combination of lion’s mane mushrooms, magic mushrooms, and niacin, a nutrient found in most mushrooms, can have powerful cognitive effects. He has conducted several studies regarding mushroom benefits including an animal study that reveals mushrooms can improve early gene expression to boost learning and memory.
Stamets also believes that micro-dosing magic mushrooms is powerful enough to put some big pharma companies out of business.
As you may guess, micro-dosing involves taking small doses of mushrooms several days a week to boost wellness and creativity and reduce mental health symptoms. A typical micro-dose is 0.1 to 0.3 grams of dried psychedelic mushrooms as opposed to a 25-milligram pill that may equal a standard dose.
The idea is to get the medical benefit of psilocybin without the full-blown psychedelic experience which can interfere with daily tasks.
If you are interested in trying it out for yourself, consider joining Stamet’s online website community. As of 2022, about 14,000 people have downloaded his app and engaged with others to report dosage amounts and results. The information is used to determine micro-dosing benefits.
Revolutionary 2024 Study
Psilocybin studies have been conducted since the early 1930s and there is more interest now than ever. The UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP) is launching a study that will bring revolutionary insight to the field.
The research will involve healthy humans ingesting psilocybin and then performing continuous perception-related tasks while their visual cortex is monitored with MRI technology. The scientists aim to gain insight into how the substance interacts with the brain’s visual system and the human mind.
The researchers will have a unique opportunity to capture the psychedelic experience in real-time. They hope to gain a better understanding of how psilocybin treats mental health disorders and improves cognition. They feel they may also gain insight into brain functions.
The study is revolutionary because it will examine psilocybin’s neurobiological effects. It differs from other studies that focus on the substance’s symptoms and effects. It will also be the first study that uses a Schedule 1 drug on the Berkeley campus.
The Importance of Focusing on Visual Perception
The Berkeley study also marks an interesting development because it focuses on human vision. Most humans are unaware of the deep connection between human vision and brain function.
One might think that human vision works like a camera recording the sensory data around us. On the contrary, our brains come into play when processing visual information based on past experiences. We use prior data to make sense of what we see.
That’s why different people may have different perceptions of the same image, hence that blue and black or white and gold dress everyone on the internet was arguing about a few years back.
The study will test how psilocybin changes visual perceptions. Specifically, it will test a hypothesis known as REBUS (relaxed benefits under psychedelics) which proposes that psychedelics relax our assumptions, so we focus more on what we think and less on perceived notions.
The insight gleaned could be useful for mental health disorders. It can cause people who usually associate a certain image with negative thought patterns to think differently.
Additionally, the Alzheimer’s medication Aricept is known to interact with visual perception. The study may make breakthroughs that connect psilocybin with cognitive disorder treatments.
Will Magic Mushrooms Become Legal?
Despite Psilocybin’s effects on cognition and the substance’s other potential benefits, it is still considered a Schedule 1 Drug meaning it has a high potential for abuse and addiction. The illegality also makes it difficult for scientists to conduct studies.
For example, the Berkeley team had to jump through hoops to get their study approved. It took years for them to obtain federal, state, and campus regulatory approval to incorporate psilocybin in their studies.
The team must follow stringent guidelines when handling the substance. They must store it in a safe that is bolted to the floor and hidden behind several locked doors.
However, society is becoming more accepting of magic mushrooms and other psychedelics, and the United States legal system is following suit- well, on a state level anyway.
Oregon has legalized mushrooms for mental health purposes. The District of Columbia legalized the substance for nonprofit gifting and distribution purposes. California is also easing up on its mushroom laws.
There has been talk of making psilocybin federally legal for mental health purposes, but no definitive action has been taken. However, the DEA has confirmed that psychedelic mushroom spores are federally legal before germination. This presents a legal loophole that may make mushrooms more accessible.
Would you consider integrating them into your wellness routine?
