Magic mushrooms as a treatment for depression
Clinical pharmacist January 1, 2017
Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, may help treat depression, but how it works in the brain is not well understood. In a study of 19 patients with treatment-resistant depression, researchers gave two doses of psilocybin and used functional MRI to measure changes in brain blood flow. The results suggest the drug alters activity in certain brain regions, which could underlie its therapeutic effects. The findings indicate psilocybin may reduce depressive symptoms by modulating neural circuits, though the exact mechanism remains unclear.