The saying «bright side» is sometimes applied to serious science. Scientists from Imperial College London found that the hallucinogen in mushrooms used as drugs, can help to cope with a deep and incurable depression.
In laboratory conditions, it was conducted a small study involving 19 patients. Subjects received 1 dose of psilocybin, contained in magic mushrooms. After that, half of the subjects no longer feel depressed. In addition, the activity of their brain has changed, and this effect lasted for 5 weeks.
Previously carried out a series of small studies that showed that psilocybin could play a role in relieving depression, acting as a «lubricant for your mind». Scientists have found that the substance allows people to avoid cycle of symptoms of depression and for a while feel relieved. But first it was not clear how the hallucinogen affects the brain activity. To prove his theory, the British scientists conducted a brain scan of the subjects twice: prior to the adoption of psychotropic substances and the next day after the experiment, when the participants went back to «clear mind».
It appeared that psilocybin acts on two key areas of the brain. First, the amygdala, which is involved in processing emotions such as fear and anxiety, become less active. The greater the decline in activity, the fewer symptoms of depression felt by the patients. Second, the network of passive brain – a set of different areas of the brain became more stable after taking psilocybin.
Despite interesting results, the study remains a small project. Scientists did not collect the «control» group to compare the results of brain scans of patients with depression with pictures of the brains of healthy people. To psilocybin officially recognized drug, it is necessary to conduct more extensive research.
And although doctors do not advise to self-medicate, it is obvious that the ways of dealing with depression for a long time need to look from a new point of view.
