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| Photo credit: Flickr user, Kooikkari |
Human interaction with magic mushrooms has been evidenced in Algerian cave paintings as far back as 7000-9000 BC, and Anthropologists have documented their use in religious rituals by the Aztec’s civilisation who called them ‘Teonanácatl’ or ‘Flesh of the Gods’.
However, you’d be surprised to learn that psychedelics were considered a promising form of treatment for several types of mental illnesses in the 1940s. Then, due to the recreational abuse of the 1960s, the use of psychedelics was stigmatised and then strictly prohibited. The laws surrounding such drugs therefore severely constrained the development of potential treatments in clinical programs. However, after a hallucinogen hiatus following the widespread prohibition in the late 1960’s, a research renaissance is now in full swing.
Psilocybe Cubensis, the most widespread magic mushroom, belongs to a family of substances referred to as ‘serotonergic psychedelics.’ This groovy group of substances also includes LSD, Mescaline and DMT- the active ingredient in Ayahuasca. Magic mushrooms, along with most of their Serotonergic siblings, interact with the brain’s serotonin system, which has been implicated in depressive disorders. Now, with the advancements of modern science, we can test the efficacy of using psychedelics in the treatment of mental illnesses.
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| Psilocube Semilanceata |
How does it work? Can I just go and pick some?
Psychedelic treatment has generally consisted of a carefully controlled three-part process; Firstly, the participants meet with a psychotherapist where they are told about the process and discuss outcomes for the treatment. In the second phase, they are given a controlled amount of the substance in a relaxed environment (not in a brightly lit lab with white coats and clipboards for obvious reasons!). In the third and final session, known as the ‘integration phase’, the participants discuss their experiences with a professional.
A new study conducts an investigation.
An exciting study conducted by Robin Carhart-Harris and colleagues (2016), from the Psychedelic Research Group at
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| Dr Robin Carhart-Harris |
What did they find?
A week before the treatment began, 19 subjects were given a depression symptom test called the QIDS-16 (Quick Inventory Depression Scale; consisting of 16 questions). They found that the average score at the screening stage for the study was 18.9 out of a maximum of 27, which is in the ‘severe depression’ category. The day after the treatment, the average scores plummeted by an average of 8 points, from the severe category to ‘mild’, and this change was found to be persistent at the next follow up scan five weeks later. Numerous participants reported major improvements to their mood, even suggesting a ‘resetting effect.’ Speaking to BBC News, Carhart-Harris said, “Without any priming they would say, ‘I’ve been reset, reborn, rebooted’, and one patient said his brain had been defragged and cleaned up.”
What else did they find?
The study also looked at how Psilocybin alters the blood flow within the DMN or ‘Default-Mode Network’, which describes a number of interconnected brain structures thought to be most active when our brains are resting. The study found was that the default-mode network became more stable after taking psilocybin. Additionally, the amygdala - a structure of the brain involved in how we process emotions such as fear and anxiety - became less active, whereby the less active the amygdala became, the greater the improvement in reported symptoms.
What’s the way forward?
Whilst the results are exciting, the study does acknowledge some limitations. The absence of a control group (a group of people who do not receive the treatment) and the small sample size of just 19 is not large enough to conclusively determine the effectiveness of the treatment.
However, such studies do pave the way for future research. Carhart-Harris and colleagues outline a promising new treatment and the results indicate the potential efficacy of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. As more studies are conducted, hopefully with more rigorous designs, we may better understand the true potential for psychedelics as a valid form of treatment.
A week before the treatment began, 19 subjects were given a depression symptom test called the QIDS-16 (Quick Inventory Depression Scale; consisting of 16 questions). They found that the average score at the screening stage for the study was 18.9 out of a maximum of 27, which is in the ‘severe depression’ category. The day after the treatment, the average scores plummeted by an average of 8 points, from the severe category to ‘mild’, and this change was found to be persistent at the next follow up scan five weeks later. Numerous participants reported major improvements to their mood, even suggesting a ‘resetting effect.’ Speaking to BBC News, Carhart-Harris said, “Without any priming they would say, ‘I’ve been reset, reborn, rebooted’, and one patient said his brain had been defragged and cleaned up.”
What else did they find?
The study also looked at how Psilocybin alters the blood flow within the DMN or ‘Default-Mode Network’, which describes a number of interconnected brain structures thought to be most active when our brains are resting. The study found was that the default-mode network became more stable after taking psilocybin. Additionally, the amygdala - a structure of the brain involved in how we process emotions such as fear and anxiety - became less active, whereby the less active the amygdala became, the greater the improvement in reported symptoms.
What’s the way forward?
Whilst the results are exciting, the study does acknowledge some limitations. The absence of a control group (a group of people who do not receive the treatment) and the small sample size of just 19 is not large enough to conclusively determine the effectiveness of the treatment.
However, such studies do pave the way for future research. Carhart-Harris and colleagues outline a promising new treatment and the results indicate the potential efficacy of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. As more studies are conducted, hopefully with more rigorous designs, we may better understand the true potential for psychedelics as a valid form of treatment.
References
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Bolstridge, M., Rucker, J., Day, C. M. J., Erritzoe, D., Kaelen, M., … Nutt, D. J. (2016). Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(7), 619–627.
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Roseman, L., Bolstridge, M., Demetriou, L., Pannekoek, J. N., Wall, M. B., … Nutt, D. J. (2017). Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: FMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Scientific Reports, 7(1).
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Bolstridge, M., Rucker, J., Day, C. M. J., Erritzoe, D., Kaelen, M., … Nutt, D. J. (2016). Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(7), 619–627.
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Roseman, L., Bolstridge, M., Demetriou, L., Pannekoek, J. N., Wall, M. B., … Nutt, D. J. (2017). Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: FMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Scientific Reports, 7(1).
Photo credit:
Magic Mushrooms by Kooikkari (Flickr)