One magic mushroom ‘trip’ changes the brain

Scientists have found that taking magic mushrooms once can be enough to physically change the brain for weeks.

A single high-dose “trip” using psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, increased emotional awareness, increased brain activity and left volunteers feeling happier and more optimistic long after the experience was over, researchers say.

The study, conducted by experts at Imperial College London and the University of California, included 28 healthy adults who had never taken psilocybin before.

Participants were given a potent 25 mg dose and monitored before, during, and after the experience.

While scientists found that electrical activity in the brain increased within minutes, participants also reported an increased sense of emotional engagement.

Many described the psychedelic session as the strangest experience of their lives.

However, the effects did not stop when the hallucinations passed.

The researchers found that the volunteers continued to show elevated brain activity and stronger emotional awareness for weeks. Even after a month, scans showed that nerve pathways in the brain still contained more water than normal; This is a sign that they are more active and flexible.

Experts say this may indicate an “anti-aging” effect on the brain.

Participants also reported that they were better able to cope with problems and felt more hopeful about the future after this experience.

Dr Taylor Lyons, from Imperial College London, said: “Psilocybin gives people the ability to revise established thought patterns.

“It is particularly exciting that these changes are accompanied by insight and improved well-being.”

The findings add to the growing scientific interest in psychedelics as potential treatments for mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Psilocybin is increasingly being studied in controlled medical settings, and researchers are investigating whether it could help “reset” harmful thought patterns linked to poor mental health.

Despite this, magic mushrooms remain a Class A drug in the UK, alongside cocaine and heroin, because they are thought to pose a high risk of harm and have little recognized medical benefit.