Could magic mushrooms be the cure for depression?

Words: Rhys Blakely Producer: Louise Starkey

Magic mushrooms could be the answer to treating depression, with a study suggesting a psychedelic compound found in fungi could "rewire" the brain and be a more effective remedy than conventional drugs.

Results show how hallucinogen psilocybin, shunned by mainstream researchers since the 1960s, creates new connections between brain regions — allowing patients to snap out of a pattern of brain activity associated with negative thoughts.

Increases in connectivity, revealed by MRI scans, were seen in people who underwent therapy sessions which included doses of synthetic psilocybin that caused intense but carefully monitored "trips".

Changes in brain configuration endured for weeks and psilocybin was found to be significantly more effective in reducing depressive symptoms than escitalopram, a widely used antidepressant.

The findings are part of a broader renewal of interest in whether "street drugs" can be useful in treating mental illnesses.

King's College London is planning to begin looking at whether MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy, can treat post-traumatic stress disorder in a separate study.

The authors of the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, urged people struggling with depression not to dose themselves with magic mushrooms.

We may have discovered a fundamental mechanism via which psychedelic therapy works not just for depression but other mental illnesses, such as anorexia or addiction. We now need to test if this is the case and, if it is, then we have found something important.

Robin Carhart-Harris Professor of neurology & psychiatry | University of California, San Francisco “ “ Picture: Imperial College London

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