Homological scaffolds of brain functional networks: a research paper explains how psilocybin change the way brain behaves
Magic mushrooms change the way the brain behaves. A new scientific research published on Journal of The Royal Society Interface and co-authored by ISI Research Leader Francesco Vaccarino and ISI Researcher Giovanni Petri suggests that psilocybin – the main psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms – sprouts new functional links across previously disconnected brain regions, temporarily altering the brain's entire organizational framework.
Researchers analyzed and compared fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) data from patients who'd taken psilocybin and from patients given a placebo, working on a new technique for network modeling designed to highlight small but unusual patterns in network connectivity. Results published on Homological scaffolds and brain functional networks revealed that psilocybin causes a different cross-brain activity.
The research is part of a larger effort to understand how psychedelic drugs work, how they cause experiences of synaesthesia and how they could be used by psychiatrists to treat conditions as depression. Published 29 October 2014, the paper has already received a strong international media coverage, including:
Science Graphic of the Week: How Magic Mushrooms Rearrange Your Brain (Wired)
What Tripping On Mushrooms Looks Like In The Brain (Huffington Post)
Magic mushrooms link unconnected brain regions (Science Magazine)
How Tripping On Mushrooms Changes The Brain (Business Insider)
This Brain Map Shows Why People On Shrooms See Sounds And Hear Colours (Business Insider)
This Is Your Brain on Magic Mushrooms (Popular Mechanics)
Magic mushrooms create a hyperconnected brain (Fox News)
How Tripping on Mushrooms Changes the Brain (Yahoo News)
Psychedelic mushrooms enable a hyperconnected brain (UPI)
Scientists Have Discovered Why Magic Mushrooms Are So 'Magical' (News.Mic)
Magic Mushrooms Create a Hyperconnected Brain (LiveScience)
This Is Your Brain on Psychedelic Drugs (Discover Magazine)
How Magic Mushrooms Change Your Brain (IFL Science)