Trending Now - Psychedelic Mushrooms Induce Notable Brain Changes, Study Reveals
WHO:
The Guardian - Prof Robin Carhart-Harris, a neurologist at the University of California, San Francisco, is the senior author of the study.
The Guardian - Researchers from Imperial College London collaborated on the study.
NBC News Health - The study involved 28 healthy volunteers who had never taken a psychedelic.
WHAT:
The Guardian - A single dose of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can induce anatomical changes in the brain.
The Guardian - Changes in brain structure were observed a month after participants took psilocybin.
The Guardian - Participants took a 25mg dose of psilocybin, which is enough to elicit a powerful psychedelic experience.
NBC News Health - The study suggests that a single psychedelic trip may cause physical changes in the brain that could explain psychological benefits.
WHERE:
The Guardian - The study was conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, and Imperial College London.
WHEN:
The Guardian - The study's findings were published in Nature Communications.
WHY:
The Guardian - The research aims to understand how psychedelics affect the brain and their potential therapeutic effects on anxiety, depression, and addiction.
The Guardian - The study explores the “entropic brain effect,” where neural activity becomes more varied on psychedelics.
HOW:
The Guardian - The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain activity and functional MRI scans along with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to monitor brain changes.
The Guardian - Participants completed tests measuring their wellbeing, psychological insight, and thinking flexibility over several weeks.
(UPDATED May 5, 2026 23:19 UTC)
A new study led by Professor Robin Carhart-Harris from the University of California, San Francisco, reveals that a single dose of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can induce anatomical changes in the brain. Conducted in collaboration with researchers from Imperial College London, the study involved 28 healthy volunteers who had never taken a psychedelic, and it found that changes in brain structure were observed a month after participants took a 25mg dose. The research aims to explore how psychedelics affect the brain and their potential therapeutic effects on conditions like anxiety and depression, utilizing advanced techniques like electroencephalography and functional MRI scans to monitor brain changes and participant wellbeing over several weeks.