Research library / Brain imaging study
Emotions and brain function are altered up to one month after a single high dose of psilocybin
Barrett FS, Doss MK, Sepeda ND, et al. Scientific Reports 2020;10(1):2214
Twelve healthy volunteers had brain scans the day before, one week after and one month after a single high dose of psilocybin. One week on, they reported less negative and more positive mood, and the amygdala, a brain region involved in emotional reactions, responded less strongly to pictures of emotional faces. By one month, negative mood and amygdala responses had returned to where they started, but positive mood remained higher and trait anxiety was lower. Resting-state scans showed more significant connections across the brain at both follow-ups. There was no control group and everyone knew they were taking psilocybin, so expectation and the passage of time could explain some changes. It is a small exploratory study suggesting lasting shifts in emotion and brain function that would need proper testing.
What it found
- One week after psilocybin, negative affect and amygdala responses to emotional faces were lower, and positive affect was higher.
- At one month, negative affect and amygdala responses were back at baseline, while positive affect stayed higher and trait anxiety was lower.
- The number of significant resting-state connections across the brain rose at one week and one month.