Extensive research: this is how psychedelic party drugs change brain activity

For years, researchers have tried to understand how substances such as LSD, psilocybin, mescaline and DMT work in the brain. Using advanced imaging such as functional MRI, dramatic changes in brain activity have been observed while under the influence of the substances. The scans showed unusual patterns of activity, but the interpretation of the results was uneven and sometimes even contradictory between different studies.

Now, a broad analysis of data from nearly a dozen studies, which included more than 500 brain scans of 267 participants, offers a more unified explanation for the phenomenon. The researchers found that the psychedelic substances create increased activity and connections between brain areas that normally work separately, especially between areas responsible for processing sensory information, such as vision and hearing, and areas related to abstract thinking and self-consciousness.

The result is the blurring of the boundaries between thinking and perception. In other words, what a person thinks and what they experience through the senses begin to mix. This process may explain well-known phenomena in the use of psychedelics, such as hallucinations, mystical experiences and the feeling of losing the boundaries of the self.

Beyond the effect on the subjective experience, the researchers found that the substances also affect the way information flows in the brain. Areas responsible for coordination between perception and action change significantly, which indicates that the influence of the substances is not limited to thought only but changes brain function on a broader level.

Another important aspect that emerges from the research is the therapeutic potential of the substances. In recent years, evidence has been growing that psychedelic substances can help treat depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The possible explanation is that the change in brain activity patterns allows for “breaking patterns” of thinking and behavior, thus opening the door for a significant mental change.

However, not all previous hypotheses have been confirmed. In the past it was claimed that psychedelic substances consistently disrupt central brain networks, such as the default network, which is responsible for internal thinking and imagination, among other things. In the current study no unequivocal evidence of this was found, and the researchers emphasize that the picture is more complex and requires further investigation.

The researchers point out that the field is still relatively young, and the research and analysis methods vary between different groups, which makes it difficult to create a uniform picture. Despite this, the very act of combining data from several studies under one framework makes it possible for the first time to identify more stable patterns in brain activity under the influence of psychedelic substances.

Alongside the enthusiasm for the medical potential, there is also a growing interest in developing new drugs that will take advantage of the brain effect of the substances, but without the psychedelic experience itself. Today, about 150 new drugs based on similar principles are in development, and an accurate understanding of their effect on the brain may be critical to their success.

The new research marks a transition from an approach of general hypotheses to a more grounded understanding of the mechanisms of action in the brain. He points out that psychedelics don’t just “scramble” the brain, but profoundly change the way different areas communicate with each other, creating a completely different cognitive experience, with possible implications for the world of medicine.