Psilocybin desynchronizes the human brain

incredibly powerful drug. we should be training a legion of mystics using psilocybin instead of criminalizing it and obfuscating the implications of its use

See more info here: https://psychology-tools.com/test/meq-30

This concerns Functional Connectivity[0], which is basically a measure of how temporally correlated regions are; those that fire in sync or in a strongly correlated pattern are functionally connected.

Essentially, the TL;DR of this study is that psilocybin's 5-HT2A agonism seems to reduce synchronized FC activity not just in neurons but the whole brain: psilocybin makes parts of the brain overall that otherwise work together (in a time-correlated sense) stop displaying time-correlation. These results were seen most in the Default Mode[1] network, which is more or less the brain system in operation when you are inside your head — daydreaming, thinking, remembering, etc. — as opposed to processing visual cues or observing the physical world.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_functional_connectivit...

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_mode_network — this article is one of those that just blows my mind clean out my ears (heh); the brain is such a wonder.

Not the parent, but my understanding is that the effects have a lot to do with the brain entering a short term state of neuroplasticity at a level that is not normally experienced in adulthood.

The result being that processing emotions and making key realizations actually “stick”. It’s possible for example as someone who suffers from PTSD to realize that it’s no longer necessary to be on high alert, but the body is anyway.

I’m also no expert so take this with a grain of salt, but I think it’s less of a defragmentation and more of an increase in pliability that leads to lasting changes.

This is one of the reasons that Psylocibin-assisted therapy is showing such promising results. The brain entering that state unguided may or may not lead to good results. But when a trained therapist is involved, outcomes improve.