Magic mushrooms may help overcome depression, claims study

'Magic mushrooms' may help overcome depression as well as 'reset' the activity of key brain circuits in affected patients. According to the latest study, the psychoactive substance found in Psilocybin mushrooms, also known as psychedelic mushrooms helps in curing depression.

"We have shown for the first time clear changes in brain activity in depressed people treated with psilocybin after failing to respond to conventional treatments", said Robin Carhart-Harris, Head of Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London.

"Several of our patients described feeling "reset" after the treatment. Psilocybin may be giving these individuals the temporary kick-start they need to break out of their depressive states and these imaging results do tentatively support a reset analogy". Carhart-Harris added. 

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The researchers examined patients with a treatment-resistant form of the disorder with two doses of psilocybin, following which these participants felt an immediate and continued relief from their depression.

The benefits of the treatment lasted up to five weeks, but a sustained improvement was also noticed in the patients for as long as six months, researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.