Psychedelics grew neurons in a dish, a fly and a rat
What they did
Working across cultured rat nerve cells, fruit fly larvae and live rats, researchers tested whether classic psychedelics change the physical structure of neurons in the prefrontal cortex.
What they found
This preclinical study found increased branching, spine growth and working synaptic connections, with effects comparable to ketamine and dependent on specific signalling pathways.
Worth knowing
No humans were involved at any point. This paper is the source of the word neuroplasticity in most psilocybin marketing, including marketing that does not mention the fruit flies.
Ly et al. Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity. Cell Reports, 2018.
Read the sourceKeep reading
brain networksPsilocybin disrupted brain communication far more than a stimulantbrain networksBrains became less compartmentalised, and moods lifted with themdefault mode networkActivity went down, not upThis is where the word neuroplasticity comes from in psilocybin marketing. Worth reading the actual studies, because most of them were done in mice.
For education, not medical advice. Every write-up links back to the original source.
Nothing here is a claim that our products treat, cure or prevent any condition. Talk to a doctor before changing anything about your health.