Noah McDonald on Psilocybin’s affects on the brain
Noah McDonald
Psilocybin’s affects on the brain
Claims and stances
Transcript
- 0:00 Hey y'all.
- 0:00 Uh here's a breakdown of how psilocybin, the active compound in things like mushrooms or LSD, interacts with the human brain.
- 0:08 When it's ingested, it isn't directly responsible for the main psychoactive effects.
- 0:13 The body has to first process it.
- 0:15 So in the acidic environment of the stomach, uh the phosphate group is cleaved off of the psilocybin molecule, and then it is uh converted into its active form, psilocin.
- 0:26 Uh it's in this resulting molecule that it's structurally similar to one of the brain's own neurotransmitters, serotonin, and is responsible for that profound change in consciousness.
- 0:36 Um common mistake is that the brain's entire mood perception and its sleepwake system is heavily regulated by the serotonin network.
- 0:45 Its powerful effects stem from the ability to mimic serotonin and bind to its receptors.
- 0:50 The most critical of these is the serotonin 2A receptor, or 5HC2A.
- 0:55 While serotonin normally binds to this receptor to transmit routine signals, uh psilocin binds to it with high affinity and activates it in a unique way.
- 1:04 The urban simulation of these receptors, particularly in areas of the brain associated with high-level thinking, is the primary trigger for the psychedelic experience.
- 1:12 It actually uh rewires the brain's orchestra.
- 1:16 Um the activation sets off a cascade of changes.
- 1:19 One of these is the disruption of the default mode network, which is the network of brain regions that is active when we are at rest and allows you to engage in self-reflection, think about the past or future.
- 1:29 It's considered your ego network.
- 1:31 It also significantly just decreases activity in this, which correlates with subjective experience of ego dissolution or sense of oneness with the universe.
- 1:41 Um and while the DMN becomes less organized, the rest of the brain becomes more interconnected.
- 1:45 Uh brain ranges that don't normally communicate begin to fire in sync, and the brain's activity becomes less predictable and more chaotic or flexible.
- 1:53 Um a state known as high entropy.
- 1:55 This is the opposite of the rigid ordered thinking that can be characteristic conditions like depression and anxiety.
- 2:01 And it allows for new and creative ways to think of emerge through thinking to emerge.
- 2:06 So in summary, it doesn't just increase brain activity, it fundamentally changes the patterns of communication, temporarily dismantles the brain's usual hierarchical structure, and allows for more flexible and globally integrated state of consciousness.
- 2:19 And this unique action is why is being investigated as a potential therapeutic for a range of mental health conditions.