A new study from UC San Francisco reveals that a single high dose of psilocybin can induce lasting brain changes, linked to improved mental well-being for up to a month after the trip.
Researchers gave 28 first-time participants a 25-milligram dose-enough for a strong psychedelic experience-and tracked them using EEG, fMRI, and DTI scans. The key finding: a temporary spike in 'brain entropy'-how widely neural activity varies-was directly correlated with psychological insight the next day and improved well-being one month later.
"Our data shows that such experiences of psychological insight relate to an entropic quality of brain activity," said neurologist Robin Carhart-Harris, suggesting the trip itself is a key component of psychedelic therapy. The study was published in Nature Communications.