Claude summary: This research provides new insights into how psilocybin affects large-scale brain activity and connectivity. The key finding is that psilocybin causes widespread desynchronization of brain activity, particularly in association cortex areas. This desynchronization correlates with the intensity of subjective psychedelic experiences and may underlie both the acute effects and potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin. The desynchronization of brain networks may allow for increased flexibility and plasticity, potentially explaining both the acute psychedelic experience and longer-term therapeutic effects.

• Scientists studied how psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) affects the brain using advanced brain imaging techniques.
• They found that psilocybin causes widespread disruption in how different brain areas communicate with each other, especially in regions involved in complex thinking and self-reflection.
• This disruption, called "desynchronization," was much stronger than the effects of a stimulant drug or normal day-to-day changes in brain activity.
• The intensity of the psychedelic experience reported by participants matched the degree of brain desynchronization observed.
• Some brain changes lasted up to 3 weeks after taking psilocybin, particularly in areas involved in memory and emotion.
• These findings help explain how psilocybin might work to treat mental health conditions and offer new insights into how the brain functions during altered states of consciousness.