Psilocybin therapy boosts brain connectivity in patients with major depression and this appears to correlate with reduced symptoms, researchers find.

After two studies involving functional MRI (fMRI), the UK team believes it may have discovered the mechanism that makes psilocybin a potentially effective therapy for the mood disorder.

“These findings are important because, for the first time, we find that psilocybin works differently from conventional antidepressants, making the brain more flexible and fluid, and less entrenched in the negative thinking patterns associated with depression,” said Professor David Nutt, a co-author.   

Professor Nutt, head of Imperial College London’s Centre for Psychedelic Research, said the findings supported psilocybin as a “real” treatment alternative.