Psychedelic drug cuts brain blood flow and connections

Psychedelic drug users throughout the ages have described their experiences as mind-expanding. They might be surprised, therefore, to hear that psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms – actually decreases blood flow as well as connectivity between important areas of the brain that control perception and cognition.

www.newscientist.com...

I always find it funny when science contradicts general belief.

The scientists were expecting to see an increase in blood flow to certain parts of the brain but were surprised at their result.

When I was young and foolish I did much experimenting with certain mind opening substances and wondered at the time if I was just experiencing something along the lines of mental retardation.... I might not have been far off.

reply to post by Kargun

When I was young and foolish I did much experimenting with certain mind opening substances and wondered at the time if I was just experiencing something along the lines of mental retardation.... I might not have been far off.

Generally, psychedelics tend to reflect what's already inside of us...so you're above statement is probably correct.

reply to post by Kargun


know what you mean..

i used to have a 172 IQ

now i'm only 142..

dang mushrooms.......

reply to post by Kargun


Absolutely not true! Exact opposite. Terms and conditions forbid me from speaking logic and reality so I will just let it rest. Stop spreading lies.

So there is medicinal use for them after all from the article. I've always trusted nature over man-made substances. Some of the great thinkers over the ages have as well.

LOL u should try some of that Charlie Sheen. It might clear your head from all that propaganda you are posting.

How am I spreading lies? I'm telling you of my personal experience.

The science is right there my friend.

Originally posted by Kargun

When I was young and foolish

you still are.

When I was young and foolish I did much experimenting with certain mind opening substances and wondered at the time if I was just experiencing something along the lines of mental retardation.... I might not have been far off.

Since when does decreased flow to certain parts of the brain equal mental retardation?

Psychedelic drug users throughout the ages have described their experiences as mind-expanding. They might be surprised, therefore, to hear that psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms – actually decreases blood flow as well as connectivity between important areas of the brain that control perception and cognition.

Decreases blood flow to the areas that control perception and cognition. I don't see anything about cutting off flow.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


Totally agree! Nuff said. . .

Take a look at some good things these drugs do, but are not allowed in our country. Thanks to Pharma Co's.

Ibogaine

reply to post by Kargun


Science is wrong my friend. Your source is non substantial. No offense. I respect your opinion, once again terms and conditions forbid me from speaking my true intentions. I mean you no harm, but your argument has no substance. In most recent studies it dictates the exact opposite and promotes blood flow and increases connections between synopses by the production of Acetylene. No clots or lack of flow involved stop believing the hype. I am not legally permitted to say what is conducting my synopses at the moment.

Originally posted by darrman
reply to post by Kargun

 

know what you mean..

i used to have a 172 IQ

now i'm only 142..

dang mushrooms.......

There is no such thing as an "IQ" score higher than 145; furthermore, the results are in no way valid unless you went to an authorized testing center and were administered a real test by a qualified test administrator.

reply to post by Kargun


Please educate yourself a bit more before spreading misinformation.

All the info you'll ever need

The use of Psilocybin and '___' to treat chronic headaches

Magic Mushrooms & Health

This drug is not associated with physical or psychological dependency, acute toxicity is largely limited to possible panic and anxiety attacks and, in terms of chronic toxicity, the worst that can happen are flashbacks. Consequently, the use of paddos (hallucinogenic mushrooms) does not, on balance, present any risk to the health of the individual.

Other miscellaneous bull:

Q: Do mushrooms make your brain bleed? I have a friend who is convinced that magic mushrooms make your brain bleed, and I can't find any solid answers anywhere.

A: In a general sense, there are two sorts of "magic" or psychedelic mushrooms. The term "magic mushroom" is by far most often used to refer to mushrooms that contain psilocybin/psilocin such as Psilocybe cubensis. The term is also sometimes used to refer to mushrooms that contain ibotenic acid/muscimol, such as Amanita muscaria. There is no evidence that either of these categories of mushrooms cause bleeding in the brain.

To check to see how widespread this myth is, I typed "magic mushrooms" and "brain bleed" into Google, and received 375 hits. Surveying the top ten results, all of them asked the same question as you, with various people answering. Even those few who answered with the spurious claim that magic mushrooms cause some other type of brain damage, clearly stated that mushrooms do not cause brain bleeding. Others replied stating that that this is a "common myth". We don't know where the idea of psychoactive mushrooms causing brain bleeding originated, nor how widespread it actually is, but it is absolutely, 100% false.

It also appears that this myth can be found relating to other psychoactive drugs as well. We previously responded to a similar urban legend related to '___'.

Source

Q: I am trying to find references in your vault to the actual effects on body chemistry of psilocybin. I've heard a good one about supposed alteration of cerebro-spinal fluid!!! Where do I look, or should I be satisfied that I've just got a bad back?

A: It is highly unlikely that psilocin or psilocybin cause physical damage to your nervous system or its supporting systems. If anything, it may be possible that it would cause liver damage in high or repetitive doses, but this is unlikely as well. The similarity in structure between psiloc(yb)in and serotonin would indicate that they are likely processed by the same enzymes and yield similar, water soluble, non-toxic metabolites (though this is a gross generalization, and there are many exceptions to this rule; simple changes to a structure can have drastic changes on effect, metabolization, and toxicity).

The rumor of spinal fluid alteration from the use of psilocybin sounds like a bastardization of a similar rumor about MDMA which most likely stemmed from MDMA research which involved taking spinal taps of MDMA users in order to check for metabolite levels in the body.

It is most likely that your bad back is due to more common causes such as stress, injury (improper lifting), lack of exercise (not an insult, strong abdomenals are key to a healthy back), or nutritional imbalances. I would suggest seeing a doctor, acupuncturist, chiropractor, or massage therapist.

Source

The first link I posted has a wealth of information (some of it a result of scientific verification) that claims that this drug generally does not cause long term damage to your brain - mind you, it depends on quantity and quality.

I am not advocating its use, but I do advocate unbiased education on these subjects.

Other than the above posters making more sense than your argument, OP, the article also mentions increase in long-term brain neuroplasticity.

From Wikipedia:

Neuroplasticity (also known as cortical remapping) refers to the ability of the brain to change as a result of one's experience, that the brain is 'plastic' and 'malleable'. The discovery of this feature of the brain is rather modern; the previous belief amongst scientists was that the brain does not change after the critical period of infancy.

The brain consists of nerve cells (or "neurons") and glial cells which are interconnected, and learning may happen through change in the strength of the connections, by adding or removing connections, and by the formation of new cells. "Plasticity" relates to learning by adding or removing connections, or adding cells.

All in all, I can see that these mushrooms actually aid the brain's ability to learn (as well as combat depression, anxiety, etc. and increase spiritual awareness if you read into it more).

I would trust nature before I trust man-made drugs that will surely do harm to the body. There is no man-made drug that doesn't have side effects of some sort, and most of them are pretty severe (albeit "rare"), including death. You're also supporting the wickedness that is the pharmaceutical companies when you seek out those man-made drugs versus the things that are there for you from the Earth herself.

As long as we glorify cigarettes and alcohol, nothing any of these tax peddlers say has any reasoning., One time i was on the pacific and i won't name the substance that fueled my thoughts, but i seen more that day than any scholastic institution can ever relay. Anyone that claims that it causes brain problems, needs to look up Timothy Leary. I am honored to be related to him too =). Don't any of you judge me for staying free of big pharma. You people and your prozac make me me sick. You give it to your children, yet talk down on my loved ones for accepting reality, Shame on you. Wake up fools.

This reminds me of when I was young people told me mushrooms were hallucinogenic because they were poisonous. The truth is nobody has ever died from overdosing on mushrooms, it's physically impossible. Accidents are another story though. Decreased blood flow does not cause the hallucinations. I know the op didn't make the claim I just want people to not assume that.
Does the article explain that decreased blood flow to one area of the brain generally means increased blood flow to another area of the brain?
And a slight decrease in blood flow won't kill brain cells; blood flow decreases to certain parts of the brain every time you think.
Don't get me wrong, mushrooms used over extended time will change the brain, in moderation, once a year, no ill effects are likely to occur.

Maybe it's true with substances like DXM, ketamine and PCP since they seem to work via sensory deprivation.

Originally posted by stalphos

Originally posted by darrman
reply to post by Kargun

 

know what you mean..

i used to have a 172 IQ

now i'm only 142..

dang mushrooms.......

There is no such thing as an "IQ" score higher than 145; furthermore, the results are in no way valid unless you went to an authorized testing center and were administered a real test by a qualified test administrator.

Try checking the post about the 12 year old genius with a 170 IQ.....a

Are you saying he isn't that smart? and why do you claim that?

Not even going to read the article. Wrong.

No drugs main effect is caused by decreasing bloodflow, not even dxm or pcp.
Actually most drugs decrease bloodflow in the brain, especially cigarettes and alcohol. The effects aren't caused by the decreased bloodflow though.

reply to post by Ghost375


You make a good point, but the fillers in the crap they feed our children our poison. I rather my son has a nervous twitch than a daily diet of anti psychotics. We forbid MDMA and '___' 25, which have fare more success rates in treating disorders. The main ingredients in Prozac and Lithium are aluminum and fluoride. Can you tell me that is good or my son? Please understand i don't want him having '___' or MDMA.. But if i had a choice u know whch one i would chooose.