A hallucinogenic drug derived from magic mushrooms is being given to human guinea pigs in a controversial experiment aimed at curing schizophrenia.
Professor David Nutt, who was sacked as a Government adviser after a controversy about the dangers of drugs, is leading the study that is costing the taxpayer £250,000 (NZD$585,000).
Volunteers at King’s College London will be given psilocybin - the naturally occurring psychedelic compound produced by more than 200 species of mushrooms - and placed inside an MRI scanner to monitor their brain activity.
They will experience a “high” for an hour and have been warned “the size and shape of things can appear distorted, walls may appear to move, shapes and colours may be seen on surfaces, the room may appear to get bigger or brighter, and time may appear to pass more slowly”.
The scientists believe the hallucinations experienced by users of magic mushrooms are caused by the same part of the brain that is active during a schizophrenic episode.
After the 24 volunteers have had their dose, they will then be given an experimental drug called saracatinib. The hope is that if the saracatinib stops the hallucinations of the psilocybin, then it could also alleviate schizophrenia.
Sorry for the misleading title it’s posted as is(mushrooms won’t be doing the curing).
“high” for an hour and have been warned “the size and shape of things can appear distorted, walls may appear to move, shapes and colours may be seen on surfaces, the room may appear to get bigger or brighter, and time may appear to pass more slowly”.
ive never taken mushrooms, but ive already experienced all of that.
when i was 20 from smoking pot once i had serious time distortion and disorientation. I remember going outside at night , i saw my friends mom taking something from her car, i ask her "are we going camping? " she just says, Uh oh… lol. i didnt really know what was going on and minutes seemed like hours.
Yeah that’s what shrooms was like. You also get very distorted and distracted ideas. The imagination kind of lights up and you see the world and people differently. Most things seem funnier and more important then they really are.
I get visual distortions from time to time. If I look at something for to long. It’s pretty easy to stop it though. I was watching the popcorn on my ceiling seeming to move every which way like some kaleidoscope effect. The visuals were a little intriguing but I was more mesmerized that at that time my mind was making that ■■■■ happen.
What makes sense is that the experimental drug called saracatinib tested in this controversial experiment for curing schizophrenia ; was at first a cancer drug with potentialities in the cure of Alzheimer dementia. This argues in the sense of Dr. Gernez structural theory : schizophrenia, Alzheimer and cancerization are all degeneratives diseases.
The problem I have with this experiment other than it’s human beings here is that the effect of the magic mushrooms would wear off eventually presumably so if the drug alleviates it then the “cure” would be a false one.
Actually mushrooms have been used to successfully cure some disorders, especially alcoholism, and the effects are permanent and not due to the high but rather due to changed perceptions and beliefs as a result of taking the mushrooms. I think it’s great that people are researching this, especially when they use human subjects. But I am a little skeptical and not ready to believe that it can cure schizophrenia. I’ve never heard of saracatinib though.
Edit: After reading the story I see it wasn’t proposed as a cure for schizophrenia but just as a way of inducing a psychotic state so they can research this saracatinib chemical. I still think it’s good that they’re doing this though.
There was talk about how psyllociben had resulted in neurogenisis or the growth of new brain cells.
I think experiments like this are good. They will only provide more insights into both the brain and the effects of the substances themselves. It might not amount to much at first, but we really are in need of some breakthroughs regarding neuroscience. Cumulatively these studies my interconnect and provide new insights into the operation and the manipulation of the mind. Which might sound somewhat dangerous, but as far as how doctors treat bodily illnesses I think it’s safe to assume the understanding will only be applied for good reasons.
This is the one that I’m wondering about… I used to candy flip a bit heavily… I wonder sometimes if my XTC consumption helped me at all in the past.
this is the drug I miss the most… and the one I romanticize the most… My brain only remembers the good times… not the come down… or the flat crash afterwards.
All drugs cause receptor site modifications and dendritic growth or shrinkage. The more you do them the more you get. Neurogenesis, however, might be a stretch.
I did some in the '70s for a while. I liked it, but like all of the Da-channel stimulators, it wore me out. I hadn’t read (or understood) enough Casteneda then to teach me how to do hallucinogens “usefully.”
WARNING ;
people of sz land ( forum ) do not go and pick wild mushrooms unless you know what you are doing it is highly dangerous…i am not joking.
take care
MICA: SRC inhibitors as potential antipsychotics: human testing with psilocybin Lead Research Organisation: Imperial College London
Abstract
The aim of this project is to test the efficacy of a novel compound AZD0530 (saracatinib) in attenuating the changes in brain function in healthy human volunteers after a single dose of psilocybin. Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound that is found in some species of mushroom. It is structurally similar to the brain neurotransmitter serotonin - which is implicated in mood and schizophrenia. Psilocybin produces its effects by acting at a specific brain receptor site - the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor. Successfully blocking the effects of psilocybin may represent a new avenue for the treatment of schizophrenia, including treatment of symptoms which are not well treated at the moment. Schizophrenia is a devastating disorder comprising positive symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, negative symptoms such as apathy and cognitive symptoms such as poor memory. It affects around 1% of people across the lifespan and current medicines, while successful, do not treat the full range of symptoms and also carry a risk of significant side effects.
This study is stimulated by the recent discovery that psilocybin and similar drugs produce their effects through a specific pathway in brain cells and that this pathway can be blocked by saracatinib. Current drugs that block 5-HT2A receptors are not specific for this pathway. This suggests that this saracatinib should be tested for its ability to block psilocybin effects in humans. Using brain imaging with MRI combined with intravenous psilocybin, we recently found brain changes that were related to the subjective effects. Here we propose to use brain imaging and subjective measures to test two doses of saracatinib for their ability to block or attenuate the effects of psilocybin. Twenty four volunteers who are healthy will be given placebo then psilocybin on one day, and saracatinib and then psilocybin on two other days. Neither the volunteers, nor the research staff will know which drugs are given. The brain changes and subjective ratings should show some reversal if saracatinib is successful in blocking the cell pathways mediating psilocybin effects. If successful this will potentially stimulate research into a whole new treatment approach for schizophrenia.
The compound, called saracatinib, is particularly exciting because it acts through a different mechanism than other experimental therapies now being tested for Alzheimer’s disease. The biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which has agreed to supply the drug for the trials, first developed the compound to target a family of enzymes called src kinases, which are involved in the spread of cancer. Although the oral drug proved safe in human clinical trials, its performance was not impressive against cancer. So, the company shelved saracatinib, setting aside plans for further development.
