Psilocybin Seems to Turn Down 'Ego Center' in Brain [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Psilocybin Seems to Turn Down ‘Ego Center’ in Brain

By Traci Pedersen
Associate News EditorLast updated: 6 Jun 2020
~ 2 MIN READ

In a new study, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers analyzed the brain scans of people after they took psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic (magic) mushrooms, to see what happens in the brain when people are on psychedelics.

The team focused on a part of the brain known as the claustrum, taken from the Latin word for “hidden or shut away.” The claustrum is an extremely thin sheet of neurons deep within the cortex, yet it reaches out to every other region of the brain.

Its true purpose remains “hidden away” as well, with researchers speculating about its functions. For example, Dr. Francis Crick, the British biologist and neuroscientist who proposed the double helix structure of the DNA molecule, believed that the claustrum was the seat of consciousness, responsible for awareness and sense of self.

What is known is that this region contains a large number of receptors targeted by psychedelic drugs such as LSD or psilocybin.

More:
https://psychcentral.com/news/2020/06/06/psilocybin-seems-to-turn-down-ego-center-in-brain/157165.html