Will the active substances of hallucinogenic mushrooms help treat anorexia? Latest research

Psylocybin is a known psychodysleptic substance of natural origin, found in mushrooms of the genus Psilocyb. It is on the list of narcotics in Group I-P, a substance with no medical use. According to regulations, it can only be used for research. For a long time, its properties have prompted scientists to study its use in medicine. Psylocybin affects a person's perception, mood and cognitive processes. Therefore, it is often the cause of poisoning, especially among young people experimenting with substances with narcotic effects. However, in addition to its adverse psychotropic effects, it also exhibits medically beneficial actions. It is already being used experimentally in some therapies such as alcohol addiction treatment, supportively in death anxiety in people with terminal illness, in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression including drug-resistant depression and affective disorders.

Following the previously proven efficacy of psilocybin in certain mental illnesses, Monash University's Melbourn Biomedical Institute has undertaken another study on its usefulness in treating mental anorexia nervosa, or anorexia nervosa. The research team reported that a study conducted on female rats observed that psilocybin improved cognitive flexibility, or the ability to change behavior or beliefs, which is lacking in cases of mental anorexia nervosa. Female rats treated with the molecule changed their eating habits, and in particular increased their intake of fed food. The researchers emphasize in their conclusions that psilocybin's effect on mental anorexia is more cognitive than metabolic.

The hallmark of anorexia is cognitive rigidity, that is, a person's adherence to certain thought patterns and difficulty adapting to changing situations. Often it appears in anorexia before its symptoms become obvious. Dr. Foldi, who led the study, emphasizes that this symptom persists after weight regain and is therefore the main target for intervention in treating the disease. The study's authors emphasize that studies of this type in animal models are crucial to better understand how psilocybin actually works on the brain. They are an essential tool for determining how to use a substance safely. In this way, the team discovered a specific mechanism in the brain by which psilocybin makes "anorexic thinking" more flexible, thus opening the way for targeted therapies. In this study, psilocybin was proven to improve maintained body weight in rats. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Molecular Psychiatry.