Science just did the unthinkable:
Researchers genetically modified the worldโs deadliest virus to trace how psilocybin physically repairs the brain...
๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
Weโve finally figured out why one trip can change your entire life ๐งต **
Hereโs the problem scientists had:
Since 2021, weโve known that psilocybin grows new connections between brain cells. Thousands of them. And they last for weeks.
๐๐๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ฒ๐ โ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒโ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด. Which brain regions were wiring to which ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ regions? **
That question just got answered by a team at Cornell.
They needed a way to trace connections backward through the brain - to light up every neuron sending signals into a specific area.
The solution? ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐. **
Rabies naturally tโฆ
Science just did the unthinkable:
Researchers genetically modified the worldโs deadliest virus to trace how psilocybin physically repairs the brain...
๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
Weโve finally figured out why one trip can change your entire life ๐งต **
Hereโs the problem scientists had:
Since 2021, weโve known that psilocybin grows new connections between brain cells. Thousands of them. And they last for weeks.
๐๐๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ฒ๐ โ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒโ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด. Which brain regions were wiring to which ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ regions? **
That question just got answered by a team at Cornell.
They needed a way to trace connections backward through the brain - to light up every neuron sending signals into a specific area.
The solution? ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐. **
Rabies naturally travels backward through your nervous system.
It jumps from one nerve cell into every cell connected to it โ then those cells โ then those cells.
But scientists at the Allen Institute engineered a version ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐ท๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
Delete one gene, add a green fluorescent marker, and you have a neural tracer! **
Hereโs how the experiment worked:
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ: Inject helper virus into frontal cortex of mice, to prime neurons. ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ๐ฐ: Give psilocybin (1mg/kg) to one group or saline as a control. ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ๐ฒ: Inject the modified rabies virus into the same brain region. ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ญ: Rabies has spread backward one connection. Harvest the brain. **
They used light-sheet microscopy to photograph every slice.
Machine learning counted every glowing cell - over 500,000 input neurons per mouse brain.
Each cell ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป across 316 different brain regions.
The first complete map of psilocybinโs rewiring. **
What they found was shocking.
The rewiring wasnโt random. It followed a specific pattern based on brain networks.
Statistical significance: p = 0.00006
The probability this pattern happened by chance? ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ. **
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐ข๐ก๐๐๐ฅ (+10%):
Primary somatosensory cortex - what you feel on your skin (touch, pain, temp) Primary visual cortex - what you see. Retrosplenial cortex - spatial memory and your sense of self. Motor cortex - movement.
Every region processing sensory information from the outside world. **
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ฅ (-15%):
Infralimbic area - fear responses. Orbital frontal cortex - expectations and decision-making. Insular cortex - internal body state, anxiety. Hippocampus - memory. Amygdala - emotional processing.
Every region that process information about YOU.
Your memories. Your fears. Your internal emotional state. **
Your brain became less focused on itself.
The weakened regions form the default mode network - the system active when youโre ruminating, mind-wandering, fixating on negative thoughts.
๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฝ๐. Psilocybin physically reduced their influence. **
Then came the breakthrough that changed everything.
They used a drug to silence one brain region during the psilocybin trip.
When that region was silenced? Its connections didnโt get rewired.
๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ด๐ผ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐. **
Hereโs what that means:
Psilocybin only rewires the parts of your brain that are firing while the drug is active.
Whatever youโre experiencing during those hours - what youโre seeing, thinking, feeling - thatโs what gets wired into your brain permanently.
The rewiring isnโt random. ๐๐โ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ. **
And now we know ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ.
Want to strengthen visual processing pathways? Show specific images during the trip.
Want to weaken anxiety circuits? Use brain stimulation to quiet the fear center while psilocybin is active.
We could design the rewiring instead of letting it happen randomly. **
Lead researcher Alex Kwan put it simply:
โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ท๐ฐ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ.โ
This isnโt just psychiatry anymore. ๐๐โ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด. **
They used a virus that would kill you to figure out how a mushroom can heal you.
For the first time in history, weโre not just watching the brain change.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐. **
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I break down any new psychedelic news.
Read the full article here ๐ cell.com/cell/fulltext/โฆ **
โข โข โข
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