An injection of psilocybin, the key ingredient in so-called ‘magic mushrooms,’ could offer lasting relief from chronic pain, according to new research.
A team of scientists at the University of Michigan found that rats given the psychedelic drug were significantly less sensitive to pain for weeks compared to animals who did not receive it.
These results suggest that the drug is altering pathways in the brain, the study authors wrote.
Chronic pain reshapes connections in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), making the condition difficult to treat. But, research has shown that psilocybin, too, can reshape pathways in the nervous system
Scientists suspect many chronic pain conditions are the result of changes to the brain and spinal cord, not just the body part that’s in pain.
Psilocybin may modify these pathways rather than just treating the symptoms of pain.
In the new study, rats were given a small injection of formaldehyde in their foot to simulate chronic pain.
Injections like this can lead to a month or more of hypersensitivity, even in the feet that haven’t been injected.
So, while this pain isn’t the same as a person with a back injury or other chronic pain experiences, it is one way for scientists to study long-lasting pain.
The lab animals were then given either a low-dose injection of psilocybin, a high-dose injection, or an injection of harmless salt water – a placebo to ensure the drug was responsible for the observed effects.
The low-dose group received 1mg per kilogram of body weight, the equivalent of a microdose, while the high-dose group received 10mg per kilogram, a hallucinogenic dose.
![Rats treated with psilocybin, the main active ingredient in magic mushrooms, became much less sensitive to pain than the rats that were not treated](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/18/15/79091991-12877121-image-a-11_1702915057182.jpg)
Rats treated with psilocybin, the main active ingredient in magic mushrooms, became much less sensitive to pain than the rats that were not treated
Over the following month, scientists regularly exposed them to either an uncomfortable foot prick or a hot plate under their feet and recorded how long it took them to show their discomfort.
Compared to the rats’ pain responses recorded before the injections, the high- and low-dose psilocybin rats were much less sensitive to the foot prick.
On some days, the high-dose rats were less sensitive than those who received low doses, but their effects were similar overall.
The heat was a different story.
The psilocybin rats did not significantly improve heat sensitivity compared to the untreated rats.
This could be because psilocybin does not help this type of pain.
The study authors wrote that it could also be because the hot plate was so hot (126.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 52.5 degrees Celsius) that it exceeded any pain relief the drug offered.
![Chronic pain is difficult for doctors to treat, partly because it seems to change and reshape the nervous system. Psilocybin has been shown to reshape the brain's connections, suggesting that it could help address chronic pain](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/18/15/79091179-12877121-image-a-2_1702914012352.jpg)
Chronic pain is difficult for doctors to treat, partly because it seems to change and reshape the nervous system. Psilocybin has been shown to reshape the brain’s connections, suggesting that it could help address chronic pain
Importantly, rats who were not given the formaldehyde injection did not show any difference in pain sensitivity after taking the psilocybin, suggesting that the drug specifically helped the animals who were experiencing chronic pain.
The results appeared today in the journal Current Biology, adding to a growing body of scientific research is giving us insight into psilocybin’s healing potential.
Studies have shown the drug to be somewhat effective at treating depression, as well as helping people quit drinking or smoking when other methods have failed.
But the only evidence is anecdotal for many of its reported benefits, like pain relief.
So, this new work is part of growing the scientific effort to catalog and track what mushrooms can and can’t do.
Like much of the research on psilocybin, the results of this study are mixed – the drug helped only with one type of pain sensitivity.
The researchers noted that their results had some limitations.
For instance, these experiments looked at inflammation, so future studies must assess other types of pain, like nerve pain.
![Many Americans seek relief from psychedelic drugs and other unconventional therapies after turning away from conventional medicine](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/18/16/79091291-12877121-image-a-12_1702916773858.jpg)
Many Americans seek relief from psychedelic drugs and other unconventional therapies after turning away from conventional medicine
The study was not set up to explain exactly how and why psilocybin treated pain. So it’s not clear whether the psilocybin’s hallucinogenic properties were responsible for these effects or if perhaps it did something else in the rat’s bodies to lessen their pain sensitivity.
More research is needed before people’s pain can be treated with psilocybin, though.
Additionally, two of the seven scientists behind the study work for Tryp Therapeutics. This San Diego, California-based company is researching psilocybin as a treatment for multiple pain conditions, as well as binge eating.
In other words, some scientists working on the study are financially interested in positive findings. Tryp’s stock price has hovered under $0.12 per share all year.
This does not mean the results are not to be trusted.
But good scientific practices say that other labs, including those with no financial motives, should be able to replicate the results if the treatment does work.