{
  "id": 2010774,
  "title": "New research shows how psychedelics reorganise the patterns in your brain",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/new-research-shows-how-psychedelics-reorganise-the-patterns-in-your",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-19T20:08:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation AU",
    "slug": "the-conversation-au",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/new-research-shows-how-psychedelics-reorganise-the-patterns-in-your-brain-290047"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "New research published in Nature reveals how psychedelics, specifically psilocybin found in magic mushrooms, can reorganize patterns in the brain. To investigate, 62 healthy adults with no prior psychedelic experience received a moderate dose of psilocybin and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalograph (EEG) scans. Participants engaged in rest, meditation, and listened to ambient, ethereal music while closed-eyed, followed by watching a silent video of moving clouds. The study found that during psilocybin use, the visual network showed a significant reduction in the difference between eyes-open and eyes-closed activity, with gaps shrinking by 85% in MRI scans and 66% across all brain networks. Additionally, regions responsible for integrating information and the sense of self became more connected with the rest of the brain. Sensory regions, however, became less connected but varied by individual. While previous studies have shown psilocybin disrupts coordinated brain network activity, this research suggests that the brain's organization may lead to clarity or positive psychological changes experienced by some individuals. The study also highlights how context, such as listening to music, can influence the experience, with participants rating it as more meaningful and emotionally resonant under psilocybin. Further research is needed to determine if this brain signature appears in patients, how preparation and setting influence it, and whether it can predict treatment benefit.",
  "summary": "Brains scans show a signature linked to a dissolved separation between the self and the world.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}