Aug. 29 at 5:33 AM
$CMPS Research shows psilocybin uniquely alters Autistic brain connectivity.
Groundbreaking research from King’s College London and a newly published study in Nature are reshaping our understanding of how psychedelics change the brains of people with Autism.
In the first-ever human mechanistic study of its kind, researchers administered a low, 5 mg dose of psilocybin—the active compound in magic mushrooms—to autistic and non-autistic adults. Functional MRI scans revealed a striking neural divergence.
In autistic individuals, the compound significantly boosted communication between brain networks responsible for attention and higher-order thinking. Follow-up studies are currently being planned.
sources:
Whelan, T., et al. (2026). Distinct response of resting-state brain networks to psilocybin in autism. medRxiv.
Song, C., Chang, T., Buchborn, T., & Knöpfel, T. (2025). Lasting effect of psilocybin on sociability can be blocked by DNA methyltransferase inhibition. Nature.
