Pubdate: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) Copyright: 2006 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc Contact: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hallucinogens.htm (Hallucinogens) THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHEDELIC MUSHROOMS What makes some mushrooms more psychedelic than others? Researchers at Johns Hopkins University think they know. A plant alkaloid called psilocybin mimics the effect of serotonin on brain receptors and provides what the researchers called a "primary mystical experience" that may lead to overall positive changes in behavior. While researchers hailed the discovery as a new way to approach hallucinogenic compounds, they cautioned that the chemical should not be handled lightly. "Even in this study, where we greatly controlled conditions to minimize adverse effects, about a third of subjects reported significant fear, with some also reporting transient feelings of paranoia," said study leader Roland Griffiths of Hopkins. "Under unmonitored conditions, it's not hard to imagine those emotions escalating to panic and dangerous behavior." More than 60 percent of the study subjects said they had a "mystical experience." Of those subjects, one-third said it was the single most spiritually significant experience of their lifetimes; and more than two-thirds rated it along with giving birth to their first child. Two months later, 79 percent of subjects said their lives had improved at least moderately, compared with the placebo. The team hopes to study the drug on cancer patients suffering from depression or anxiety. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman