Psilocybin mushrooms may subdue brain’s ego center

During psilocybin use, the area of the brain believed responsible for setting attention and switching tasks is turned down, research finds.

The study compares brain scans of people who’ve taken psilocybin, the hallucinogenic chemical found in certain mushrooms, and people who’ve taken a placebo.

The scans after psilocybin use showed that the claustrum was less active.

“Our findings move us one step closer to understanding mechanisms underlying how psilocybin works in the brain.”

Perhaps no region of the brain is more fittingly named than the claustrum, taken from the Latin word for “hidden or shut away.” The claustrum is an