A landmark five-year study conducted by Monash University has revealed that psychedelics reorganize brain patterns, offering clinicians new insights into their therapeutic potential. Published in the scientific journal Nature, the research represents the world’s largest single-site brain-imaging study examining the acute effects of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms.
Landmark Study Maps Brain Changes Under Psilocybin
Researchers used brain imaging to track what occurred in the brains of 62 healthy adults who used psilocybin across various activities, including rest, meditation, listening to music, and watching a movie. Lead author Dr Devon Stoliker, a Turner Impact Research Fellow at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health in the Monash School of Psychological Sciences, noted that previous research had established that psychedelics disrupt normal brain network organization. We uncovered hidden order within that disruption,
Dr Stoliker said. According to the findings, brain networks responsible for processing the inner world and the external environment became less distinct under psilocybin, reorganizing instead into patterns that reflected participants’ immediate experiences. This effect was strongest among individuals who reported more positive psychedelic experiences and felt less separate from their surroundings.
The Role of Context and Environment in Treatment
Senior author and Principal Investigator Professor Adeel Razi, also from the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health in the Monash School of Psychological Sciences, explained that changes in brain pattern organization shifted depending on participants’ surroundings and focus. Whether individuals were resting, meditating, listening to music, or watching a movie altered the resulting brain patterns.
This shows that context is not just background to the psychedelic experience,
Professor Razi said. What a person is doing and focusing on shapes how their brain responds. For treatment, that reinforces why the environment and what a person does and experiences during the psychedelic session matter.
The study was conducted at Monash Biomedical Imaging, which is co-located with BrainPark, the site where the psilocybin therapy sessions took place. The research combined advanced brain-imaging analyses by co-author Dr Leonardo Novelli with artificial intelligence analyses by co-author Dr Moein Khajehnejad.
Artificial Intelligence and Individualized Therapy
Dr Stoliker stated that researchers can leverage insights from the trial to develop therapies aimed at helping patients achieve greater clarity, psychological flexibility, and new perspectives. Participants who demonstrated stronger brain reorganization also reported greater positive psychological changes on the following day.
Until now, brain-imaging studies have mainly told us what happens on average across a group,
Dr Stoliker said. Using artificial intelligence, we could measure this reorganization in each person.
Professor Razi noted that measuring individual responses could carry significant implications for treatment. If translated to patients, this could eventually help clinicians understand how someone is responding and predict who is most likely to benefit,
he said.
Global Regulatory Context
Australia is the first country in the world to legalise psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression alongside MDMA for PTSD, while the United States and other nations explore similar pathways.
Australia is a trailblazer in this growing area of science, with a distinct global advantage in scaling these therapies responsibly,
Professor Razi said. As these countries look to us for direction, research from Monash will provide critical evidence to guide safe and effective implementation.
