Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been vocal about the positive benefits he’s experienced from using the Amazon hallucinogen ayahuasca. It has been suggested that it has rapid antidepressant properties that may help treat addiction.

However, Rogers maintains that ayahuasca is not a drug.

“It has hallucinogenic properties. [sic] ability,” Rogers said during a recent appearancePat McAfee Shaw,” explains the exact behavior of the drug. “But it’s not a drug. We’re talking about plants here.”

This isn’t the first time Rodgers has messed with science on the topic of health. It contains drugs such as (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and harmine. Otherwise no one will drink it. That’s like saying that decaf coffee makes a good back-up player for espresso.

Psychedelics like ayahuasca are becoming increasingly popular — and not just among people like Rogers who can afford to travel to Peru. Interest in ‘magic’ mushrooms is exploding. It captivated Western viewers who were plagued by fatigue.

Based on the vast amount of psychedelic research, that seems to be the case. But how exactly is this achieved? What is your reason for changing your life?

A new paper in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology summarizes what we know and don’t know about the effects of hallucinogens on the brain. Peeking under the hood, two scientists at the Center for Psychiatric Research at the University of Friborg in Switzerland examined the available evidence to determine the doses needed, where in the brain these changes occur. or how long they last, and any of these changes. In fact, it has real therapeutic value.

Much of this psychedelic research relies on a concept called neuroplasticity, or, as one article put it, the brain’s ability to “correct, change and adapt.” Scientists believed that brain development almost stopped after a certain age. We now know that’s not true. Drugs and other methods can induce changes in the brain at any age.

But experts still don’t fully understand how this happens on a neurological level. It is essential for developing tools (i.e. medicines) to maintain good health.

However, much of the research into psychedelic neuroplasticity has been done in animals rather than humans. Measuring changes in the living human brain is not easy, but by giving rats and mice psychedelic drugs and measuring the size of neurons before and after administration, we can see what is happening and what is happening. You can learn a lot about what is not.

One of the most important aspects of psychedelics is the shape of the molecule. Looking at the chemical structures of drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, DMT, and 5-MeO-DMT (also known as “toad poison”), they are all highly toxic to serotonin, a chemical widely used in the body. looks similar. Especially the biological processes that keep the brain online. As a result, serotonin has been linked to many psychiatric and neurological conditions such as schizophrenia and autism.

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Psychedelics are like keys in roughly the same shape (but not exactly) as serotonin. Close enough for these drugs to slip into “locks” or receptors within cells and exert downstream effects on genes that strengthen the growth of new brain cells and the connections between existing neurons.

Most brain changes appear to be related to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is a protein our body naturally produces to regulate our nervous system. Not only does it play an important role in memory, but it also appears to promote biological processes related to neuron growth.Psychedelics appear to increase levels of BDNF. In fact, introducing psilocybin into the mouse brain allows us to see this growth in near real time.

Our brains are filled with billions of neurons, each with long, dangling threads called dendrites. BDNF is like fertilizer for neurons, growing large, bushy dendrites and creating more connections in the brain. Healthy neuronal forests are associated with positive mental health, while conditions such as PTSD and depression are associated with low levels of BDNF.

Several lines of evidence suggest that hallucinogens can create feedback loops between different receptors and generate large amounts of BDNF. This effect can last for several days in what Swiss researchers call the “window of plasticity,” and can help humans become more responsive to treatments or recover from injuries such as stroke. Moreover, the effects seem to be long-lasting, lasting up to a month in some people.

However, “long-term experiences of anxiety and distress in a state of heightened plasticity can be detrimental,” warn the authors. In some cases, it can rewire the brain in unpleasant ways. This is a condition in which some of the effects of psychedelic drugs, such as hallucinations and psychological distress, persist long after the drug wears off.

“Neuroplasticity may play a role not only in the long-term positive effects of psychedelics, but also in their undesirable effects,” the authors warn. Thankfully, these side effects are relatively rare and can be managed by taking the medication in a safe environment or with a therapist or guide.

These are some of the leading theories about how psychedelics alter the brain, but they are still theoretical. For example, DMT (the main ingredient in ayahuasca) may involve receptors other than serotonin, such as the sigma-1 receptor.

Certainly stronger evidence is needed, such as using human subjects. The more we investigate the effects of drugs on the brain, the more it becomes clear how this wonderful metabolic machine works uniquely.

You shouldn’t expect a football player like Rodgers to score touchdowns in a subject as complex as neuroscience. The proof is in pudding, and Rogers’ experience with drugs is valid. Only he can say whether his ayahuasca journey was positive or life-affirming, but we can argue for the correct term: “drugs” is not a dirty word. Hallucinogens are drugs, and these substances can tell us a lot about ourselves.