Psilocybin Sparks The Brain of Woman in Barely Conscious State

In a groundbreaking development, scientists have reported the first known use of psilocybin — the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms — in a woman who was in a minimally conscious state. The report, published in Clinical Neurophysiology, didn’t show improvements on standard medical scales of consciousness, but what did happen was striking: new spontaneous behaviors and a measurable increase in brain complexity, suggesting that psilocybin may have sparked changes in the woman’s inner experience.

While far from conclusive, the findings are exciting and raise a fascinating question: could psychedelics one day help patients with serious brain injuries reconnect with consciousness?

A New Frontier in Psychedelic Medicine

Psilocybin has gained attention in recent years for its powerful effects on the brain. It primarily activates a serotonin receptor called 5-HT2A, which is known to increase the complexity and connectivity of brain activity. In healthy people, that typically leads to vivid emotional and sensory experiences, along with shifts in awareness and perspective.

Now, researchers are asking whether this same brain-enhancing effect might help people with impaired consciousness, especially those who’ve experienced traumatic brain injuries and have few treatment options.

The Case: A 41-Year-Old Woman With Minimal Consciousness

The subject of this case report was a 41-year-old woman diagnosed with what’s known as MCS+, a minimally conscious state where some awareness is present, but responses are inconsistent. After a traumatic brain injury a year earlier, she was able to show some signs of responsiveness, like following commands or tracking things with her eyes, but remained mostly uncommunicative.

Doctors had already tried several medications and stimulation therapies without success. With her condition stable and showing little improvement, her caregiver reached out to one of the study’s authors about the possibility of using psilocybin — a substance the woman had taken once before, prior to her injury.

In the weeks before the formal session, microdoses of psilocybin (small, sub-perceptual doses) appeared to bring about subtle new behaviors. These included things such as movement in her right leg, which hadn’t been observed since the injury.

The Psilocybin Session

On the day of the main session, the woman received 2.5 grams of psilocybin (in tincture form) via a gastric tube while at home in Colorado, where psilocybin is decriminalized. The setting was made intentionally calming. Music played softly, incense was burned, and she was occasionally blindfolded to shape the sensory environment. A physician closely monitored her vital signs.

Researchers recorded her brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) before and after the session, analyzing the data for changes in brain complexity and connectivity. Standard behavioral assessments were also conducted.

Observable Changes in Behavior and Brain Activity

Although the woman’s clinical classification didn’t change after psilocybin administration, some unexpected behaviors occurred. For example, she lifted both legs and held them up, a behavior not previously seen. Her right leg also showed distinctive shivering, and her caregiver noted that her eyes and mouth opened unusually wide, suggesting a possible shift in internal experience.

The EEG readings revealed notable increases in brain complexity, specifically in a measure known as Lempel-Ziv complexity. This is a marker of the richness and unpredictability of brain activity, something typically reduced in patients with disorders of consciousness. After the psilocybin dose, the woman’s brain exhibited more high-frequency gamma waves (often linked to cognition and awareness), and fewer slow brain waves, which tend to dominate in unconscious states.

“These changes mirror patterns observed in healthy individuals under the influence of psychedelics,” the authors noted.

The team also saw shifts in brain connectivity. Most types of functional connections between brain regions decreased, a phenomenon often associated with the brain entering a more flexible or “decentralized” state during a psychedelic experience. Interestingly, delta band connectivity increased, suggesting that some communication in the brain may have been restructured rather than simply lost.

No Major Adverse Effects — And Some Surprising Ones

Importantly, no seizures or severe side effects occurred during the session. There was a temporary rise in blood pressure, which was managed with medical supervision.

There was one especially curious outcome: earlier in the day, the woman had shown signs of discomfort when exposed to pain. But after the psilocybin session, she no longer responded to the same painful stimulus, which suggests a possible analgesic (pain-relieving) effect. This is an area where psychedelics have shown promise in other studies.

Limitations / A Glimpse of What’s Possible

As with any case report, these findings are not enough to draw firm conclusions. This was a single patient, without a placebo or a controlled setting, so it’s hard to know whether the psilocybin truly caused the behavioral and neurological changes, or whether they might have happened anyway. The environment itself, or just the passage of time, could also have influenced the results.

Still, the report breaks new ground in an area where there are few effective treatments and even fewer studies. It also underscores the need for more sensitive ways of measuring consciousness — especially in patients who may be mentally aware but physically unable to show it. Brain scans, EEG complexity readings, and physiological monitoring could help researchers better understand these hidden states.

The Bigger Picture: Rethinking Consciousness

This case also taps into a growing theory in neuroscience known as the “entropic brain hypothesis”. The idea here is that a certain amount of chaos (or entropy) in the brain may be necessary for consciousness to emerge. Psychedelics like psilocybin seem to increase entropy, potentially pushing the brain into a more open and dynamic state. Case-in-point, the recent research that described how psilocybin temporarily ‘scrambles’ our brain — which is actually actually a positive thing!

“Psychedelics are thought to push the brain into a more disordered, but potentially more flexible and integrated, state,” the researchers explain.

If future research confirms these effects in people with disorders of consciousness, psychedelics could eventually serve not just as treatments, but also as diagnostic tools, helping clinicians detect consciousness where traditional methods fall short.

Vad händer härnäst?

The authors of the study — Paolo Cardone, Pablo Núñez, Naji L.N. Alnagger, Charlotte Martial, Glenn J.M. van der Lande, Robin Sandell, Robin Carhart-Harris, and Olivia Gosseries — are calling for larger clinical trials. These would need to include placebo controls, strict protocols, and ethical oversight, especially since patients in these states can’t give informed consent themselves.

In this case, the caregiver provided consent, as is standard in medical decisions involving patients with limited capacity. Still, the ethical considerations are significant and must be handled with great care.

Final Thoughts

This single case doesn’t provide answers, men it opens up important questions. Could psychedelics help restore consciousness? Could they give voice — or at least increased awareness — to those who can no longer communicate?

With few treatments currently available for people in minimally conscious states, exploratory studies like this are an essential first step. And for families and caregivers desperate for hope, even small signs of inner experience can feel profoundly meaningful.

As science begins to explore these frontiers, psychedelics may one day play a role in reconnecting minds that seem lost. And, in doing so, redefine how we understand consciousness itself.