- Scientists study a psychedelic drug for mood and addiction.
- The drug can change how the brain works.
- Blood flow in the brain is a common scan signal.
- Researchers gave the drug to mice and watched effects.
- Neural firing no longer matched blood flow after dosing.
- A second medicine blocked a receptor and fixed blood flow.
- They tested another psychedelic and saw similar changes.
- Human brain scans showed similar blood-flow changes too.
- This result matters for doctors using brain scans.
Difficult words
- psychedelic — drug that changes perception and feelings
- blood flow — movement of blood through the brainblood-flow
- neural firing — electrical activity from brain cells
- receptor — a protein on cells that binds molecules
- addiction — strong need to keep using a substance
- scan — medical images of the inside of the bodyscans
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever had a medical scan?
- Would you take medicine to change mood?
- Do you think brain scans are useful for doctors?
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