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Psychedelics change blood-flow signals in brain imaging — Level A2 — a colorful fireworks display in the dark

Psychedelics change blood-flow signals in brain imagingCEFR A2

15 Dec 2025

Adapted from Washington U. in St. Louis, Futurity CC BY 4.0

Photo by BoliviaInteligente, Unsplash

Level A2 – High beginner / Elementary
2 min
107 words

A research team at Washington University in St. Louis tested a psychedelic that acts on serotonin. Serotonin helps control the widening and narrowing of blood vessels, so the team wanted to see if blood-flow signals still match neural activity.

In mice given the drug, blood flow did not change in the usual way when neurons were active. A second medication that blocks a specific serotonin receptor removed those unusual blood-flow effects. The researchers then used psilocybin in more mouse experiments and reanalyzed human fMRI data; both showed comparable changes. The finding means blood flow–based scans may not always show true neural activity after psychedelics.

Difficult words

  • psychedelica drug that changes perception and thinking
  • serotonina chemical in the body that affects blood vessels
  • receptora protein on cells that receives signals
  • psilocybina psychedelic compound found in some mushrooms
  • blood flowmovement of blood through body vessels
    blood-flow
  • neuralrelated to nerves or brain cells

Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.

Discussion questions

  • Why did the researchers test the drug in mice?
  • How could changes in blood flow affect brain scans?
  • Have you seen a brain scan before? How did it seem to you?

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