Then (1992), Food of the Gods
The Stoned Ape in 2025: Neuroscience Weighs In
At low doses, psilocybin increases visual acuity and edge detection. At medium doses, it produces sexual arousal and group bonding. At high doses, it produces ego dissolution. These properties, applied to early hominids, drove language, religion, and the doubling of brain size.
partially-confirmed
The neuroplasticity mechanism is now documented: psilocybin promotes dendritic spine formation and synaptogenesis in the prefrontal cortex (Shao et al., Neuron 2021). The visual acuity claim at low doses is supported by animal studies. The sexual arousal effect has some clinical support (5-HT2A agonism affects prosocial bonding). However, the specific evolutionary timeline and the claim about brain doubling remain without archaeological or genetic corroboration. Dennis McKenna has stated that while the specific claims of Food of the Gods are speculative, the general hypothesis, that psychoactive plants were part of the hominid ecological niche, is plausible.
Sources
- McKenna, Food of the Gods (1992)
- Shao et al., Neuron (2021)
- D. McKenna, talk at Psychedelic Science (2023)