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Singer B, Meling D, Hirsch-Hoffmann M, Michels L, Kometer M, Smigielski L, Dornbierer D, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX, Scheidegger M. Author Correction: Psilocybin enhances insightfulness in meditation: a perspective on the global topology of brain imaging during meditation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9328. [PMID: 38654063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59897-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Berit Singer
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Daniel Meling
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Hirsch-Hoffmann
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lars Michels
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Kometer
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukasz Smigielski
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dario Dornbierer
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Milan Scheidegger
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Moujaes F, Ji JL, Rahmati M, Burt JB, Schleifer C, Adkinson BD, Savic A, Santamauro N, Tamayo Z, Diehl C, Kolobaric A, Flynn M, Rieser N, Fonteneau C, Camarro T, Xu J, Cho Y, Repovs G, Fineberg SK, Morgan PT, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX, Krystal JH, Murray JD, Preller KH, Anticevic A. Ketamine induces multiple individually distinct whole-brain functional connectivity signatures. eLife 2024; 13:e84173. [PMID: 38629811 PMCID: PMC11023699 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Ketamine has emerged as one of the most promising therapies for treatment-resistant depression. However, inter-individual variability in response to ketamine is still not well understood and it is unclear how ketamine's molecular mechanisms connect to its neural and behavioral effects. Methods We conducted a single-blind placebo-controlled study, with participants blinded to their treatment condition. 40 healthy participants received acute ketamine (initial bolus 0.23 mg/kg, continuous infusion 0.58 mg/kg/hr). We quantified resting-state functional connectivity via data-driven global brain connectivity and related it to individual ketamine-induced symptom variation and cortical gene expression targets. Results We found that: (i) both the neural and behavioral effects of acute ketamine are multi-dimensional, reflecting robust inter-individual variability; (ii) ketamine's data-driven principal neural gradient effect matched somatostatin (SST) and parvalbumin (PVALB) cortical gene expression patterns in humans, while the mean effect did not; and (iii) behavioral data-driven individual symptom variation mapped onto distinct neural gradients of ketamine, which were resolvable at the single-subject level. Conclusions These results highlight the importance of considering individual behavioral and neural variation in response to ketamine. They also have implications for the development of individually precise pharmacological biomarkers for treatment selection in psychiatry. Funding This study was supported by NIH grants DP5OD012109-01 (A.A.), 1U01MH121766 (A.A.), R01MH112746 (J.D.M.), 5R01MH112189 (A.A.), 5R01MH108590 (A.A.), NIAAA grant 2P50AA012870-11 (A.A.); NSF NeuroNex grant 2015276 (J.D.M.); Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Award (A.A.); SFARI Pilot Award (J.D.M., A.A.); Heffter Research Institute (Grant No. 1-190420) (FXV, KHP); Swiss Neuromatrix Foundation (Grant No. 2016-0111) (FXV, KHP); Swiss National Science Foundation under the framework of Neuron Cofund (Grant No. 01EW1908) (KHP); Usona Institute (2015 - 2056) (FXV). Clinical trial number NCT03842800.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flora Moujaes
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Jie Lisa Ji
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Masih Rahmati
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Joshua B Burt
- Department of Physics, Yale UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Charles Schleifer
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Brendan D Adkinson
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | | | - Nicole Santamauro
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Zailyn Tamayo
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Caroline Diehl
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | | | - Morgan Flynn
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashvilleUnited States
| | - Nathalie Rieser
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Clara Fonteneau
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Terry Camarro
- Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Junqian Xu
- Department of Radiology and Psychiatry, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Youngsun Cho
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Grega Repovs
- Department of Psychology, University of LjubljanaLjubljanaSlovenia
| | - Sarah K Fineberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Peter T Morgan
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, Bridgeport HospitalBridgeportUnited States
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - John D Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Department of Physics, Yale UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Psychology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Alan Anticevic
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
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Singer B, Meling D, Hirsch-Hoffmann M, Michels L, Kometer M, Smigielski L, Dornbierer D, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX, Scheidegger M. Psilocybin enhances insightfulness in meditation: a perspective on the global topology of brain imaging during meditation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7211. [PMID: 38531905 PMCID: PMC10966054 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55726-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In this study, for the first time, we explored a dataset of functional magnetic resonance images collected during focused attention and open monitoring meditation before and after a five-day psilocybin-assisted meditation retreat using a recently established approach, based on the Mapper algorithm from topological data analysis. After generating subject-specific maps for two groups (psilocybin vs. placebo, 18 subjects/group) of experienced meditators, organizational principles were uncovered using graph topological tools, including the optimal transport (OT) distance, a geometrically rich measure of similarity between brain activity patterns. This revealed characteristics of the topology (i.e. shape) in space (i.e. abstract space of voxels) and time dimension of whole-brain activity patterns during different styles of meditation and psilocybin-induced alterations. Most interestingly, we found that (psilocybin-induced) positive derealization, which fosters insightfulness specifically when accompanied by enhanced open-monitoring meditation, was linked to the OT distance between open-monitoring and resting state. Our findings suggest that enhanced meta-awareness through meditation practice in experienced meditators combined with potential psilocybin-induced positive alterations in perception mediate insightfulness. Together, these findings provide a novel perspective on meditation and psychedelics that may reveal potential novel brain markers for positive synergistic effects between mindfulness practices and psilocybin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berit Singer
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Daniel Meling
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Hirsch-Hoffmann
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lars Michels
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Kometer
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukasz Smigielski
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dario Dornbierer
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Milan Scheidegger
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Stoliker D, Novelli L, Vollenweider FX, Egan GF, Preller KH, Razi A. Neural Mechanisms of Resting-State Networks and the Amygdala Underlying the Cognitive and Emotional Effects of Psilocybin. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)00004-0. [PMID: 38185235 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Serotonergic psychedelics, such as psilocybin, alter perceptual and cognitive systems that are functionally integrated with the amygdala. These changes can alter cognition and emotions that are hypothesized to contribute to their therapeutic utility. However, the neural mechanisms of cognitive and subcortical systems altered by psychedelics are not well understood. METHODS We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance images collected during a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 24 healthy adults under 0.2 mg/kg psilocybin to estimate the directed (i.e., effective) changes between the amygdala and 3 large-scale resting-state networks involved in cognition. These networks are the default mode network, the salience network, and the central executive network. RESULTS We found a pattern of decreased top-down effective connectivity from these resting-state networks to the amygdala. Effective connectivity decreased within the default mode network and salience network but increased within the central executive network. These changes in effective connectivity were statistically associated with behavioral measures of altered cognition and emotion under the influence of psilocybin. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that temporary amygdala signal attenuation is associated with mechanistic changes to resting-state network connectivity. These changes are significant for altered cognition and perception and suggest targets for research investigating the efficacy of psychedelic therapy for internalizing psychiatric disorders. More broadly, our study suggests the value of quantifying the brain's hierarchical organization using effective connectivity to identify important mechanisms for basic cognitive function and how they are integrated to give rise to subjective experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devon Stoliker
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Leonardo Novelli
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gary F Egan
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Adeel Razi
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom; CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program, CIFAR, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Rieser NM, Gubser LP, Moujaes F, Duerler P, Lewis CR, Michels L, Vollenweider FX, Preller KH. Psilocybin-induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter-individual differences. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17475. [PMID: 37838755 PMCID: PMC10576760 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44153-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Research into the use of psilocybin for the treatment of psychiatric disorders is a growing field. Nevertheless, robust brain-behavior relationships linking psilocybin-induced brain changes to subjective drug-induced effects have not been established. Furthermore, it is unclear if the acute neural effects are dependent on individual heterogeneity in baseline characteristics. To address this, we assessed the effects of three oral doses of psilocybin vs. placebo on cerebral blood flow (CBF) using arterial spin labeling in healthy participants (N = 70; n = 31, 0.16 mg/kg; n = 10, 0.2 mg/kg; n = 29, 0.215 mg/kg). First, we quantified psilocybin-induced changes in relative and absolute CBF. Second, in an exploratory analysis, we assessed whether individual baseline characteristics and subjective psychedelic experience are associated with changes in CBF. Psychological and neurobiological baseline characteristics correlated with the psilocybin-induced reduction in relative CBF and the psilocybin-induced subjective experience. Furthermore, the psilocybin-induced subjective experience was associated with acute changes in relative and absolute CBF. The results demonstrated that inter-individual heterogeneity in the neural response to psilocybin is associated with baseline characteristics and shed light on the mechanisms underlying the psychedelic-induced altered state. Overall, these findings help guide the search for biomarkers, paving the way for a personalized medicine approach within the framework of psychedelic-assisted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie M Rieser
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Ladina P Gubser
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Flora Moujaes
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Patricia Duerler
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Candace R Lewis
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
| | - Lars Michels
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, Zurich, Switzerland
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6
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Moujaes F, Rieser NM, Phillips C, de Matos NMP, Brügger M, Dürler P, Smigielski L, Stämpfli P, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX, Anticevic A, Preller KH. Comparing Neural Correlates of Consciousness: From Psychedelics to Hypnosis and Meditation. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging 2023:S2451-9022(23)00174-X. [PMID: 37459910 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods of inducing altered states of consciousness (ASCs) are becoming increasingly relevant in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. While comparisons between them are often drawn, to date no study has directly compared their neural correlates. METHODS To address this knowledge gap, we directly compared 2 pharmacological methods (psilocybin 0.2 mg/kg orally [n = 23] and lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD] 100 μg orally [n = 25]) and 2 nonpharmacological methods (hypnosis [n = 30] and meditation [n = 29]) using resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging and assessed the predictive value of the data using a machine learning approach. RESULTS We found that 1) no network reached significance in all 4 ASC methods; 2) pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions of inducing ASCs showed distinct connectivity patterns that were predictive at the individual level; 3) hypnosis and meditation showed differences in functional connectivity when compared directly and also drove distinct differences when jointly compared with the pharmacological ASC interventions; and 4) psilocybin and LSD showed no differences in functional connectivity when directly compared with each other, but they did show distinct behavioral-neural relationships. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these results extend our understanding of the mechanisms of action of ASCs and highlight the importance of exploring how these effects can be leveraged in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flora Moujaes
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Nathalie M Rieser
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Christophe Phillips
- GIGA Cyclotron Research Centre in vivo imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Nuno M P de Matos
- Clinic of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mike Brügger
- Clinic of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Patricia Dürler
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukasz Smigielski
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; MR Center, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alan Anticevic
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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Ort A, Smallridge JW, Sarasso S, Casarotto S, von Rotz R, Casanova A, Seifritz E, Preller KH, Tononi G, Vollenweider FX. TMS-EEG and resting-state EEG applied to altered states of consciousness: oscillations, complexity, and phenomenology. iScience 2023; 26:106589. [PMID: 37138774 PMCID: PMC10149373 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Exploring the neurobiology of the profound changes in consciousness induced by classical psychedelic drugs may require novel neuroimaging methods. Serotonergic psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin produce states of increased sensory-emotional awareness and arousal, accompanied by increased spontaneous electroencephalographic (EEG) signal diversity. By directly stimulating cortical tissue, the altered dynamics and propagation of the evoked EEG activity can reveal drug-induced changes in the overall brain state. We combine Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and EEG to reveal that psilocybin produces a state of increased chaotic brain activity which is not a result of altered complexity in the underlying causal interactions between brain regions. We also map the regional effects of psilocybin on TMS-evoked activity and identify changes in frontal brain structures that may be associated with the phenomenology of psychedelic experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres Ort
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Corresponding author
| | - John W. Smallridge
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Corresponding author
| | - Simone Sarasso
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Casarotto
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Robin von Rotz
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Casanova
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H. Preller
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giulio Tononi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Franz X. Vollenweider
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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8
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Shinn M, Hu A, Turner L, Noble S, Preller KH, Ji JL, Moujaes F, Achard S, Scheinost D, Constable RT, Krystal JH, Vollenweider FX, Lee D, Anticevic A, Bullmore ET, Murray JD. Functional brain networks reflect spatial and temporal autocorrelation. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:867-878. [PMID: 37095399 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01299-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
High-throughput experimental methods in neuroscience have led to an explosion of techniques for measuring complex interactions and multi-dimensional patterns. However, whether sophisticated measures of emergent phenomena can be traced back to simpler, low-dimensional statistics is largely unknown. To explore this question, we examined resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data using complex topology measures from network neuroscience. Here we show that spatial and temporal autocorrelation are reliable statistics that explain numerous measures of network topology. Surrogate time series with subject-matched spatial and temporal autocorrelation capture nearly all reliable individual and regional variation in these topology measures. Network topology changes during aging are driven by spatial autocorrelation, and multiple serotonergic drugs causally induce the same topographic change in temporal autocorrelation. This reductionistic interpretation of widely used complexity measures may help link them to neurobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell Shinn
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Amber Hu
- Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Stephanie Noble
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jie Lisa Ji
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Flora Moujaes
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sophie Achard
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Inria, Grenoble INP, LJK, Grenoble, France
| | - Dustin Scheinost
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - R Todd Constable
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daeyeol Lee
- Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Kavli Discovery Neuroscience Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alan Anticevic
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - John D Murray
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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von Rotz R, Schindowski EM, Jungwirth J, Schuldt A, Rieser NM, Zahoranszky K, Seifritz E, Nowak A, Nowak P, Jäncke L, Preller KH, Vollenweider FX. Corrigendum to 'Single-dose psilocybin-assisted therapy in major depressive disorder: a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised clinical trial'. EClinicalMedicine 2023; 56:101841. [PMID: 36747965 PMCID: PMC9898017 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101809.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin von Rotz
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Corresponding author.
| | - Eva M. Schindowski
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Jungwirth
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Anna Schuldt
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie M. Rieser
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Katharina Zahoranszky
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Albina Nowak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Peter Nowak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H. Preller
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X. Vollenweider
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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10
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von Rotz R, Schindowski EM, Jungwirth J, Schuldt A, Rieser NM, Zahoranszky K, Seifritz E, Nowak A, Nowak P, Jäncke L, Preller KH, Vollenweider FX. Single-dose psilocybin-assisted therapy in major depressive disorder: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised clinical trial. EClinicalMedicine 2023; 56:101809. [PMID: 36636296 PMCID: PMC9830149 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psilocybin has been suggested as a novel, rapid-acting treatment for depression. Two consecutive doses have been shown to markedly decrease symptom severity in an open-label setting or when compared to a waiting list group. To date, to our knowledge, no other trial compared a single, moderate dose of psilocybin to a placebo condition. METHODS In this double-blind, randomised clinical trial, 52 participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder and no unstable somatic conditions were allocated to receive either a single, moderate dose (0.215 mg/kg body weight) of psilocybin or placebo in conjunction with psychological support. MADRS and BDI scores were assessed to estimate depression severity, while changes from baseline to 14 days after the intervention were defined as primary endpoints. The trial took place between April 11th, 2019 and October 12th, 2021 at the psychiatric university hospital in Zürich, Switzerland and was registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03715127). FINDINGS The psilocybin condition showed an absolute decrease in symptom severity of -13.0 points compared to baseline and were significantly larger than those in the placebo condition (95% CI -15.0 to -1.3; Cohens' d = 0.97; P = 0.0011; MADRS) and -13.2 points (95% CI; -13.4 to -1.3; Cohens' d = 0.67; P = 0.019; BDI) 14 days after the intervention. 14/26 (54%) participants met the MADRS remission criteria in the psilocybin condition. INTERPRETATION These results suggest that a single, moderate dose of psilocybin significantly reduces depressive symptoms compared to a placebo condition for at least two weeks. No serious adverse events were recorded. Larger, multi-centric trials with longer follow-up periods are needed to inform further optimisation of this novel treatment paradigm. FUNDING The study was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, Crowdfunding, the Swiss Neuromatrix Foundation, and the Heffter Research Institute.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin von Rotz
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Corresponding author.
| | - Eva M. Schindowski
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Jungwirth
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Anna Schuldt
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie M. Rieser
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Katharina Zahoranszky
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Albina Nowak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Peter Nowak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H. Preller
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X. Vollenweider
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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11
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Stoliker D, Novelli L, Vollenweider FX, Egan GF, Preller KH, Razi A. Effective Connectivity of Functionally Anticorrelated Networks Under Lysergic Acid Diethylamide. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:224-232. [PMID: 36270812 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Classic psychedelic-induced ego dissolution involves a shift in the sense of self and a blurring of the boundary between the self and the world. A similar phenomenon is identified in psychopathology and is associated with the balance of anticorrelated activity between the default mode network, which directs attention inward, and the salience network, which recruits the dorsal attention network to direct attention outward. METHODS To test whether changes in anticorrelated networks underlie the peak effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), we applied dynamic causal modeling to infer effective connectivity of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans from a study of 25 healthy adults who were administered 100 μg of LSD or placebo. RESULTS We found that inhibitory effective connectivity from the salience network to the default mode network became excitatory, and inhibitory effective connectivity from the default mode network to the dorsal attention network decreased under the peak effect of LSD. CONCLUSIONS The effective connectivity changes we identified may reflect diminution of the functional anticorrelation between resting-state networks that may be a key neural mechanism of LSD and underlie ego dissolution. Our findings suggest that changes to the sense of self and subject-object boundaries across different states of consciousness may depend upon the organized balance of effective connectivity of resting-state networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devon Stoliker
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Leonardo Novelli
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gary F Egan
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Adeel Razi
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom; CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program, CIFAR, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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12
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Scholkmann F, Vollenweider FX. Psychedelics and fNIRS neuroimaging: exploring new opportunities. Neurophotonics 2023; 10:013506. [PMID: 36474478 PMCID: PMC9717437 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.10.1.013506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
In this Outlook paper, we explain to the optical neuroimaging community as well as the psychedelic research community the great potential of using optical neuroimaging with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to further explore the changes in brain activity induced by psychedelics. We explain why we believe now is the time to exploit the momentum of the current resurgence of research on the effects of psychedelics and the momentum of the increasing progress and popularity of the fNIRS technique to establish fNIRS in psychedelic research. With this article, we hope to contribute to this development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Scholkmann
- University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory, Department of Neonatology, Zurich, Switzerland
- University of Bern, Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Franz X. Vollenweider
- University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Zurich, Switzerland
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13
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Moujaes F, Preller KH, Ji JL, Murray JD, Berkovitch L, Vollenweider FX, Anticevic A. Towards mapping neuro-behavioral heterogeneity of psychedelic neurobiology in humans. Biol Psychiatry 2022:S0006-3223(22)01805-4. [PMID: 36715317 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Precision psychiatry aims to identify markers of inter-individual variability that allow predicting the right treatment for each patient. However, bridging the gap between molecular-level manipulations and neural systems-level functional alterations remains an unsolved problem in psychiatry. After decades of low success rates in pharmaceutical R&D for psychiatric drugs, multiple studies now point to the potential of psychedelics as a promising fast-acting and long-lasting treatment for some psychiatric symptoms. Yet, given the highly psychoactive nature of these substances, a precision medicine approach is essential to map the neural signals related to clinical efficacy in order to identify patients who can maximally benefit from this treatment. Recent studies have shown that bridging the gap between pharmacology, systems-level neural response in humans and individual experience is possible for psychedelic substances, therefore paving the way for a precision neuropsychiatric therapeutic development. Specifically, it has been shown that the integration of brain-wide PET or transcriptomic data, i.e. receptor distribution for the serotonin 2A receptor, with computational neuroimaging methods can simulate the effect of psychedelics on the human brain. These novel 'computational psychiatry' approaches allow for modeling inter-individual differences in neural as well as subjective effects of psychedelic substances. Collectively, this review provides a deep dive into psychedelic pharmaco-neuroimaging studies with a core focus on how recent computational psychiatry advances in biophysically based circuit modeling can be leveraged to predict individual responses. Finally, we emphasize the importance of human pharmacological neuroimaging for the continued precision therapeutic development of psychedelics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flora Moujaes
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 40 Temple Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 40 Temple Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States
| | - Jie Lisa Ji
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 40 Temple Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States
| | - John D Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 40 Temple Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States; Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States
| | - Lucie Berkovitch
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 40 Temple Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States; Université de Paris, 15 Rue de l'École de Médecine, F-75006 Paris, France; Department of Psychiatry, Service Hospitalo-Universitaire, GHU Paris Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, 1 rue Cabanis, F-75014, Paris, France
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alan Anticevic
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 40 Temple Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States.
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14
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Ji JL, Helmer M, Fonteneau C, Burt JB, Tamayo Z, Demšar J, Adkinson BD, Savić A, Preller KH, Moujaes F, Vollenweider FX, Martin WJ, Repovš G, Cho YT, Pittenger C, Murray JD, Anticevic A. Correction: Mapping brain-behavior space relationships along the psychosis spectrum. eLife 2022; 11:79129. [PMID: 35380951 PMCID: PMC8983038 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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15
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Duerler P, Vollenweider FX, Preller KH. A neurobiological perspective on social influence: Serotonin and social adaptation. J Neurochem 2022; 162:60-79. [PMID: 35274296 PMCID: PMC9322456 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Humans are inherently social beings. Being suggestible to each other's expectations enables pro-social skills that are crucial for social learning and adaptation. Despite its high relevance for psychiatry, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying social adaptation are still not well understood. This review therefore provides a conceptual framework covering various distinct mechanisms underlying social adaptation and explores the neuropharmacology - in particular the role of the serotonin (5-HT) system - modulating these mechanisms. This article therefore reviews empirical results on social influence processing and reconciles them with recent findings from psychedelic research on social processing to elucidate neurobiological and neuropharmacological underpinnings of social adaptation. Various computational, neurobiological, and neurochemical processes are involved in distinct mechanisms underlying social adaptation such as the multisensory process of social information integration that is crucial for the forming of self-representation and representations of social norms. This is again associated with self- and other-perception during social interactions as well as value-based decision making that guides our behaviour in daily interactions. We highlight the critical role of 5-HT in these processes and suggest that 5-HT can facilitate social learning and may represent an important target for treating psychiatric disorders characterized by impairments in social functioning. This framework also has important implications for psychedelic-assisted therapy as well as for the development of novel treatment approaches and future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Duerler
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, Zurich, Switzerland
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16
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Abstract
Renewed interest in the effects of psychedelics in the treatment of psychiatric
disorders warrants a better understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms
underlying the effects of these substances. During the past two decades,
state-of-the-art studies of animals and humans have yielded new important
insights into the molecular, cellular, and systems-level actions of psychedelic
drugs. These efforts have revealed that psychedelics affect primarily
serotonergic receptor subtypes located in cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical
feedback circuits of information processing. Psychedelic drugs modulate
excitatory-inhibitory balance in these circuits and can participate in
neuroplasticity within brain structures critical for the integration of
information relevant to sensation, cognition, emotions, and the narrative of
self. Neuroimaging studies showed that characteristic dimensions of the
psychedelic experience obtained through subjective questionnaires as well as
alterations in self-referential processing and emotion regulation obtained
through neuropsychological tasks are associated with distinct changes in brain
activity and connectivity patterns at multiple-system levels. These recent
results suggest that changes in self-experience, emotional processing, and
social cognition may contribute to the potential therapeutic effects of
psychedelics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franz X. Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry,
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich,
Zurich, Switzerland
| | - John W. Smallridge
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry,
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich,
Zurich, Switzerland
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17
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Burt JB, Preller KH, Demirtas M, Ji JL, Krystal JH, Vollenweider FX, Anticevic A, Murray JD. Transcriptomics-informed large-scale cortical model captures topography of pharmacological neuroimaging effects of LSD. eLife 2021; 10:e69320. [PMID: 34313217 PMCID: PMC8315798 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychoactive drugs can transiently perturb brain physiology while preserving brain structure. The role of physiological state in shaping neural function can therefore be investigated through neuroimaging of pharmacologically induced effects. Previously, using pharmacological neuroimaging, we found that neural and experiential effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are attributable to agonism of the serotonin-2A receptor (Preller et al., 2018). Here, we integrate brain-wide transcriptomics with biophysically based circuit modeling to simulate acute neuromodulatory effects of LSD on human cortical large-scale spatiotemporal dynamics. Our model captures the inter-areal topography of LSD-induced changes in cortical blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional connectivity. These findings suggest that serotonin-2A-mediated modulation of pyramidal-neuronal gain is a circuit mechanism through which LSD alters cortical functional topography. Individual-subject model fitting captures patterns of individual neural differences in pharmacological response related to altered states of consciousness. This work establishes a framework for linking molecular-level manipulations to systems-level functional alterations, with implications for precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua B Burt
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Pharmaco-Neuroimaging and Cognitive-Emotional Processing, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Murat Demirtas
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Jie Lisa Ji
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Alan Anticevic
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - John D Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
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18
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Ji JL, Helmer M, Fonteneau C, Burt JB, Tamayo Z, Demšar J, Adkinson BD, Savić A, Preller KH, Moujaes F, Vollenweider FX, Martin WJ, Repovš G, Murray JD, Anticevic A. Mapping brain-behavior space relationships along the psychosis spectrum. eLife 2021; 10:66968. [PMID: 34313219 PMCID: PMC8315806 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Difficulties in advancing effective patient-specific therapies for psychiatric disorders highlight a need to develop a stable neurobiologically grounded mapping between neural and symptom variation. This gap is particularly acute for psychosis-spectrum disorders (PSD). Here, in a sample of 436 PSD patients spanning several diagnoses, we derived and replicated a dimensionality-reduced symptom space across hallmark psychopathology symptoms and cognitive deficits. In turn, these symptom axes mapped onto distinct, reproducible brain maps. Critically, we found that multivariate brain-behavior mapping techniques (e.g. canonical correlation analysis) do not produce stable results with current sample sizes. However, we show that a univariate brain-behavioral space (BBS) can resolve stable individualized prediction. Finally, we show a proof-of-principle framework for relating personalized BBS metrics with molecular targets via serotonin and glutamate receptor manipulations and neural gene expression maps derived from the Allen Human Brain Atlas. Collectively, these results highlight a stable and data-driven BBS mapping across PSD, which offers an actionable path that can be iteratively optimized for personalized clinical biomarker endpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Lisa Ji
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Markus Helmer
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Clara Fonteneau
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | | | - Zailyn Tamayo
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Jure Demšar
- Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Brendan D Adkinson
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | | | - Katrin H Preller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Flora Moujaes
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - William J Martin
- The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson, San Francisco, United States
| | - Grega Repovš
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - John D Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Alan Anticevic
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
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19
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Duerler P, Brem S, Fraga-González G, Neef T, Allen M, Zeidman P, Stämpfli P, Vollenweider FX, Preller KH. Psilocybin Induces Aberrant Prediction Error Processing of Tactile Mismatch Responses-A Simultaneous EEG-FMRI Study. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:186-196. [PMID: 34255821 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
As source of sensory information, the body provides a sense of agency and self/non-self-discrimination. The integration of bodily states and sensory inputs with prior beliefs has been linked to the generation of bodily self-consciousness. The ability to detect surprising tactile stimuli is essential for the survival of an organism and for the formation of mental body representations. Despite the relevance for a variety of psychiatric disorders characterized by altered body and self-perception, the neurobiology of these processes is poorly understood. We therefore investigated the effect of psilocybin (Psi), known to induce alterations in self-experience, on tactile mismatch responses by combining pharmacological manipulations with simultaneous electroencephalography-functional magnetic resonance imaging (EEG-fMRI) recording. Psi reduced activity in response to tactile surprising stimuli in frontal regions, the visual cortex, and the cerebellum. Furthermore, Psi reduced tactile mismatch negativity EEG responses at frontal electrodes, associated with alterations of body- and self-experience. This study provides first evidence that Psi alters the integration of tactile sensory inputs through aberrant prediction error processing and highlights the importance of the 5-HT2A system in tactile deviancy processing as well as in the integration of bodily and self-related stimuli. These findings may have important implications for the treatment of psychiatric disorders characterized by aberrant bodily self-awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Duerler
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Brem
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital for Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Gorka Fraga-González
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital for Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Tiffany Neef
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Micah Allen
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Cambridge Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Zeidman
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
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Olbrich S, Preller KH, Vollenweider FX. LSD and ketanserin and their impact on the human autonomic nervous system. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13822. [PMID: 33772794 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The interest in lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has sparked again due to its supposed positive effects on psychopathological conditions. Yet, most research focuses on the actions of LSD on the central nervous system. The interaction with the autonomic nervous system (ANS) has been neglected so far. Therefore, the aim was to assess the effects of LSD and the serotonin 2A receptor antagonist ketanserin on the ANS as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) measures and their correlation with subjective drug-induced effects in a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial. Thus, ANS activity was derived from electrocardiogram recordings after intake of placebo, LSD or ketanserin, and LSD by calculating R-peak-based measures of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. Repeated measure ANOVA and partial correlation for HRV measures and subjective experience questionnaires were performed. LSD predominantly increased sympathetic activity, while ketanserin counteracted this effect on the ANS via an increase of parasympathetic tone. Sympathetic activity was positively and parasympathetic activity negatively associated with psychedelic effects of LSD. Furthermore, Placebo HRV measures predicted subjective experiences after LSD intake. The association between trait ANS activity and LSD-induced subjective experiences may serve as a candidate biomarker set for the effectiveness of LSD in the treatment of psychopathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Olbrich
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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21
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Pokorny T, Duerler P, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX, Preller KH. LSD acutely impairs working memory, executive functions, and cognitive flexibility, but not risk-based decision-making. Psychol Med 2020; 50:2255-2264. [PMID: 31500679 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719002393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychiatric and neurodegenerative illnesses are characterized by cognitive impairments, in particular deficits in working memory, decision-making, and executive functions including cognitive flexibility. However, the neuropharmacology of these cognitive functions is poorly understood. The serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptor might be a promising candidate for the modulation of cognitive processes. However, pharmacological studies investigating the role of this receptor system in humans are rare. Recent evidence demonstrates that the effects of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are mediated via agonistic action at the 5-HT2A receptor. Yet, the effects of LSD on specific cognitive domains using standardized neuropsychological test have not been studied. METHODS We examined the acute effects of LSD (100 µg) alone and in combination with the 5-HT2A antagonist ketanserin (40 mg) on cognition, employing a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, within-subject design in 25 healthy participants. Executive functions, cognitive flexibility, spatial working memory, and risk-based decision-making were examined by the Intra/Extra-Dimensional shift task (IED), Spatial Working Memory task (SWM), and Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT) of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. RESULTS Compared to placebo, LSD significantly impaired executive functions, cognitive flexibility, and working memory on the IED and SWM, but did not influence the quality of decision-making and risk taking on the CGT. Pretreatment with the 5-HT2A antagonist ketanserin normalized all LSD-induced cognitive deficits. CONCLUSIONS The present findings highlight the role of the 5-HT2A receptor system in executive functions and working memory and suggest that specific 5-HT2A antagonists may be relevant for improving cognitive dysfunctions in psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Pokorny
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Patricia Duerler
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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22
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Smigielski L, Kometer M, Scheidegger M, Stress C, Preller KH, Koenig T, Vollenweider FX. P300-mediated modulations in self-other processing under psychedelic psilocybin are related to connectedness and changed meaning: A window into the self-other overlap. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:4982-4996. [PMID: 32820851 PMCID: PMC7643385 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Revised: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The concept of self and self‐referential processing has a growing explanatory value in psychiatry and neuroscience, referring to the cognitive organization and perceptual differentiation of self‐stimuli in health and disease. Conditions in which selfhood loses its natural coherence offer a unique opportunity for elucidating the mechanisms underlying self‐disturbances. We assessed the psychoactive effects of psilocybin (230 μg/kg p.o.), a preferential 5‐HT1A/2A agonist known to induce shifts in self‐perception. Our placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, within‐subject crossover experiment (n = 17) implemented a verbal self‐monitoring task involving vocalizations and participant identification of real‐time auditory source‐ (self/other) and pitch‐modulating feedback. Subjective experience and task performance were analyzed, with time‐point‐by‐time‐point assumption‐free multivariate randomization statistics applied to the spatiotemporal dynamics of event‐related potentials. Psilocybin‐modulated self‐experience, interacted with source to affect task accuracy, and altered the late phase of self‐stimuli encoding by abolishing the distinctiveness of self‐ and other‐related electric field configurations during the P300 timeframe. This last effect was driven by current source density changes within the supragenual anterior cingulate and right insular cortex. The extent of the P300 effect was associated with the intensity of psilocybin‐induced feelings of unity and changed meaning of percepts. Modulations of late encoding and their underlying neural generators in self‐referential processing networks via 5‐HT signaling may be key for understanding self‐disorders. This mechanism may reflect a neural instantiation of altered self–other and relational meaning processing in a stimulus‐locked time domain. The study elucidates the neuropharmacological foundation of subjectivity, with implications for therapy, underscoring the concept of connectedness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukasz Smigielski
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Milan Scheidegger
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Cornelia Stress
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Koenig
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Duerler P, Schilbach L, Stämpfli P, Vollenweider FX, Preller KH. LSD-induced increases in social adaptation to opinions similar to one's own are associated with stimulation of serotonin receptors. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12181. [PMID: 32699231 PMCID: PMC7376162 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68899-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Adapting one's attitudes and behaviors to group norms is essential for successful social interaction and, thus, participation in society. Yet, despite its importance for societal and individual functioning, the underlying neuropharmacology is poorly understood. We therefore investigated its neurochemical and neural correlates in a pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has been shown to alter social processing and therefore provides the unique opportunity to investigate the role of the 5-HT2A receptor in social influence processing. Twenty-four healthy human volunteers received either (1) placebo + placebo, (2) placebo + LSD (100 µg), or (3) the 5-HT2A receptor antagonist ketanserin (40 mg) + LSD (100 µg) at three different occasions in a double-blind, randomized, counterbalanced, cross-over design. LSD increases social adaptation but only if the opinions of others are similar to the individual's own. These increases were associated with increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex while participants received social feedback. Furthermore, pretreatment with the 5-HT2A antagonist ketanserin fully blocked LSD-induced changes during feedback processing, indicating a key role of the 5-HT2A system in social feedback processing. Our results highlight the crucial role of the 5-HT-system in social influence and, thus, provide important insight into the neuropharmacological basis of social cognition and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Duerler
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Leonhard Schilbach
- Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.,Clinic for Disorders of Social Interaction, LVR Klinikum Düsseldorf/Kliniken der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Bergische Landstr. 2, 40629, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zürich, Switzerland
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24
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Preller KH, Duerler P, Burt JB, Ji JL, Adkinson B, Stämpfli P, Seifritz E, Repovš G, Krystal JH, Murray JD, Anticevic A, Vollenweider FX. Psilocybin Induces Time-Dependent Changes in Global Functional Connectivity. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 88:197-207. [PMID: 32111343 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of psilocybin in scientific and experimental clinical contexts has triggered renewed interest in the mechanism of action of psychedelics. However, its time-dependent systems-level neurobiology remains sparsely investigated in humans. METHODS We conducted a double-blind, randomized, counterbalanced, crossover study comprising 23 healthy human participants who received placebo and 0.2 mg/kg of psilocybin orally on 2 different test days. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging at 3 time points between administration and peak effects: 20 minutes, 40 minutes, and 70 minutes after administration. Resting-state functional connectivity was quantified via a data-driven global brain connectivity method and compared with cortical gene expression maps. RESULTS Psilocybin reduced associative, but concurrently increased sensory, brain-wide connectivity. This pattern emerged over time from administration to peak effects. Furthermore, we showed that baseline connectivity is associated with the extent of psilocybin-induced changes in functional connectivity. Lastly, psilocybin-induced changes correlated in a time-dependent manner with spatial gene expression patterns of the 5-HT2A (5-hydroxytryptamine 2A) and 5-HT1A (5-hydroxytryptamine 1A) receptors. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the integration of functional connectivity in sensory regions and the disintegration in associative regions may underlie the psychedelic state and pinpoint the critical role of the serotonin 2A and 1A receptor systems. Furthermore, baseline connectivity may represent a predictive marker of the magnitude of changes induced by psilocybin and may therefore contribute to a personalized medicine approach within the potential framework of psychedelic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
| | - Patricia Duerler
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Joshua B Burt
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Jie Lisa Ji
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Brendan Adkinson
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Grega Repovš
- Mind and Brain Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - John D Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Alan Anticevic
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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25
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Lewis CR, Preller KH, Braden BB, Riecken C, Vollenweider FX. Rostral Anterior Cingulate Thickness Predicts the Emotional Psilocybin Experience. Biomedicines 2020; 8:biomedicines8020034. [PMID: 32085521 PMCID: PMC7168190 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8020034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Psilocybin is the psychoactive compound of mushrooms in the psilocybe species. Psilocybin directly affects a number of serotonin receptors, with highest affinity for the serotonin 2A receptor (5HT-2Ar). Generally, the effects of psilocybin, and its active metabolite psilocin, are well established and include a range of cognitive, emotional, and perceptual perturbations. Despite the generality of these effects, there is a high degree of inter-individual variability in subjective psilocybin experiences that are not well understood. Others have shown brain morphology metrics derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can predict individual drug response. Due to high expression of serotonin 2A receptors (5HT-2Ar) in the cingulate cortex, and its prior associations with psilocybin, we investigate if cortical thickness of this structure predicts the psilocybin experience in healthy adults. We hypothesized that greater cingulate thickness would predict higher subjective ratings in sub-scales of the Five-Dimensional Altered State of Consciousness (5D-ASC) with high emotionality in healthy participants (n = 55) who received oral psilocybin (either low dose: 0.160 mg/kg or high dose: 0.215 mg/kg). After controlling for sex, age, and using false discovery rate (FDR) correction, we found the rostral anterior cingulate predicted all four emotional sub-scales, whereas the caudal and posterior cingulate did not. How classic psychedelic compounds induce such large inter-individual variability in subjective states has been a long-standing question in serotonergic research. These results extend the traditional set and setting hypothesis of the psychedelic experience to include brain structure metrics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candace R. Lewis
- Translational Genomics Research Institute, Neurogenomics Division, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
- Neuropsychopharamacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry, Zurich 8032, Switzerland; (K.H.P.); (F.X.V.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-602-343-8400
| | - Katrin H. Preller
- Neuropsychopharamacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry, Zurich 8032, Switzerland; (K.H.P.); (F.X.V.)
| | - B. Blair Braden
- Arizona State University, College of Health Solutions, Tempe 85281, AZ 85004, USA; (B.B.B.); (C.R.)
| | - Cory Riecken
- Arizona State University, College of Health Solutions, Tempe 85281, AZ 85004, USA; (B.B.B.); (C.R.)
| | - Franz X. Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharamacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry, Zurich 8032, Switzerland; (K.H.P.); (F.X.V.)
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Barrett FS, Preller KH, Herdener M, Janata P, Vollenweider FX. Serotonin 2A Receptor Signaling Underlies LSD-induced Alteration of the Neural Response to Dynamic Changes in Music. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:3939-3950. [PMID: 29028939 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Classic psychedelic drugs (serotonin 2A, or 5HT2A, receptor agonists) have notable effects on music listening. In the current report, blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal was collected during music listening in 25 healthy adults after administration of placebo, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and LSD pretreated with the 5HT2A antagonist ketanserin, to investigate the role of 5HT2A receptor signaling in the neural response to the time-varying tonal structure of music. Tonality-tracking analysis of BOLD data revealed that 5HT2A receptor signaling alters the neural response to music in brain regions supporting basic and higher-level musical and auditory processing, and areas involved in memory, emotion, and self-referential processing. This suggests a critical role of 5HT2A receptor signaling in supporting the neural tracking of dynamic tonal structure in music, as well as in supporting the associated increases in emotionality, connectedness, and meaningfulness in response to music that are commonly observed after the administration of LSD and other psychedelics. Together, these findings inform the neuropsychopharmacology of music perception and cognition, meaningful music listening experiences, and altered perception of music during psychedelic experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick S Barrett
- Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Dr, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Herdener
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Center for Addictive Disorders,University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Petr Janata
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Dr, Davis, CA, USA.,Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, 267 Cousteau Pl, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, Zurich, Switzerland
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27
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Smigielski L, Kometer M, Scheidegger M, Krähenmann R, Huber T, Vollenweider FX. Characterization and prediction of acute and sustained response to psychedelic psilocybin in a mindfulness group retreat. Sci Rep 2019; 9:14914. [PMID: 31649304 PMCID: PMC6813317 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50612-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Meditation and psychedelics have played key roles in humankind's search for self-transcendence and personal change. However, neither their possible synergistic effects, nor related state and trait predictors have been experimentally studied. To elucidate these issues, we administered double-blind the model psychedelic drug psilocybin (315 μg/kg PO) or placebo to meditators (n = 39) during a 5-day mindfulness group retreat. Psilocybin increased meditation depth and incidence of positively experienced self-dissolution along the perception-hallucination continuum, without concomitant anxiety. Openness, optimism, and emotional reappraisal were predictors of the acute response. Compared with placebo, psilocybin enhanced post-intervention mindfulness and produced larger positive changes in psychosocial functioning at a 4-month follow-up, which were corroborated by external ratings, and associated with magnitude of acute self-dissolution experience. Meditation seems to enhance psilocybin's positive effects while counteracting possible dysphoric responses. These findings highlight the interactions between non-pharmacological and pharmacological factors, and the role of emotion/attention regulation in shaping the experiential quality of psychedelic states, as well as the experience of selflessness as a modulator of behavior and attitudes. A better comprehension of mechanisms underlying most beneficial psychedelic experiences may guide therapeutic interventions across numerous mental conditions in the form of psychedelic-assisted applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukasz Smigielski
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Milan Scheidegger
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rainer Krähenmann
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Theo Huber
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland
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28
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Smigielski L, Scheidegger M, Kometer M, Vollenweider FX. Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects. Neuroimage 2019; 196:207-215. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2018] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
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29
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Dornbierer DA, Kometer M, Von Rotz R, Studerus E, Gertsch J, Gachet MS, Vollenweider FX, Seifritz E, Bosch OG, Quednow BB. Effects of gamma-hydroxybutyrate on neurophysiological correlates of performance and conflict monitoring. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2019; 29:539-548. [PMID: 30824339 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/02/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Performance and conflict monitoring (PM and CM) represent two essential cognitive abilities, required to respond appropriately to demanding tasks. PM and CM can be investigated using event-related brain potentials (ERP) and associated neural oscillations. Namely, the error-related negativity (ERN) represents a correlate of PM, whereas the N2 component reflects the process of CM. Both ERPs originate in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and PM specifically has been shown to be susceptible to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) A receptor activation. Contrarily, the specific effects of GABAB receptor (GABABR) stimulation on PM and CM are unknown. Thus, the effects of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB; 20 and 35 mg/kg), a predominant GABABR agonist, on behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of PM and CM were here assessed in 15 healthy male volunteers, using the Eriksen-Flanker paradigm in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. Electroencephalographic (EEG) data were analyzed in the time and time-frequency domains. GHB prolonged reaction times, without affecting error rates or post-error slowing. Moreover, GHB decreased ERN amplitudes and associated neural oscillations in the theta/alpha1 range. Similarly, neural oscillations associated with the N2 were reduced in the theta/alpha1 range, while N2 amplitude was conversely increased. Hence, GHB shows a dissociating effect on electrophysiological correlates of PM and CM. Reduced ERN likely derives from a GABABR-mediated increase in dopaminergic signaling, disrupting the generation of prediction errors, whereas an enhanced N2 suggests an increased susceptibility towards external stimuli. Conclusively, GHB is the first drug reported, thus far, to have opposite effects on PM and CM, underlined by its unique electrophysiological signature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario A Dornbierer
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Robin Von Rotz
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Studerus
- Center for Gender Research and Early Detection, Kornhausgasse 7, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jürg Gertsch
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 28, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - M Salomé Gachet
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 28, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032 Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver G Bosch
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Boris B Quednow
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032 Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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30
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Abstract
Social cognition is a fundamental ability in human everyday lives. Deficits in social functioning also represent a core aspect of many psychiatric disorders. Yet, despite its significance, deficits in social cognition skills are insufficiently targeted by current treatments. Hallucinogens and entactogens have been shown to have the potential to modulate social processing. This article reviews the literature on the influence of hallucinogens and entactogens on social processing in controlled experimental studies in humans and elucidates the underlying neurobiological and neuropharmacological mechanisms. Furthermore, it identifies current knowledge gaps and derives implications for hallucinogen-assisted treatment approaches as well as the development of novel medication for trans-diagnostic impairments in social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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31
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Preller KH, Burt JB, Ji JL, Schleifer CH, Adkinson BD, Stämpfli P, Seifritz E, Repovs G, Krystal JH, Murray JD, Vollenweider FX, Anticevic A. Changes in global and thalamic brain connectivity in LSD-induced altered states of consciousness are attributable to the 5-HT2A receptor. eLife 2018; 7:35082. [PMID: 30355445 PMCID: PMC6202055 DOI: 10.7554/elife.35082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has agonist activity at various serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine receptors. Despite the therapeutic and scientific interest in LSD, specific receptor contributions to its neurobiological effects remain unknown. Methods: We therefore conducted a double-blind, randomized, counterbalanced, cross-over studyduring which 24 healthy human participants received either (i) placebo+placebo, (ii) placebo+LSD (100 µg po), or (iii) Ketanserin, a selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist,+LSD. We quantified resting-state functional connectivity via a data-driven global brain connectivity method and compared it to cortical gene expression maps. Results: LSD reduced associative, but concurrently increased sensory-somatomotor brain-wide and thalamic connectivity. Ketanserin fully blocked the subjective and neural LSD effects. Whole-brain spatial patterns of LSD effects matched 5-HT2A receptor cortical gene expression in humans. Conclusions: Together, these results strongly implicate the 5-HT2A receptor in LSD’s neuropharmacology. This study therefore pinpoints the critical role of 5-HT2A in LSD’s mechanism, which informs its neurobiology and guides rational development of psychedelic-based therapeutics. Funding: Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Swiss Neuromatrix Foundation, the Usona Institute, the NIH, the NIAA, the NARSAD Independent Investigator Grant, the Yale CTSA grant, and the Slovenian Research Agency. Clinical trial number: NCT02451072. The psychedelic drug LSD alters thinking and perception. Users can experience hallucinations, in which they, for example, see things that are not there. Colors, sounds and objects can appear distorted, and time can seem to speed up or slow down. These changes bear some resemblance to the changes in thinking and perception that occur in certain psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. Studying how LSD affects the brain could thus offer insights into the mechanisms underlying these conditions. There is also evidence that LSD itself could help to reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders. Preller et al. have now used brain imaging to explore the effects of LSD on the brains of healthy volunteers. This revealed that LSD reduced communication among brain areas involved in planning and decision-making, but it increased communication between areas involved in sensation and movement. Volunteers whose brains showed the most communication between sensory and movement areas also reported the strongest effects of LSD on their thinking and perception. Preller et al. also found that another drug called Ketanserin prevented LSD from altering how different brain regions communicate. It also prevented LSD from inducing changes in thinking and perception. Ketanserin blocks a protein called the serotonin 2A receptor, which is activated by a brain chemical called serotonin that, amongst other roles, helps to regulate mood. By mapping the location of the gene that produces the serotonin 2A receptor, Preller et al. showed that the receptor is present in brain regions that show altered communication after LSD intake, therefore pinpointing the importance of this receptor in the effects of LSD. Psychiatric disorders that produce psychotic symptoms affect vast numbers of people worldwide. Further research into how LSD affects the brain could help us to better understand how such symptoms arise, and may also lead to the development of more effective treatments for a range of mental health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Joshua B Burt
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Jie Lisa Ji
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Charles H Schleifer
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Brendan D Adkinson
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Grega Repovs
- Mind and Brain Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - John D Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alan Anticevic
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
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32
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Grimm O, Kraehenmann R, Preller KH, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX. Psilocybin modulates functional connectivity of the amygdala during emotional face discrimination. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2018; 28:691-700. [PMID: 29703645 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that the antidepressant effects of the psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonist psilocybin are mediated through its modulatory properties on prefrontal and limbic brain regions including the amygdala. To further investigate the effects of psilocybin on emotion processing networks, we studied for the first-time psilocybin's acute effects on amygdala seed-to-voxel connectivity in an event-related face discrimination task in 18 healthy volunteers who received psilocybin and placebo in a double-blind balanced cross-over design. The amygdala has been implicated as a salience detector especially involved in the immediate response to emotional face content. We used beta-series amygdala seed-to-voxel connectivity during an emotional face discrimination task to elucidate the connectivity pattern of the amygdala over the entire brain. When we compared psilocybin to placebo, an increase in reaction time for all three categories of affective stimuli was found. Psilocybin decreased the connectivity between amygdala and the striatum during angry face discrimination. During happy face discrimination, the connectivity between the amygdala and the frontal pole was decreased. No effect was seen during discrimination of fearful faces. Thus, we show psilocybin's effect as a modulator of major connectivity hubs of the amygdala. Psilocybin decreases the connectivity between important nodes linked to emotion processing like the frontal pole or the striatum. Future studies are needed to clarify whether connectivity changes predict therapeutic effects in psychiatric patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Grimm
- University Hospital Frankfurt, Departement of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Psychiatric Hospital Zürich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - R Kraehenmann
- Psychiatric Hospital Zürich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - K H Preller
- Psychiatric Hospital Zürich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - E Seifritz
- Psychiatric Hospital Zürich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - F X Vollenweider
- Psychiatric Hospital Zürich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Zürich, Switzerland
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33
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Abstract
Serotonergic hallucinogens, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), are famous for their capacity to temporally and profoundly alter an individual's visual experiences. These visual alterations show consistent attributes despite large inter- and intra-individual variances. Many reports document a common perception of colors as more saturated, with increased brightness and contrast in the environment ("Visual Intensifications"). Environmental objects might be altered in size ("Visual illusions") or take on a modified and special meaning for the subject ("Altered self-reference"). Subjects may perceive light flashes or geometrical figures containing recurrent patterns ("Elementary imagery and hallucinations") influenced by auditory stimuli ("Audiovisual synesthesia"), or they may envision images of people, animals, or landscapes ("Complex imagery and hallucinations") without any physical stimuli supporting their percepts. This wide assortment of visual phenomena suggests that one single neuropsychopharmacological mechanism is unlikely to explain such vast phenomenological diversity. Starting with mechanisms that act at the cellular level, the key role of 5-HT2A receptor activation and the subsequent increased cortical excitation will be considered. Next, it will be shown that area specific anatomical and dynamical features link increased excitation to the specific visual contents of hallucinations. The decrease of alpha oscillations by hallucinogens will then be introduced as a systemic mechanism for amplifying internal-driven excitation that overwhelms stimulus-induced excitations. Finally, the hallucinogen-induced parallel decrease of the N170 visual evoked potential and increased medial P1 potential will be discussed as key mechanisms for inducing a dysbalance between global integration and early visual gain that may explain several hallucinogen-induced visual experiences, including visual hallucinations, illusions, and intensifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Research Unit, Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Research Unit, Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
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34
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Abstract
Classic serotonergic hallucinogens or psychedelics produce an altered states of consciousness (ASC) that is characterized by profound alterations in sensory perception, mood, thought including the perception of reality, and the sense of self. Over the past years, there has been considerable progress in the search for invariant and common features of psychedelic states. In the first part of this review, we outline contemporary approaches to characterize the structure of ASCs by means of three primary etiology-independent dimensions including oceanic boundlessness, anxious ego-dissolution, and visionary restructuralization as well as by 11 lower-order factors, all of which can be reliably measured by the altered state of consciousness questionnaire (APZ-OAV). The second part sheds light on the dynamic nature of psychedelic experiences. Frequently, psychedelic subjects progress through different stages over time and levels of changes along a perception-hallucination continuum of increasing arousal and ego-dissolution. We then review in detail the acute effects of psychedelics on sensory perception, emotion, cognition, creativity, and time perception along with possible neural mechanisms underlying them. The next part of this review outlines the influence of non-pharmacological factors (predictors) on the acute psychedelic experience, such as demographics, genetics, personality, mood, and setting, and also discusses some long-term effects succeeding the acute experience. The last part presents some recent concepts and models attempting to understand different facets of psychedelic states of consciousness from a neuroscientific perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, Heffter Research Center Zurich Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, Heffter Research Center Zurich Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
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35
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Kraehenmann R, Pokorny D, Aicher H, Preller KH, Pokorny T, Bosch OG, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX. LSD Increases Primary Process Thinking via Serotonin 2A Receptor Activation. Front Pharmacol 2017; 8:814. [PMID: 29167644 PMCID: PMC5682333 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Stimulation of serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptors by lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and related compounds such as psilocybin has previously been shown to increase primary process thinking - an ontologically and evolutionary early, implicit, associative, and automatic mode of thinking which is typically occurring during altered states of consciousness such as dreaming. However, it is still largely unknown whether LSD induces primary process thinking under placebo-controlled, standardized experimental conditions and whether these effects are related to subjective experience and 5-HT2A receptor activation. Therefore, this study aimed to test the hypotheses that LSD increases primary process thinking and that primary process thinking depends on 5-HT2A receptor activation and is related to subjective drug effects. Methods: Twenty-five healthy subjects performed an audio-recorded mental imagery task 7 h after drug administration during three drug conditions: placebo, LSD (100 mcg orally) and LSD together with the 5-HT2A receptor antagonist ketanserin (40 mg orally). The main outcome variable in this study was primary index (PI), a formal measure of primary process thinking in the imagery reports. State of consciousness was evaluated using the Altered State of Consciousness (5D-ASC) rating scale. Results: LSD, compared with placebo, significantly increased primary index (p < 0.001, Bonferroni-corrected). The LSD-induced increase in primary index was positively correlated with LSD-induced disembodiment (p < 0.05, Bonferroni-corrected), and blissful state (p < 0.05, Bonferroni-corrected) on the 5D-ASC. Both LSD-induced increases in primary index and changes in state of consciousness were fully blocked by ketanserin. Conclusion: LSD induces primary process thinking via activation of 5-HT2A receptors and in relation to disembodiment and blissful state. Primary process thinking appears to crucially organize inner experiences during both dreams and psychedelic states of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer Kraehenmann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dan Pokorny
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Helena Aicher
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Pokorny
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver G Bosch
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Lewis CR, Preller KH, Kraehenmann R, Michels L, Staempfli P, Vollenweider FX. Two dose investigation of the 5-HT-agonist psilocybin on relative and global cerebral blood flow. Neuroimage 2017; 159:70-78. [PMID: 28711736 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms, is an agonist of various serotonin receptors. Seminal psilocybin positron emission tomography (PET) research suggested regional increases in glucose metabolism in frontal cortex (hyperfrontality). However, a recent arterial spin labeling (ASL) study suggests psilocybin may lead to hypo-perfusion in various brain regions. In this placebo-controlled, double-blind study we used pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) to measure perfusion changes, with and without adjustment for global brain perfusion, after two doses of oral psilocybin (low dose: 0.160 mg/kg; high dose: 0.215 mg/kg) in two groups of healthy controls (n = 29 in both groups, total N = 58) during rest. We controlled for sex and age and used family-wise error corrected p values in all neuroimaging analyses. Both dose groups reported profound subjective drug effects as measured by the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (5D-ASC) with the high dose inducing significantly larger effects in four out of the 11 scales. After adjusting for global brain perfusion, psilocybin increased relative perfusion in distinct right hemispheric frontal and temporal regions and bilaterally in the anterior insula and decreased perfusion in left hemispheric parietal and temporal cortices and left subcortical regions. Whereas, psilocybin significantly reduced absolute perfusion in frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, and bilateral amygdalae, anterior cingulate, insula, striatal regions, and hippocampi. Our analyses demonstrate consistency with both the hyperfrontal hypothesis of psilocybin and the more recent study demonstrating decreased perfusion, depending on analysis method. Importantly, our data illustrate that relative changes in perfusion should be understood and interpreted in relation to absolute signal variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candace R Lewis
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rainer Kraehenmann
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lars Michels
- Institute of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Center of MR-Research, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Ramistr. 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Staempfli
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
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Kraehenmann R, Pokorny D, Vollenweider L, Preller KH, Pokorny T, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX. Dreamlike effects of LSD on waking imagery in humans depend on serotonin 2A receptor activation. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:2031-2046. [PMID: 28386699 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4610-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Accumulating evidence indicates that the mixed serotonin and dopamine receptor agonist lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) induces an altered state of consciousness that resembles dreaming. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to test the hypotheses that LSD produces dreamlike waking imagery and that this imagery depends on 5-HT2A receptor activation and is related to subjective drug effects. METHODS Twenty-five healthy subjects performed an audiorecorded guided mental imagery task 7 h after drug administration during three drug conditions: placebo, LSD (100 mcg orally) and LSD together with the 5-HT2A receptor antagonist ketanserin (40 mg orally). Cognitive bizarreness of guided mental imagery reports was quantified as a standardised formal measure of dream mentation. State of consciousness was evaluated using the Altered State of Consciousness (5D-ASC) questionnaire. RESULTS LSD, compared with placebo, significantly increased cognitive bizarreness (p < 0.001). The LSD-induced increase in cognitive bizarreness was positively correlated with the LSD-induced loss of self-boundaries and cognitive control (p < 0.05). Both LSD-induced increases in cognitive bizarreness and changes in state of consciousness were fully blocked by ketanserin. CONCLUSIONS LSD produced mental imagery similar to dreaming, primarily via activation of the 5-HT2A receptor and in relation to loss of self-boundaries and cognitive control. Future psychopharmacological studies should assess the differential contribution of the D2/D1 and 5-HT1A receptors to cognitive bizarreness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer Kraehenmann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. .,Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Dan Pokorny
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Leonie Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Pokorny
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
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38
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von Rotz R, Kometer M, Dornbierer D, Gertsch J, Salomé Gachet M, Vollenweider FX, Seifritz E, Bosch OG, Quednow BB. Neuronal oscillations and synchronicity associated with gamma-hydroxybutyrate during resting-state in healthy male volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:1957-1968. [PMID: 28429067 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4603-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a putative neurotransmitter, a drug of abuse, an anesthetic agent, and a treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders. In previous electroencephalography (EEG) studies, GHB was shown to induce an electrophysiological pattern of "paradoxical EEG-behavioral dissociation" characterized by increased delta and theta oscillations usually associated with sleep during awake states. However, no detailed source localization of these alterations and no connectivity analyses have been performed yet. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS We tested the effects of GHB (20 and 35 mg/kg, p.o.) on current source density (CSD), lagged phase synchronization (LPS), and global omega complexity (GOC) of neuronal oscillations in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, balanced cross-over study in 19 healthy, male participants using exact low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA) of resting-state high-density EEG recordings. RESULTS Compared to placebo, GHB increased CSD of theta oscillations (5-7 Hz) in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and alpha1 (8-10 Hz) oscillations in the anterior cingulate cortex. Higher blood plasma values were associated with higher LPS values of delta (2-4 Hz) oscillations between the PCC and the right inferior parietal lobulus. Additionally, GHB decreased GOC of alpha1 oscillations. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that alterations in neuronal oscillations in the PCC mediate the psychotropic effects of GHB. Theta oscillations emerging from the PCC in combination with stability of functional connectivity within the default mode network might explain the GHB-related "paradoxical EEG-behavioral dissociation." Our findings related to GOC suggest a reduced number of relatively independent neuronal processes, an effect that has also been demonstrated for other anesthetic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin von Rotz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dario Dornbierer
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jürg Gertsch
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 28, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - M Salomé Gachet
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 28, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver G Bosch
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Boris B Quednow
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Impaired empathic abilities lead to severe negative social consequences and influence the development and treatment of several psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, empathy has been shown to play a crucial role in moral and prosocial behavior. Although the serotonin system has been implicated in modulating empathy and moral behavior, the relative contribution of the various serotonin receptor subtypes is still unknown. METHODS We investigated the acute effect of psilocybin (0.215 mg/kg p.o.) in healthy human subjects on different facets of empathy and hypothetical moral decision-making using the multifaceted empathy test (n=32) and the moral dilemma task (n=24). RESULTS Psilocybin significantly increased emotional, but not cognitive empathy compared with placebo, and the increase in implicit emotional empathy was significantly associated with psilocybin-induced changed meaning of percepts. In contrast, moral decision-making remained unaffected by psilocybin. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide first evidence that psilocybin has distinct effects on social cognition by enhancing emotional empathy but not moral behavior. Furthermore, together with previous findings, psilocybin appears to promote emotional empathy presumably via activation of serotonin 2A/1A receptors, suggesting that targeting serotonin 2A/1A receptors has implications for potential treatment of dysfunctional social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Pokorny
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Dr Dziobek).,Correspondence: Thomas Pokorny, MSc, Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032 Zurich, Switzerland ()
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Dr Dziobek)
| | - Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Dr Dziobek)
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Dr Dziobek)
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Dr Dziobek)
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Preller KH, Herdener M, Pokorny T, Planzer A, Kraehenmann R, Stämpfli P, Liechti ME, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX. The Fabric of Meaning and Subjective Effects in LSD-Induced States Depend on Serotonin 2A Receptor Activation. Curr Biol 2017; 27:451-457. [PMID: 28132813 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 230] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
A core aspect of the human self is the attribution of personal relevance to everyday stimuli enabling us to experience our environment as meaningful [1]. However, abnormalities in the attribution of personal relevance to sensory experiences are also critical features of many psychiatric disorders [2, 3]. Despite their clinical relevance, the neurochemical and anatomical substrates enabling meaningful experiences are largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated the neuropharmacology of personal relevance processing in humans by combining fMRI and the administration of the mixed serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine receptor (R) agonist lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), well known to alter the subjective meaning of percepts, with and without pretreatment with the 5-HT2AR antagonist ketanserin. General subjective LSD effects were fully blocked by ketanserin. In addition, ketanserin inhibited the LSD-induced attribution of personal relevance to previously meaningless stimuli and modulated the processing of meaningful stimuli in cortical midline structures. These findings point to the crucial role of the 5-HT2AR subtype and cortical midline regions in the generation and attribution of personal relevance. Our results thus increase our mechanistic understanding of personal relevance processing and reveal potential targets for the treatment of psychiatric illnesses characterized by alterations in personal relevance attribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Marcus Herdener
- Center for Addictive Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Pokorny
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Amanda Planzer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rainer Kraehenmann
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland; MR Center of the Psychiatric University Hospital and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias E Liechti
- Psychopharmacology Research, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Hebelstrasse 2, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
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Pokorny T, Preller KH, Kraehenmann R, Vollenweider FX. Modulatory effect of the 5-HT1A agonist buspirone and the mixed non-hallucinogenic 5-HT1A/2A agonist ergotamine on psilocybin-induced psychedelic experience. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2016; 26:756-66. [PMID: 26875114 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2016.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Revised: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The mixed serotonin (5-HT) 1A/2A/2B/2C/6/7 receptor agonist psilocybin dose-dependently induces an altered state of consciousness (ASC) that is characterized by changes in sensory perception, mood, thought, and the sense of self. The psychological effects of psilocybin are primarily mediated by 5-HT2A receptor activation. However, accumulating evidence suggests that 5-HT1A or an interaction between 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors may contribute to the overall effects of psilocybin. Therefore, we used a double-blind, counterbalanced, within-subject design to investigate the modulatory effects of the partial 5-HT1A agonist buspirone (20mg p.o.) and the non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2A/1A agonist ergotamine (3mg p.o.) on psilocybin-induced (170 µg/kg p.o.) psychological effects in two groups (n=19, n=17) of healthy human subjects. Psychological effects were assessed using the Altered State of Consciousness (5D-ASC) rating scale. Buspirone significantly reduced the 5D-ASC main scale score for Visionary Restructuralization (VR) (p<0.001), which was mostly driven by a reduction of the VR item cluster scores for elementary and complex visual hallucinations. Further, buspirone also reduced the main scale score for Oceanic Boundlessness (OB) including derealisation and depersonalisation phenomena at a trend level (p=0.062), whereas ergotamine did not show any effects on the psilocybin-induced 5D-ASC main scale scores. The present finding demonstrates that buspirone exerts inhibitory effects on psilocybin-induced effects, presumably via 5-HT1A receptor activation, an interaction between 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors, or both. The data suggest that the modulation of 5-HT1A receptor activity may be a useful target in the treatment of visual hallucinations in different psychiatric and neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Pokorny
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rainer Kraehenmann
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Kraehenmann R, Preller KH, Scheidegger M, Pokorny T, Bosch OG, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX. Psilocybin-Induced Decrease in Amygdala Reactivity Correlates with Enhanced Positive Mood in Healthy Volunteers. Biol Psychiatry 2015; 78:572-81. [PMID: 24882567 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2013] [Revised: 04/14/2014] [Accepted: 04/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The amygdala is a key structure in serotonergic emotion-processing circuits. In healthy volunteers, acute administration of the serotonin 1A/2A/2C receptor agonist psilocybin reduces neural responses to negative stimuli and induces mood changes toward positive states. However, it is little-known whether psilocybin reduces amygdala reactivity to negative stimuli and whether any change in amygdala reactivity is related to mood change. METHODS This study assessed the effects of acute administration of the hallucinogen psilocybin (.16 mg/kg) versus placebo on amygdala reactivity to negative stimuli in 25 healthy volunteers using blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging. Mood changes were assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and the state portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. A double-blind, randomized, cross-over design was used with volunteers counterbalanced to receive psilocybin and placebo in two separate sessions at least 14 days apart. RESULTS Amygdala reactivity to negative and neutral stimuli was lower after psilocybin administration than after placebo administration. The psilocybin-induced attenuation of right amygdala reactivity in response to negative stimuli was related to the psilocybin-induced increase in positive mood state. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that acute treatment with psilocybin decreased amygdala reactivity during emotion processing and that this was associated with an increase of positive mood in healthy volunteers. These findings may be relevant to the normalization of amygdala hyperactivity and negative mood states in patients with major depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer Kraehenmann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Milan Scheidegger
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich; and Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Pokorny
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver G Bosch
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
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Kraehenmann R, Schmidt A, Friston K, Preller KH, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX. The mixed serotonin receptor agonist psilocybin reduces threat-induced modulation of amygdala connectivity. Neuroimage Clin 2015; 11:53-60. [PMID: 26909323 PMCID: PMC4732191 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2015.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 07/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Stimulation of serotonergic neurotransmission by psilocybin has been shown to shift emotional biases away from negative towards positive stimuli. We have recently shown that reduced amygdala activity during threat processing might underlie psilocybin's effect on emotional processing. However, it is still not known whether psilocybin modulates bottom-up or top-down connectivity within the visual-limbic-prefrontal network underlying threat processing. We therefore analyzed our previous fMRI data using dynamic causal modeling and used Bayesian model selection to infer how psilocybin modulated effective connectivity within the visual–limbic–prefrontal network during threat processing. First, both placebo and psilocybin data were best explained by a model in which threat affect modulated bidirectional connections between the primary visual cortex, amygdala, and lateral prefrontal cortex. Second, psilocybin decreased the threat-induced modulation of top-down connectivity from the amygdala to primary visual cortex, speaking to a neural mechanism that might underlie putative shifts towards positive affect states after psilocybin administration. These findings may have important implications for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. We measured BOLD signals during a threat-inducing pictures task. Subjects were treated with psilocybin (a serotonergic hallucinogen) and placebo. We compared effective connectivity changes between psilocybin and placebo using DCM. We found that psilocybin decreased top-down connectivity from the amygdala to visual cortex. Results point at a neural mechanism underlying emotional shifts induced by psilocybin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer Kraehenmann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland; Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland.
| | - André Schmidt
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Basel 4012, Switzerland; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 AF, United Kingdom
| | - Karl Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Imaging Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
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Bernasconi F, Kometer M, Pokorny T, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX. The electrophysiological effects of the serotonin 1A receptor agonist buspirone in emotional face processing. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 25:474-82. [PMID: 25637265 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2014] [Revised: 01/06/2015] [Accepted: 01/10/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Emotional face processing is critically modulated by the serotonergic system, and serotonin (5-HT) receptor agonists impair emotional face processing. However, the specific contribution of the 5-HT1A receptor remains poorly understood. Here we investigated the spatiotemporal brain mechanisms underpinning the modulation of emotional face processing induced by buspirone, a partial 5-HT1A receptor agonist. In a psychophysical discrimination of emotional faces task, we observed that the discrimination fearful versus neutral faces were reduced, but not happy versus neutral faces. Electrical neuroimaging analyses were applied to visual evoked potentials elicited by emotional face images, after placebo and buspirone administration. Buspirone modulated response strength (i.e., global field power) in the interval 230-248ms after stimulus onset. Distributed source estimation over this time interval revealed that buspirone decreased the neural activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex that was evoked by fearful faces. These results indicate temporal and valence-specific effects of buspirone on the neuronal correlates of emotional face processing. Furthermore, the reduced neural activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in response to fearful faces suggests a reduced attention to fearful faces. Collectively, these findings provide new insights into the role of 5-HT1A receptors in emotional face processing and have implications for affective disorders that are characterized by an increased attention to negative stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fosco Bernasconi
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland; Center for Neuroprosthethics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Pokorny
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
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Csomor PA, Preller KH, Geyer MA, Studerus E, Huber T, Vollenweider FX. Influence of aripiprazole, risperidone, and amisulpride on sensory and sensorimotor gating in healthy 'low and high gating' humans and relation to psychometry. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:2485-96. [PMID: 24801767 PMCID: PMC4138738 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Revised: 04/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Despite advances in the treatment of schizophrenia spectrum disorders with atypical antipsychotics (AAPs), there is still need for compounds with improved efficacy/side-effect ratios. Evidence from challenge studies suggests that the assessment of gating functions in humans and rodents with naturally low-gating levels might be a useful model to screen for novel compounds with antipsychotic properties. To further evaluate and extend this translational approach, three AAPs were examined. Compounds without antipsychotic properties served as negative control treatments. In a placebo-controlled, within-subject design, healthy males received either single doses of aripiprazole and risperidone (n=28), amisulpride and lorazepam (n=30), or modafinil and valproate (n=30), and placebo. Prepulse inhibiton (PPI) and P50 suppression were assessed. Clinically associated symptoms were evaluated using the SCL-90-R. Aripiprazole, risperidone, and amisulpride increased P50 suppression in low P50 gaters. Lorazepam, modafinil, and valproate did not influence P50 suppression in low gaters. Furthermore, low P50 gaters scored significantly higher on the SCL-90-R than high P50 gaters. Aripiprazole increased PPI in low PPI gaters, whereas modafinil and lorazepam attenuated PPI in both groups. Risperidone, amisulpride, and valproate did not influence PPI. P50 suppression in low gaters appears to be an antipsychotic-sensitive neurophysiologic marker. This conclusion is supported by the association of low P50 suppression and higher clinically associated scores. Furthermore, PPI might be sensitive for atypical mechanisms of antipsychotic medication. The translational model investigating differential effects of AAPs on gating in healthy subjects with naturally low gating can be beneficial for phase II/III development plans by providing additional information for critical decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp A Csomor
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging and Heffter Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging and Heffter Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Zürich, Switzerland,Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Lenngstrasse 31, Zürich 8032, Switzerland, Tel: +41 44 384 26 25, Fax: +41 44 384 24 99, E-mail:
| | - Mark A Geyer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Erich Studerus
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging and Heffter Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Zürich, Switzerland,Department of Psychiatry, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Theodor Huber
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging and Heffter Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging and Heffter Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Zürich, Switzerland
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Bernasconi F, Schmidt A, Pokorny T, Kometer M, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX. Spatiotemporal brain dynamics of emotional face processing modulations induced by the serotonin 1A/2A receptor agonist psilocybin. Cereb Cortex 2013; 24:3221-31. [PMID: 23861318 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bht178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotional face processing is critically modulated by the serotonergic system. For instance, emotional face processing is impaired by acute psilocybin administration, a serotonin (5-HT) 1A and 2A receptor agonist. However, the spatiotemporal brain mechanisms underlying these modulations are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the spatiotemporal brain dynamics underlying psilocybin-induced modulations during emotional face processing. Electrical neuroimaging analyses were applied to visual evoked potentials in response to emotional faces, following psilocybin and placebo administration. Our results indicate a first time period of strength (i.e., Global Field Power) modulation over the 168-189 ms poststimulus interval, induced by psilocybin. A second time period of strength modulation was identified over the 211-242 ms poststimulus interval. Source estimations over these 2 time periods further revealed decreased activity in response to both neutral and fearful faces within limbic areas, including amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus, and the right temporal cortex over the 168-189 ms interval, and reduced activity in response to happy faces within limbic and right temporo-occipital brain areas over the 211-242 ms interval. Our results indicate a selective and temporally dissociable effect of psilocybin on the neuronal correlates of emotional face processing, consistent with a modulation of the top-down control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fosco Bernasconi
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich 8050, Switzerland
| | - André Schmidt
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich 8050, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Pokorny
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich 8050, Switzerland
| | - Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich 8050, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Clinic of Affective Disorders and General Psychiatry, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Zurich 8050, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich 8050, Switzerland
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Holstein DH, Vollenweider FX, Geyer MA, Csomor PA, Belser N, Eich D. Sensory and sensorimotor gating in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Psychiatry Res 2013; 205:117-26. [PMID: 23017654 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2012.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2011] [Revised: 07/30/2012] [Accepted: 08/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Even though there is an impaired perceptual capacity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients, psychophysiological alterations, such as impaired gating as indexed by prepulse inhibition (PPI) or suppression of P50 auditory event-related potentials, have not been found in patients with ADHD. Hence, potential relationships of psychophysiological measures of gating to psychopathology and cognitive performance remain unclear. The present study investigates two distinct operational measures of gating as well as cognitive performance within adult ADHD patients in order to assess the relationship of these measures to psychopathology. PPI, P50 suppression, cognitive performance, and psychopathologic symptoms were assessed in 26 ADHD patients and 26 healthy control subjects. ADHD patients compared to healthy control subjects exhibited impaired P50 suppression, performed worse in cognitive tasks, and reported more psychopathological symptoms, but were normal in the test of PPI. Thus, P50 gating deficits are not specific to schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. These findings highlight the differences between P50 gating and PPI as measures of the gating construct. In keeping with the lack of correlations between these two putative operational measures of gating seen in both humans and animals, adult ADHD patients exhibit deficient P50 suppression and poor cognitive performance, despite exhibiting normal levels of PPI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique H Holstein
- Psychiatric University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, PO Box 1932, CH-8032 Zurich, Switzerland.
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Kometer M, Schmidt A, Bachmann R, Studerus E, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX. Psilocybin biases facial recognition, goal-directed behavior, and mood state toward positive relative to negative emotions through different serotonergic subreceptors. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 72:898-906. [PMID: 22578254 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2011] [Revised: 04/03/2012] [Accepted: 04/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Serotonin (5-HT) 1A and 2A receptors have been associated with dysfunctional emotional processing biases in mood disorders. These receptors further predominantly mediate the subjective and behavioral effects of psilocybin and might be important for its recently suggested antidepressive effects. However, the effect of psilocybin on emotional processing biases and the specific contribution of 5-HT2A receptors across different emotional domains is unknown. METHODS In a randomized, double-blind study, 17 healthy human subjects received on 4 separate days placebo, psilocybin (215 μg/kg), the preferential 5-HT2A antagonist ketanserin (50 mg), or psilocybin plus ketanserin. Mood states were assessed by self-report ratings, and behavioral and event-related potential measurements were used to quantify facial emotional recognition and goal-directed behavior toward emotional cues. RESULTS Psilocybin enhanced positive mood and attenuated recognition of negative facial expression. Furthermore, psilocybin increased goal-directed behavior toward positive compared with negative cues, facilitated positive but inhibited negative sequential emotional effects, and valence-dependently attenuated the P300 component. Ketanserin alone had no effects but blocked the psilocybin-induced mood enhancement and decreased recognition of negative facial expression. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that psilocybin shifts the emotional bias across various psychological domains and that activation of 5-HT2A receptors is central in mood regulation and emotional face recognition in healthy subjects. These findings may not only have implications for the pathophysiology of dysfunctional emotional biases but may also provide a framework to delineate the mechanisms underlying psylocybin's putative antidepressant effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, and Heffter Research Center, Clinic of Affective Disorders and General Psychiatry, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Kraehenmann R, Vollenweider FX, Seifritz E, Kometer M. Crowding deficits in the visual periphery of schizophrenia patients. PLoS One 2012; 7:e45884. [PMID: 23049884 PMCID: PMC3458825 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2012] [Accepted: 08/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that basic visual information processing is impaired in schizophrenia. However, deficits in peripheral vision remain largely unexplored. Here we hypothesized that sensory processing of information in the visual periphery would be impaired in schizophrenia patients and, as a result, crowding - the breakdown in target recognition that occurs in cluttered visual environments - would be stronger. Therefore, we assessed visual crowding in the peripheral vision of schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. Subjects were asked to identify a target letter that was surrounded by distracter letters of similar appearance. Targets and distracters were displayed at 8° and 10° of visual angle from the fixation point (eccentricity), and target-distracter spacing was 2°, 3°, 4°, 5°, 6°, 7° or 8° of visual angle. Eccentricity and target-distracter spacing were randomly varied. Accuracy was defined as the proportion of correctly identified targets. Critical spacing was defined as the spacing at which target identification accuracy began to deteriorate, and was assessed at viewing eccentricities of 8° and 10°. Schizophrenia patients were less accurate and showed a larger critical spacing than healthy individuals. These results indicate that crowding is stronger and sensory processing of information in the visual periphery is impaired in schizophrenia. This is in line with previous reports of preferential magnocellular dysfunction in schizophrenia. Thus, deficits in peripheral vision may account for perceptual alterations and contribute to cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer Kraehenmann
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging & Heffter Research Center, Clinic of Affective Disorders and General Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Clinic of Affective Disorders and General Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X. Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging & Heffter Research Center, Clinic of Affective Disorders and General Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Clinic of Affective Disorders and General Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Clinic of Affective Disorders and General Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging & Heffter Research Center, Clinic of Affective Disorders and General Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Abstract
This review focuses on recent brain imaging and behavioral studies of sensory gating functions, which assess similarities between the effects of classic hallucinogens (eg, psilocybin), dissociative anesthetics (eg, ketamine), and entactogens (eg, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA]) in humans. Serotonergic hallucinogens and psychotomimetic anesthetics produce overlapping psychotic syndromes associated with a marked activation of the prefrontal cortex (hyperfrontality) and other overlapping changes in temporoparietal, striatal, and thalamic regions, suggesting that both classes of drugs act upon a common final pathway. Together with the observation that both hallucinogens and N-methyl-oaspartate (NMDA) antagonists disrupt sensory gating in rats by acting on 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) 5-HT2 receptors located in cortico-striato-thalamic circuitry these findings suggest that disruption of cortico-subcortical processing leading to sensory overload of the cortex is a communality of these psychoses. In contrast to hallucinogens, the entactogen MDMA produces an emotional state of positive mood, concomitant with an activation of prefrontolimbiclparalimbic structures and a deactivation of amygdala and thalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- F X Vollenweider
- Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Clinical Research Unit and Heffter Research Center Zurich, Switzerland
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