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Pasquini L, Simon A, Gallen C, Kettner H, Roseman L, Gazzaley A, Carhart-Harris R, Timmermann C. Brain substates induced by DMT relate to sympathetic output and meaningfulness of the experience. bioRxiv 2024:2024.02.14.580356. [PMID: 38464275 PMCID: PMC10925211 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.14.580356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a serotonergic psychedelic, known to rapidly induce short-lasting alterations in conscious experience, characterized by a profound and immersive sense of physical transcendence alongside rich and vivid auditory distortions and visual imagery. Multimodal neuroimaging data paired with dynamic analysis techniques offer a valuable approach for identifying unique signatures of brain activity - and linked autonomic physiology - naturally unfolding during the altered state of consciousness induced by DMT. We leveraged simultaneous fMRI and EKG data acquired in 14 healthy volunteers prior to, during, and after intravenous administration of DMT, and, separately, placebo. fMRI data was preprocessed to derive individual dynamic activity matrices, reflecting the similarity of brain activity in time, and community detection algorithms were applied on these matrices to identify brain activity substates; EKG data was used to derive continuous heart rate. We identified a brain substate occurring immediately after DMT injection, characterized by increased superior temporal lobe activity, and hippocampal and medial parietal deactivations under DMT. Results revealed that hippocampus and medial parietal cortex hypoactivity correlated with scores of meaningfulness of the experience. During this first post-injection substate, increased heart rate under DMT correlated negatively with the meaningfulness of the experience and positively with hippocampus/medial parietal deactivation. These results suggest a chain of influence linking sympathetic regulation to hippocampal and medial parietal deactivations under DMT, which combined, may contribute to positive mental health outcomes related to self-referential processing following psychedelic administration.
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Kettner H, Roseman L, Gazzaley A, Carhart-Harris R, Pasquini L. Improvements in well-being following naturalistic psychedelic use and underlying mechanisms of change in older adults: A prospective cohort study. Res Sq 2024:rs.3.rs-3977169. [PMID: 38496492 PMCID: PMC10942571 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3977169/v1] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Affective symptoms such as anxiety, low mood, and loneliness are prevalent and highly debilitating symptoms among older adults (OA). Serotonergic psychedelics are novel experimental interventions for affective disorders, yet little is known regarding their effects in OA. Using a prospective cohort design, we identified 62 OA (age ≥ 60 years) and 62 matched younger adults (YA) who completed surveys two weeks before, and one day, two weeks, four weeks, and six months after a guided psychedelic group session in a retreat setting. Mixed linear regression analyses revealed significant well-being improvements in OA and YA, amplified in OA with a history of a psychiatric diagnosis. Compared to YA, acute subjective psychedelic effects were attenuated in OA and did not significantly predict well-being changes. However, a psychosocial measure of Communitas emerged as a predictor in OA, suggesting that the relational components in psychedelic group settings may hold particular value for OA.
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Vohryzek J, Cabral J, Lord LD, Fernandes HM, Roseman L, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL, Deco G, Kringelbach ML. Brain dynamics predictive of response to psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae049. [PMID: 38515439 PMCID: PMC10957168 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae049] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Psilocybin therapy for depression has started to show promise, yet the underlying causal mechanisms are not currently known. Here, we leveraged the differential outcome in responders and non-responders to psilocybin (10 and 25 mg, 7 days apart) therapy for depression-to gain new insights into regions and networks implicated in the restoration of healthy brain dynamics. We used large-scale brain modelling to fit the spatiotemporal brain dynamics at rest in both responders and non-responders before treatment. Dynamic sensitivity analysis of systematic perturbation of these models enabled us to identify specific brain regions implicated in a transition from a depressive brain state to a healthy one. Binarizing the sample into treatment responders (>50% reduction in depressive symptoms) versus non-responders enabled us to identify a subset of regions implicated in this change. Interestingly, these regions correlate with in vivo density maps of serotonin receptors 5-hydroxytryptamine 2a and 5-hydroxytryptamine 1a, which psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, has an appreciable affinity for, and where it acts as a full-to-partial agonist. Serotonergic transmission has long been associated with depression, and our findings provide causal mechanistic evidence for the role of brain regions in the recovery from depression via psilocybin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Vohryzek
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joana Cabral
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s—PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, University of Minho, Portugal
| | - Louis-David Lord
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Henrique M Fernandes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Morten L Kringelbach
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
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4
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Barba T, Kettner H, Radu C, Peill JM, Roseman L, Nutt DJ, Erritzoe D, Carhart-Harris R, Giribaldi B. Psychedelics and sexual functioning: a mixed-methods study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2181. [PMID: 38326446 PMCID: PMC10850066 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49817-4] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Do psychedelics affect sexual functioning postacutely? Anecdotal and qualitative evidence suggests they do, but this has never been formally tested. While sexual functioning and satisfaction are generally regarded as an important aspect of human wellbeing, sexual dysfunction is a common symptom of mental health disorders. It is also a common side effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a first line treatment for depression. The aim of the present paper was to investigate the post-acute effects of psychedelics on self-reported sexual functioning, combining data from two independent studies, one large and naturalistic and the other a smaller but controlled clinical trial. Naturalistic use of psychedelics was associated with improvements in several facets of sexual functioning and satisfaction, including improved pleasure and communication during sex, satisfaction with one's partner and physical appearance. Convergent results were found in a controlled trial of psilocybin therapy versus an SSRI, escitalopram, for depression. In this trial, patients treated with psilocybin reported positive changes in sexual functioning after treatment, while patients treated with escitalopram did not. Despite focusing on different populations and settings, this is the first research study to quantitively investigate the effects of psychedelics on sexual functioning. Results imply a potential positive effect on post-acute sexual functioning and highlight the need for more research on this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Barba
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Hannes Kettner
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Caterina Radu
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Joseph M Peill
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David Erritzoe
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Bruna Giribaldi
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
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5
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Mediano PAM, Rosas FE, Timmermann C, Roseman L, Nutt DJ, Feilding A, Kaelen M, Kringelbach ML, Barrett AB, Seth AK, Muthukumaraswamy S, Bor D, Carhart-Harris RL. Effects of External Stimulation on Psychedelic State Neurodynamics. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:462-471. [PMID: 38214686 PMCID: PMC10853937 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00289] [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: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent findings have shown that psychedelics reliably enhance brain entropy (understood as neural signal diversity), and this effect has been associated with both acute and long-term psychological outcomes, such as personality changes. These findings are particularly intriguing, given that a decrease of brain entropy is a robust indicator of loss of consciousness (e.g., from wakefulness to sleep). However, little is known about how context impacts the entropy-enhancing effect of psychedelics, which carries important implications for how it can be exploited in, for example, psychedelic psychotherapy. This article investigates how brain entropy is modulated by stimulus manipulation during a psychedelic experience by studying participants under the effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or placebo, either with gross state changes (eyes closed vs open) or different stimuli (no stimulus vs music vs video). Results show that while brain entropy increases with LSD under all of the experimental conditions, it exhibits the largest changes when subjects have their eyes closed. Furthermore, brain entropy changes are consistently associated with subjective ratings of the psychedelic experience, but this relationship is disrupted when participants are viewing a video─potentially due to a "competition" between external stimuli and endogenous LSD-induced imagery. Taken together, our findings provide strong quantitative evidence of the role of context in modulating neural dynamics during a psychedelic experience, underlining the importance of performing psychedelic psychotherapy in a suitable environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A. M. Mediano
- Department
of Computing, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Department
of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, U.K.
| | - Fernando E. Rosas
- Department
of Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, U.K.
- Centre
for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Centre
for Complexity Science, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Centre for
Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University
of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, U.K.
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Centre
for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre
for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - David J. Nutt
- Centre
for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | | | | | - Morten L. Kringelbach
- Centre for
Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University
of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, U.K.
- Department
of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, U.K.
- Center
for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
| | - Adam B. Barrett
- Sussex
Center for Consciousness Science and Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, U.K.
| | - Anil K. Seth
- Sussex
Center for Consciousness Science and Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, U.K.
- CIFAR Program on Brain, Mind, and Consciousness, Toronto M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Suresh Muthukumaraswamy
- School
of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Daniel Bor
- Department
of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, U.K.
- Department
of Psychology, Queen Mary University of
London, London E1 4NS, U.K.
| | - Robin L. Carhart-Harris
- Centre
for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Psychedelics
Division, Neuroscape, University of California
San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94117-1080, United States
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Luppi AI, Girn M, Rosas FE, Timmermann C, Roseman L, Erritzoe D, Nutt DJ, Stamatakis EA, Spreng RN, Xing L, Huttner WB, Carhart-Harris RL. A role for the serotonin 2A receptor in the expansion and functioning of human transmodal cortex. Brain 2024; 147:56-80. [PMID: 37703310 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad311] [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: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Integrating independent but converging lines of research on brain function and neurodevelopment across scales, this article proposes that serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) signalling is an evolutionary and developmental driver and potent modulator of the macroscale functional organization of the human cerebral cortex. A wealth of evidence indicates that the anatomical and functional organization of the cortex follows a unimodal-to-transmodal gradient. Situated at the apex of this processing hierarchy-where it plays a central role in the integrative processes underpinning complex, human-defining cognition-the transmodal cortex has disproportionately expanded across human development and evolution. Notably, the adult human transmodal cortex is especially rich in 5-HT2AR expression and recent evidence suggests that, during early brain development, 5-HT2AR signalling on neural progenitor cells stimulates their proliferation-a critical process for evolutionarily-relevant cortical expansion. Drawing on multimodal neuroimaging and cross-species investigations, we argue that, by contributing to the expansion of the human cortex and being prevalent at the apex of its hierarchy in the adult brain, 5-HT2AR signalling plays a major role in both human cortical expansion and functioning. Owing to its unique excitatory and downstream cellular effects, neuronal 5-HT2AR agonism promotes neuroplasticity, learning and cognitive and psychological flexibility in a context-(hyper)sensitive manner with therapeutic potential. Overall, we delineate a dual role of 5-HT2ARs in enabling both the expansion and modulation of the human transmodal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea I Luppi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Division of Anaesthesia, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
- Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1SB, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, NW1 2DB, UK
| | - Manesh Girn
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, Canada
- Psychedelics Division-Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California SanFrancisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Fernando E Rosas
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
- Data Science Institute, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - David Erritzoe
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Emmanuel A Stamatakis
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Division of Anaesthesia, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Lei Xing
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | - Wieland B Huttner
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Psychedelics Division-Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California SanFrancisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Ekman Schenberg
- Instituto Phaneros, São Paulo, Brazil (Schenberg); Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston (King); Psychotherapist in private practice, Lisbon (Fonseca); Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exter, United Kingdom; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London (Roseman)
| | - Franklin King
- Instituto Phaneros, São Paulo, Brazil (Schenberg); Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston (King); Psychotherapist in private practice, Lisbon (Fonseca); Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exter, United Kingdom; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London (Roseman)
| | - João Eusébio da Fonseca
- Instituto Phaneros, São Paulo, Brazil (Schenberg); Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston (King); Psychotherapist in private practice, Lisbon (Fonseca); Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exter, United Kingdom; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London (Roseman)
| | - Leor Roseman
- Instituto Phaneros, São Paulo, Brazil (Schenberg); Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston (King); Psychotherapist in private practice, Lisbon (Fonseca); Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exter, United Kingdom; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London (Roseman)
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Delli Pizzi S, Chiacchiaretta P, Sestieri C, Ferretti A, Tullo MG, Della Penna S, Martinotti G, Onofrj M, Roseman L, Timmermann C, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL, Sensi SL. LSD-induced changes in the functional connectivity of distinct thalamic nuclei. Neuroimage 2023; 283:120414. [PMID: 37858906 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120414] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of the thalamus in mediating the effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was recently proposed in a model of communication and corroborated by imaging studies. However, a detailed analysis of LSD effects on nuclei-resolved thalamocortical connectivity is still missing. Here, in a group of healthy volunteers, we evaluated whether LSD intake alters the thalamocortical coupling in a nucleus-specific manner. Structural and resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data were acquired in a placebo-controlled study on subjects exposed to acute LSD administration. Structural MRI was used to parcel the thalamus into its constituent nuclei based on individual anatomy. Nucleus-specific changes of resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) connectivity were mapped using a seed-based approach. LSD intake selectively increased the thalamocortical functional connectivity (FC) of the ventral complex, pulvinar, and non-specific nuclei. Functional coupling was increased between these nuclei and sensory cortices that include the somatosensory and auditory networks. The ventral and pulvinar nuclei also exhibited increased FC with parts of the associative cortex that are dense in serotonin type 2A receptors. These areas are hyperactive and hyper-connected upon LSD intake. At subcortical levels, LSD increased the functional coupling among the thalamus's ventral, pulvinar, and non-specific nuclei, but decreased the striatal-thalamic connectivity. These findings unravel some LSD effects on the modulation of subcortical-cortical circuits and associated behavioral outputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Delli Pizzi
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Molecular Neurology Unit, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Piero Chiacchiaretta
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Carlo Sestieri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Antonio Ferretti
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara, Italy; UdA-TechLab, Research Center, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Maria Giulia Tullo
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Stefania Della Penna
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Giovanni Martinotti
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Marco Onofrj
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, Neurology, University of California San Francisco
| | - Stefano L Sensi
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Molecular Neurology Unit, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara, Italy.
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9
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Wall MB, Lam C, Ertl N, Kaelen M, Roseman L, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL. Increased low-frequency brain responses to music after psilocybin therapy for depression. J Affect Disord 2023; 333:321-330. [PMID: 37094657 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.081] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy with psilocybin is an emerging therapy with great promise for depression, and modern psychedelic therapy (PT) methods incorporate music as a key element. Music is an effective emotional/hedonic stimulus that could also be useful in assessing changes in emotional responsiveness following PT. METHODS Brain responses to music were assessed before and after PT using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and ALFF (Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations) analysis methods. Nineteen patients with treatment-resistant depression underwent two treatment sessions involving administration of psilocybin, with MRI data acquired one week prior and the day after completion of psilocybin dosing sessions. RESULTS Comparison of music-listening and resting-state scans revealed significantly greater ALFF in bilateral superior temporal cortex for the post-treatment music scan, and in the right ventral occipital lobe for the post-treatment resting-state scan. ROI analyses of these clusters revealed a significant effect of treatment in the superior temporal lobe for the music scan only. Voxelwise comparison of treatment effects showed relative increases for the music scan in the bilateral superior temporal lobes and supramarginal gyrus, and relative decreases in the medial frontal lobes for the resting-state scan. ALFF in these music-related clusters was significantly correlated with intensity of subjective effects felt during the dosing sessions. LIMITATIONS Open-label trial. Relatively small sample size. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest an effect of PT on the brain's response to music, implying an elevated responsiveness to music after psilocybin therapy that was related to subjective drug effects felt during dosing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Wall
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, UK; Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, UK.
| | - Cynthia Lam
- Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Natalie Ertl
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, UK; Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Mendel Kaelen
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK; Psychedelics Division - Neuroscape, University of California San Francisco, USA
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10
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Delli Pizzi S, Chiacchiaretta P, Sestieri C, Ferretti A, Onofrj M, Della Penna S, Roseman L, Timmermann C, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL, Sensi SL. Spatial Correspondence of LSD-Induced Variations on Brain Functioning at Rest With Serotonin Receptor Expression. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging 2023; 8:768-776. [PMID: 37003409 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.03.009] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is an atypical psychedelic compound that exerts its effects through pleiotropic actions, mainly involving 1A/2A serotoninergic (5-HT) receptor subtypes. However, the mechanisms by which LSD promotes a reorganization of the brain's functional activity and connectivity are still partially unknown. METHODS Our study analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired from 15 healthy volunteers undergoing LSD single-dose intake. A voxelwise analysis investigated the alterations of the brain's intrinsic functional connectivity and local signal amplitude induced by LSD or by a placebo. Quantitative comparisons assessed the spatial overlap between these 2 indices of functional reorganization and the topography of receptor expression obtained from a publicly available collection of in vivo, whole-brain atlases. Finally, linear regression models explored the relationships between changes in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral aspects of the psychedelic experience. RESULTS LSD elicited modifications of the cortical functional architecture that spatially overlapped with the distribution of serotoninergic receptors. Local signal amplitude and functional connectivity increased in regions belonging to the default mode and attention networks associated with high expression of 5-HT2A receptors. These functional changes correlate with the occurrence of simple and complex visual hallucinations. At the same time, a decrease in local signal amplitude and intrinsic connectivity was observed in limbic areas, which are dense with 5-HT1A receptors. CONCLUSIONS This study provides new insights into the neural processes underlying the brain network reconfiguration induced by LSD. It also identifies a topographical relationship between opposite effects on brain functioning and the spatial distribution of different 5-HT receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Delli Pizzi
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy; Molecular Neurology Unit, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Piero Chiacchiaretta
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy; Center for Advanced Studies and Technology, University "G d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Carlo Sestieri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Antonio Ferretti
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Marco Onofrj
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Stefania Della Penna
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Psychedelics Division-Neuroscape, Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Stefano L Sensi
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy; Center for Advanced Studies and Technology, University "G d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
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11
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Luppi AI, Hansen JY, Adapa R, Carhart-Harris RL, Roseman L, Timmermann C, Golkowski D, Ranft A, Ilg R, Jordan D, Bonhomme V, Vanhaudenhuyse A, Demertzi A, Jaquet O, Bahri MA, Alnagger NL, Cardone P, Peattie AR, Manktelow AE, de Araujo DB, Sensi SL, Owen AM, Naci L, Menon DK, Misic B, Stamatakis EA. In vivo mapping of pharmacologically induced functional reorganization onto the human brain's neurotransmitter landscape. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadf8332. [PMID: 37315149 PMCID: PMC10266734 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf8332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
To understand how pharmacological interventions can exert their powerful effects on brain function, we need to understand how they engage the brain's rich neurotransmitter landscape. Here, we bridge microscale molecular chemoarchitecture and pharmacologically induced macroscale functional reorganization, by relating the regional distribution of 19 neurotransmitter receptors and transporters obtained from positron emission tomography, and the regional changes in functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity induced by 10 different mind-altering drugs: propofol, sevoflurane, ketamine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ayahuasca, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), modafinil, and methylphenidate. Our results reveal a many-to-many mapping between psychoactive drugs' effects on brain function and multiple neurotransmitter systems. The effects of both anesthetics and psychedelics on brain function are organized along hierarchical gradients of brain structure and function. Last, we show that regional co-susceptibility to pharmacological interventions recapitulates co-susceptibility to disorder-induced structural alterations. Collectively, these results highlight rich statistical patterns relating molecular chemoarchitecture and drug-induced reorganization of the brain's functional architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea I. Luppi
- Division of Anaesthesia, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Justine Y. Hansen
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ram Adapa
- Division of Anaesthesia, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Robin L. Carhart-Harris
- Psychedelics Division - Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Leor Roseman
- Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel Golkowski
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, München, Germany
| | - Andreas Ranft
- School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Ilg
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, München, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Asklepios Clinic, Bad Tölz, Germany
| | - Denis Jordan
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, München, Germany
- University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Bonhomme
- Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Liege University Hospital, Liege, Belgium
- Anesthesia and Perioperative Neuroscience Laboratory, GIGA-Consciousness Thematic Unit, GIGA-Research, Liege University, Liege, Belgium
| | - Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse
- Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Liege University Hospital, Liege, Belgium
| | - Athena Demertzi
- GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Oceane Jaquet
- Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Liege University Hospital, Liege, Belgium
| | - Mohamed Ali Bahri
- GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Naji L. N. Alnagger
- Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Liege University Hospital, Liege, Belgium
| | - Paolo Cardone
- Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Liege University Hospital, Liege, Belgium
| | - Alexander R. D. Peattie
- Division of Anaesthesia, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Stefano L. Sensi
- Department of Neuroscience and Imaging and Clinical Science, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, University "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Adrian M. Owen
- Department of Psychology and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Western Institute for Neuroscience (WIN), Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Lorina Naci
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - David K. Menon
- Division of Anaesthesia, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wolfon Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Bratislav Misic
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Emmanuel A. Stamatakis
- Division of Anaesthesia, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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12
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Zafar R, Siegel M, Harding R, Barba T, Agnorelli C, Suseelan S, Roseman L, Wall M, Nutt DJ, Erritzoe D. Psychedelic therapy in the treatment of addiction: the past, present and future. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1183740. [PMID: 37377473 PMCID: PMC10291338 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1183740] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychedelic therapy has witnessed a resurgence in interest in the last decade from the scientific and medical communities with evidence now building for its safety and efficacy in treating a range of psychiatric disorders including addiction. In this review we will chart the research investigating the role of these interventions in individuals with addiction beginning with an overview of the current socioeconomic impact of addiction, treatment options, and outcomes. We will start by examining historical studies from the first psychedelic research era of the mid-late 1900s, followed by an overview of the available real-world evidence gathered from naturalistic, observational, and survey-based studies. We will then cover modern-day clinical trials of psychedelic therapies in addiction from first-in-human to phase II clinical trials. Finally, we will provide an overview of the different translational human neuropsychopharmacology techniques, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), that can be applied to foster a mechanistic understanding of therapeutic mechanisms. A more granular understanding of the treatment effects of psychedelics will facilitate the optimisation of the psychedelic therapy drug development landscape, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rayyan Zafar
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Maxim Siegel
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Harding
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tommaso Barba
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claudio Agnorelli
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Shayam Suseelan
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Wall
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Invicro, London, United Kingdom
| | - David John Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Erritzoe
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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13
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Singleton SP, Timmermann C, Luppi AI, Eckernäs E, Roseman L, Carhart-Harris RL, Kuceyeski A. Time-resolved network control analysis links reduced control energy under DMT with the serotonin 2a receptor, signal diversity, and subjective experience. bioRxiv 2023:2023.05.11.540409. [PMID: 37214949 PMCID: PMC10197635 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.11.540409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Psychedelics offer a profound window into the functioning of the human brain and mind through their robust acute effects on perception, subjective experience, and brain activity patterns. In recent work using a receptor-informed network control theory framework, we demonstrated that the serotonergic psychedelics lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin flatten the brain's control energy landscape in a manner that covaries with more dynamic and entropic brain activity. Contrary to LSD and psilocybin, whose effects last for hours, the serotonergic psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) rapidly induces a profoundly immersive altered state of consciousness lasting less than 20 minutes, allowing for the entirety of the drug experience to be captured during a single resting-state fMRI scan. Using network control theory, which quantifies the amount of input necessary to drive transitions between functional brain states, we integrate brain structure and function to map the energy trajectories of 14 individuals undergoing fMRI during DMT and placebo. Consistent with previous work, we find that global control energy is reduced following injection with DMT compared to placebo. We additionally show longitudinal trajectories of global control energy correlate with longitudinal trajectories of EEG signal diversity (a measure of entropy) and subjective ratings of drug intensity. We interrogate these same relationships on a regional level and find that the spatial patterns of DMT's effects on these metrics are correlated with serotonin 2a receptor density (obtained from separately acquired PET data). Using receptor distribution and pharmacokinetic information, we were able to successfully recapitulate the effects of DMT on global control energy trajectories, demonstrating a proof-of-concept for the use of control models in predicting pharmacological intervention effects on brain dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Science, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Emma Eckernäs
- Unit for Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism, Department of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Leor Roseman
- Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Science, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin L. Carhart-Harris
- Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Science, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, University of California San Francisco, USA
| | - Amy Kuceyeski
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, USA
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14
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Timmermann C, Roseman L, Haridas S, Rosas FE, Luan L, Kettner H, Martell J, Erritzoe D, Tagliazucchi E, Pallavicini C, Girn M, Alamia A, Leech R, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL. Human brain effects of DMT assessed via EEG-fMRI. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2218949120. [PMID: 36940333 PMCID: PMC10068756 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2218949120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychedelics have attracted medical interest, but their effects on human brain function are incompletely understood. In a comprehensive, within-subjects, placebo-controlled design, we acquired multimodal neuroimaging [i.e., EEG-fMRI (electroencephalography-functional MRI)] data to assess the effects of intravenous (IV) N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) on brain function in 20 healthy volunteers. Simultaneous EEG-fMRI was acquired prior to, during, and after a bolus IV administration of 20 mg DMT, and, separately, placebo. At dosages consistent with the present study, DMT, a serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) agonist, induces a deeply immersive and radically altered state of consciousness. DMT is thus a useful research tool for probing the neural correlates of conscious experience. Here, fMRI results revealed robust increases in global functional connectivity (GFC), network disintegration and desegregation, and a compression of the principal cortical gradient under DMT. GFC × subjective intensity maps correlated with independent positron emission tomography (PET)-derived 5-HT2AR maps, and both overlapped with meta-analytical data implying human-specific psychological functions. Changes in major EEG-measured neurophysiological properties correlated with specific changes in various fMRI metrics, enriching our understanding of the neural basis of DMT's effects. The present findings advance on previous work by confirming a predominant action of DMT-and likely other 5-HT2AR agonist psychedelics-on the brain's transmodal association pole, i.e., the neurodevelopmentally and evolutionarily recent cortex that is associated with species-specific psychological advancements, and high expression of 5-HT2A receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Timmermann
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - Sharad Haridas
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - Fernando E Rosas
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
- Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, United Kingdom
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Center for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9BX, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Luan
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - Hannes Kettner
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - Jonny Martell
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - David Erritzoe
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - Enzo Tagliazucchi
- Departamento de Física, Latin American Brain Health Institute, Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, 3485 Santiago, Chile
- Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carla Pallavicini
- Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Manesh Girn
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | | | - Robert Leech
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
- Psychedelics Division - Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143
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15
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Carhart-Harris RL, Chandaria S, Erritzoe DE, Gazzaley A, Girn M, Kettner H, Mediano PAM, Nutt DJ, Rosas FE, Roseman L, Timmermann C, Weiss B, Zeifman RJ, Friston KJ. Canalization and plasticity in psychopathology. Neuropharmacology 2023; 226:109398. [PMID: 36584883 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
This theoretical article revives a classical bridging construct, canalization, to describe a new model of a general factor of psychopathology. To achieve this, we have distinguished between two types of plasticity, an early one that we call 'TEMP' for 'Temperature or Entropy Mediated Plasticity', and another, we call 'canalization', which is close to Hebbian plasticity. These two forms of plasticity can be most easily distinguished by their relationship to 'precision' or inverse variance; TEMP relates to increased model variance or decreased precision, whereas the opposite is true for canalization. TEMP also subsumes increased learning rate, (Ising) temperature and entropy. Dictionary definitions of 'plasticity' describe it as the property of being easily shaped or molded; TEMP is the better match for this. Importantly, we propose that 'pathological' phenotypes develop via mechanisms of canalization or increased model precision, as a defensive response to adversity and associated distress or dysphoria. Our model states that canalization entrenches in psychopathology, narrowing the phenotypic state-space as the agent develops expertise in their pathology. We suggest that TEMP - combined with gently guiding psychological support - can counter canalization. We address questions of whether and when canalization is adaptive versus maladaptive, furnish our model with references to basic and human neuroscience, and offer concrete experiments and measures to test its main hypotheses and implications. This article is part of the Special Issue on "National Institutes of Health Psilocybin Research Speaker Series".
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Affiliation(s)
- R L Carhart-Harris
- Psychedelics Division - Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK.
| | - S Chandaria
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK; Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, UK; Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK
| | - D E Erritzoe
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK; CNWL-Imperial Psychopharmacology and Psychedelic Research Clinic (CIPPRS), UK
| | - A Gazzaley
- Psychedelics Division - Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - M Girn
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - H Kettner
- Psychedelics Division - Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK
| | - P A M Mediano
- Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - D J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK
| | - F E Rosas
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK; Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, UK; Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, UK; Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, UK
| | - L Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK; CNWL-Imperial Psychopharmacology and Psychedelic Research Clinic (CIPPRS), UK
| | - C Timmermann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK; CNWL-Imperial Psychopharmacology and Psychedelic Research Clinic (CIPPRS), UK
| | - B Weiss
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK; CNWL-Imperial Psychopharmacology and Psychedelic Research Clinic (CIPPRS), UK
| | - R J Zeifman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK; NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, USA
| | - K J Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, UK
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16
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Aqil M, Roseman L. More than meets the eye: The role of sensory dimensions in psychedelic brain dynamics, experience, and therapeutics. Neuropharmacology 2023; 223:109300. [PMID: 36334767 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Psychedelics are undergoing a major resurgence of scientific and clinical interest. While multiple theories and frameworks have been proposed, there is yet no universal agreement on the mechanisms underlying the complex effects of psychedelics on subjective experience and brain dynamics, nor their therapeutic benefits. Despite being prominent in psychedelic phenomenology and distinct from those elicited by other classes of hallucinogens, the effects of psychedelics on low-level sensory - particularly visual - dimensions of experience, and corresponding brain dynamics, have often been disregarded by contemporary research as 'epiphenomenal byproducts'. Here, we review available evidence from neuroimaging, pharmacology, questionnaires, and clinical studies; we propose extensions to existing models, provide testable hypotheses for the potential therapeutic roles of psychedelic-induced visual hallucinations, and simulations of visual phenomena relying on low-level cortical dynamics. In sum, we show that psychedelic-induced alterations in low-level sensory dimensions 1) are unlikely to be entirely causally reconducible to high-level alterations, but rather co-occur with them in a dialogical interplay, and 2) are likely to play a causally relevant role in determining high-level alterations and therapeutic outcomes. We conclude that reevaluating the currently underappreciated role of sensory dimensions in psychedelic states will be highly valuable for neuroscience and clinical practice, and that integrating low-level and domain-specific aspects of psychedelic effects into existing nonspecific models is a necessary step to further understand how these substances effect both acute and long-term change in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Aqil
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, the Netherlands; Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Institute for Neuroscience, the Netherlands; Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Luppi AI, Vohryzek J, Kringelbach ML, Mediano PAM, Craig MM, Adapa R, Carhart-Harris RL, Roseman L, Pappas I, Peattie ARD, Manktelow AE, Sahakian BJ, Finoia P, Williams GB, Allanson J, Pickard JD, Menon DK, Atasoy S, Stamatakis EA. Distributed harmonic patterns of structure-function dependence orchestrate human consciousness. Commun Biol 2023; 6:117. [PMID: 36709401 PMCID: PMC9884288 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04474-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
A central question in neuroscience is how consciousness arises from the dynamic interplay of brain structure and function. Here we decompose functional MRI signals from pathological and pharmacologically-induced perturbations of consciousness into distributed patterns of structure-function dependence across scales: the harmonic modes of the human structural connectome. We show that structure-function coupling is a generalisable indicator of consciousness that is under bi-directional neuromodulatory control. We find increased structure-function coupling across scales during loss of consciousness, whether due to anaesthesia or brain injury, capable of discriminating between behaviourally indistinguishable sub-categories of brain-injured patients, tracking the presence of covert consciousness. The opposite harmonic signature characterises the altered state induced by LSD or ketamine, reflecting psychedelic-induced decoupling of brain function from structure and correlating with physiological and subjective scores. Overall, connectome harmonic decomposition reveals how neuromodulation and the network architecture of the human connectome jointly shape consciousness and distributed functional activation across scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea I. Luppi
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1SB UK
| | - Jakub Vohryzek
- grid.4991.50000 0004 1936 8948Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7JX UK ,grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark ,grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, 08005 Spain
| | - Morten L. Kringelbach
- grid.4991.50000 0004 1936 8948Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7JX UK ,grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Pedro A. M. Mediano
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK ,grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Michael M. Craig
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Ram Adapa
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Robin L. Carhart-Harris
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN UK ,grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Psychedelics Division - Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA
| | - Leor Roseman
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Ioannis Pappas
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033 USA
| | - Alexander R. D. Peattie
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Anne E. Manktelow
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Barbara J. Sahakian
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Psychiatry, MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
| | - Paola Finoia
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Neurosurgery, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Guy B. Williams
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Judith Allanson
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.120073.70000 0004 0622 5016Department of Neurosciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - John D. Pickard
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Neurosurgery, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - David K. Menon
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Selen Atasoy
- grid.4991.50000 0004 1936 8948Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7JX UK ,grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Emmanuel A. Stamatakis
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
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18
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Mosurinjohn S, Roseman L, Girn M. Psychedelic-induced mystical experiences: An interdisciplinary discussion and critique. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1077311. [PMID: 37181886 PMCID: PMC10171200 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1077311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Contemporary research on serotonergic psychedelic compounds has been rife with references to so-called 'mystical' subjective effects. Several psychometric assessments have been used to assess such effects, and clinical studies have found quantitative associations between 'mystical experiences' and positive mental health outcomes. The nascent study of psychedelic-induced mystical experiences, however, has only minimally intersected with relevant contemporary scholarship from disciplines within the social sciences and humanities, such as religious studies and anthropology. Viewed from the perspective of these disciplines-which feature rich historical and cultural literatures on mysticism, religion, and related topics-'mysticism' as used in psychedelic research is fraught with limitations and intrinsic biases that are seldom acknowledged. Most notably, existing operationalizations of mystical experiences in psychedelic science fail to historicize the concept and therefore fail to acknowledge its perennialist and specifically Christian bias. Here, we trace the historical genesis of the mystical in psychedelic research in order to illuminate such biases, and also offer suggestions toward more nuanced and culturally-sensitive operationalizations of this phenomenon. In addition, we argue for the value of, and outline, complementary 'non-mystical' approaches to understanding putative mystical-type phenomena that may help facilitate empirical investigation and create linkages to existing neuro-psychological constructs. It is our hope that the present paper helps build interdisciplinary bridges that motivate fruitful paths toward stronger theoretical and empirical approaches in the study of psychedelic-induced mystical experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharday Mosurinjohn
- School of Religion, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Sharday Mosurinjohn,
| | - Leor Roseman
- Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Manesh Girn
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Manesh Girn,
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19
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Hadar A, David J, Shalit N, Roseman L, Gross R, Sessa B, Lev-Ran S. The Psychedelic Renaissance in Clinical Research: A Bibliometric Analysis of Three Decades of Human Studies with Psychedelics. J Psychoactive Drugs 2023; 55:1-10. [PMID: 35000572 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2021.2022254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Psychedelics were used in the treatment of psychiatric conditions prior to their prohibition in the late 1960s. In the past three decades, there is a revived research interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs with expected FDA approvals for treatment of various conditions. Given the exponential scientific growth of this field, we sought to characterize, analyze, and visualize trends in its top-cited articles. Bibliometric analyses are quantitative approaches to characterize a scientific field, including evaluation of the impact of academic literature. The bibliometric analysis and visualizations were conducted with R-tools for comprehensive science mapping. The top-cited 100 articles were cited between 82 and 668 times (median 125; mean 158). Fifty-four percent of the T100 articles were produced in the past decade (2010-2020). Network and author impact analysis highlighted key figures and primary collaboration networks within the top 100 publications. UK, USA, Switzerland, Spain, and Brazil lead the field. Results are discussed in terms of research growth, access, diversity, and the distribution of knowledge and experience in the field. These aggregated data and insights on the second wave of psychedelic research facilitate research evaluation, data-driven funding policies, and a practical map for researchers and clinicians entering the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aviad Hadar
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Shalvata Mental Health Center, Hod HaSharon, Israel
| | - Jonathan David
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Nadav Shalit
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Israel Center on Addiction, Netanya, Israel.,Lev Hasharon Medical Center, Netanya, Israel
| | - Leor Roseman
- Department of Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Raz Gross
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Psychiatry, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Ben Sessa
- Department of Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Shaul Lev-Ran
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Israel Center on Addiction, Netanya, Israel
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20
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Shukuroglou M, Roseman L, Wall M, Nutt D, Kaelen M, Carhart-Harris R. Changes in music-evoked emotion and ventral striatal functional connectivity after psilocybin therapy for depression. J Psychopharmacol 2023; 37:70-79. [PMID: 36433778 PMCID: PMC9834320 DOI: 10.1177/02698811221125354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Music listening is a staple and valued component of psychedelic therapy, and previous work has shown that psychedelics can acutely enhance music-evoked emotion. AIMS The present study sought to examine subjective responses to music before and after psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression, while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data was acquired. METHODS Nineteen patients with treatment-resistant depression received a low oral dose (10 mg) of psilocybin, and a high dose (25 mg) 1 week later. fMRI was performed 1 week prior to the first dosing session and 1 day after the second. Two scans were conducted on each day: one with music and one without. Visual analogue scale ratings of music-evoked 'pleasure' plus ratings of other evoked emotions (21-item Geneva Emotional Music Scale) were completed after each scan. Given its role in musical reward, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) was chosen as region of interest for functional connectivity (FC) analyses. Effects of drug (vs placebo) and music (vs no music) on subjective and FC outcomes were assessed. Anhedonia symptoms were assessed pre- and post-treatment (Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale). RESULTS Results revealed a significant increase in music-evoked emotion following treatment with psilocybin that correlated with post-treatment reductions in anhedonia. A post-treatment reduction in NAc FC with areas resembling the default mode network was observed during music listening (vs no music). CONCLUSION These results are consistent with current thinking on the role of psychedelics in enhancing music-evoked pleasure and provide some new insight into correlative brain mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Shukuroglou
- Independent Researcher,Melissa Shukuroglou, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, Hammersmith Campus, London W12 0NN, UK.
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK,Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Matt Wall
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK,Invicro, London, UK,Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, UCL, UK
| | - David Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Mendel Kaelen
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK,Wavepaths Ltd, London, UK
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
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21
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Spriggs MJ, Giribaldi B, Lyons T, Rosas FE, Kärtner LS, Buchborn T, Douglass HM, Roseman L, Timmermann C, Erritzoe D, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL. Body mass index (BMI) does not predict responses to psilocybin. J Psychopharmacol 2023; 37:107-116. [PMID: 36373934 PMCID: PMC9834321 DOI: 10.1177/02698811221131994] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psilocybin is a serotonin type 2A (5-HT2A) receptor agonist and naturally occurring psychedelic. 5-HT2A receptor density is known to be associated with body mass index (BMI), however, the impact of this on psilocybin therapy has not been explored. While body weight-adjusted dosing is widely used, this imposes a practical and financial strain on the scalability of psychedelic therapy. This gap between evidence and practice is caused by the absence of studies clarifying the relationship between BMI, the acute psychedelic experience and long-term psychological outcomes. METHOD Data were pooled across three studies using a fixed 25 mg dose of psilocybin delivered in a therapeutic context to assess whether BMI predicts characteristics of the acute experience and changes in well-being 2 weeks later. Supplementing frequentist analysis with Bayes Factors has enabled for conclusions to be drawn regarding the null hypothesis. RESULTS Results support the null hypothesis that BMI does not predict overall intensity of the altered state, mystical experiences, perceptual changes or emotional breakthroughs during the acute experience. There was weak evidence for greater 'dread of ego dissolution' in participants with lower BMI, however, further analysis suggested BMI did not meaningfully add to the combination of the other covariates (age, sex and study). While mystical-type experiences and emotional breakthroughs were strong predictors of improvements in well-being, BMI was not. CONCLUSIONS These findings have important implications for our understanding of pharmacological and extra-pharmacological contributors to psychedelic-assisted therapy and for the standardization of a fixed therapeutic dose in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meg J Spriggs
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK,Meg J Spriggs, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, 2nd floor, Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Campus 160 Du Cane Road, London, London W12 0NN, UK.
| | - Bruna Giribaldi
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Taylor Lyons
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Fernando E Rosas
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK,Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Laura S Kärtner
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK,Department of Molecular Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tobias Buchborn
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK,Institute for Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Hannah M Douglass
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David Erritzoe
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK,CNWL-Imperial Psychopharmacology & Psychedelic Research Clinic, St. Charles Hospital, CNWL NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK,Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, University of California San Francisco, USA
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22
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Singleton SP, Luppi AI, Carhart-Harris RL, Cruzat J, Roseman L, Nutt DJ, Deco G, Kringelbach ML, Stamatakis EA, Kuceyeski A. Receptor-informed network control theory links LSD and psilocybin to a flattening of the brain's control energy landscape. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5812. [PMID: 36192411 PMCID: PMC9530221 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33578-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [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: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychedelics including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin temporarily alter subjective experience through their neurochemical effects. Serotonin 2a (5-HT2a) receptor agonism by these compounds is associated with more diverse (entropic) brain activity. We postulate that this increase in entropy may arise in part from a flattening of the brain's control energy landscape, which can be observed using network control theory to quantify the energy required to transition between recurrent brain states. Using brain states derived from existing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets, we show that LSD and psilocybin reduce control energy required for brain state transitions compared to placebo. Furthermore, across individuals, reduction in control energy correlates with more frequent state transitions and increased entropy of brain state dynamics. Through network control analysis that incorporates the spatial distribution of 5-HT2a receptors (obtained from publicly available positron emission tomography (PET) data under non-drug conditions), we demonstrate an association between the 5-HT2a receptor and reduced control energy. Our findings provide evidence that 5-HT2a receptor agonist compounds allow for more facile state transitions and more temporally diverse brain activity. More broadly, we demonstrate that receptor-informed network control theory can model the impact of neuropharmacological manipulation on brain activity dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Parker Singleton
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Andrea I Luppi
- Division of Anesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Science, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Josephine Cruzat
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago, Chile.,Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Roc Boronat 138, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Leor Roseman
- Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Science, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Science, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Roc Boronat 138, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Morten L Kringelbach
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Center of Music in the Brain (MIB), Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Emmanuel A Stamatakis
- Division of Anesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Amy Kuceyeski
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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23
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Barba T, Buehler S, Kettner H, Radu C, Cunha BG, Nutt DJ, Erritzoe D, Roseman L, Carhart-Harris R. Effects of psilocybin versus escitalopram on rumination and thought suppression in depression. BJPsych Open 2022; 8:e163. [PMID: 36065128 PMCID: PMC9534928 DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2022.565] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder is often associated with maladaptive coping strategies, including rumination and thought suppression. AIMS To assess the comparative effect of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram, and the serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin (COMP360), on rumination and thought suppression in major depressive disorder. METHOD Based on data derived from a randomised clinical trial (N = 59), we performed exploratory analyses on the impact of escitalopram versus psilocybin (i.e. condition) on rumination and thought suppression from 1 week before to 6 weeks after treatment inception (i.e. time), using mixed analysis of variance. Condition responder versus non-responder subgroup analyses were also done, using the standard definition of ≥50% symptom reduction. RESULTS A time×condition interaction was found for rumination (F(1, 56) = 4.58, P = 0.037) and thought suppression (F(1,57) = 5.88, P = 0.019), with post hoc tests revealing significant decreases exclusively in the psilocybin condition. When analysing via response, a significant time×condition×response interaction for thought suppression (F(1,54) = 8.42, P = 0.005) and a significant time×response interaction for rumination (F(1,54) = 23.50, P < 0.001) were evident. Follow-up tests revealed that decreased thought suppression was exclusive to psilocybin responders, whereas rumination decreased in both responder groups. In the psilocybin arm, decreases in rumination and thought suppression correlated with ego dissolution and session-linked psychological insight. CONCLUSIONS These data provide further evidence on the therapeutic mechanisms of psilocybin and escitalopram in the treatment of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Barba
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Sarah Buehler
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Hannes Kettner
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Caterina Radu
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Bruna Giribaldi Cunha
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - David Erritzoe
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK.,Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
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24
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Roseman L, Preller KH, Fotiou E, Winkelman MJ. Editorial: Psychedelic sociality: Pharmacological and extrapharmacological perspectives. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:979764. [PMID: 35935854 PMCID: PMC9355415 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.979764] [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] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Leor Roseman,
| | - Katrin H. Preller
- Pharmaco-Neuroimaging and Cognitive-Emotional Processing, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Michael J. Winkelman
- Retired, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
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25
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Girn M, Roseman L, Bernhardt B, Smallwood J, Carhart-Harris R, Nathan Spreng R. Serotonergic psychedelic drugs LSD and psilocybin reduce the hierarchical differentiation of unimodal and transmodal cortex. Neuroimage 2022; 256:119220. [PMID: 35483649 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin are serotonergic psychedelic compounds with potential in the treatment of mental health disorders. Past neuroimaging investigations have revealed that both compounds can elicit significant changes to whole-brain functional organization and dynamics. A recent proposal linked past findings into a unified model and hypothesized reduced whole-brain hierarchical organization as a key mechanism underlying the psychedelic state, but this has yet to be directly tested. We applied a non-linear dimensionality reduction technique previously used to map hierarchical connectivity gradients to assess cortical organization in the LSD and psilocybin state from two previously published pharmacological resting-state fMRI datasets (N = 15 and 9, respectively). Results supported our primary hypothesis: The principal gradient of cortical connectivity, describing a hierarchy from unimodal to transmodal cortex, was significantly flattened under both drugs relative to their respective placebo conditions. Between-condition contrasts revealed that this was driven by a reduction of functional differentiation at both hierarchical extremes - default and frontoparietal networks at the upper end, and somatomotor at the lower. Gradient-based connectivity mapping indicated that this was underpinned by a disruption of modular unimodal connectivity and increased unimodal-transmodal crosstalk. Results involving the second and third gradient, which, respectively represent axes of sensory and executive differentiation, also showed significant alterations across both drugs. These findings provide support for a recent mechanistic model of the psychedelic state relevant to therapeutic applications of psychedelics. More fundamentally, we provide the first evidence that macroscale connectivity gradients are sensitive to an acute pharmacological manipulation, supporting a role for psychedelics as scientific tools to perturb cortical functional organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manesh Girn
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 Rue Université, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Boris Bernhardt
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 Rue Université, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | | | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Neuroscape Psychedelics Division, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 Rue Université, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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26
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Cruzat J, Perl YS, Escrichs A, Vohryzek J, Timmermann C, Roseman L, Luppi AI, Ibañez A, Nutt D, Carhart-Harris R, Tagliazucchi E, Deco G, Kringelbach ML. Effects of classic psychedelic drugs on turbulent signatures in brain dynamics. Netw Neurosci 2022. [DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs show promise as safe and effective treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders, yet their mechanisms of action are not fully understood. A fundamental hypothesis is that psychedelics work by dose-dependently changing the functional hierarchy of brain dynamics, but it is unclear whether different psychedelics act similarly. Here, we investigated the changes in the brain’s functional hierarchy associated with two different psychedelics (LSD and psilocybin). Using a novel turbulence framework, we were able to determine the vorticity, i.e., the local level of synchronisation, which allowed us to extend the standard global time-based measure of metastability to become a local-based measure of both space and time. This framework produced detailed signatures of turbulence-based hierarchical change for each psychedelic drug, revealing consistent and discriminate effects on a higher-level network, i.e., the default mode network (DMN). Overall, our findings directly support a prior hypothesis that psychedelics modulate (i.e., ‘compress’) the functional hierarchy and provide a quantification of these changes for two different psychedelics. Implications for therapeutic applications of psychedelics are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Cruzat
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Santiago, Chile
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Yonatan Sanz Perl
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Anira Escrichs
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jakub Vohryzek
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Andrea I. Luppi
- Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
| | - Agustin Ibañez
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Santiago, Chile
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, and CONICET, Argentina
- Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), US and Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Ireland
| | - David Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Psychedelics Division - Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, USA
| | - Enzo Tagliazucchi
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Santiago, Chile
- Physics Department, University of Buenos Aires, and Buenos Aires Physics Institute, Argentina
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avancats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Psychological Sciences, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Morten L. Kringelbach
- Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
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27
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Daws RE, Timmermann C, Giribaldi B, Sexton JD, Wall MB, Erritzoe D, Roseman L, Nutt D, Carhart-Harris R. Increased global integration in the brain after psilocybin therapy for depression. Nat Med 2022; 28:844-851. [DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-01744-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Peill JM, Trinci KE, Kettner H, Mertens LJ, Roseman L, Timmermann C, Rosas FE, Lyons T, Carhart-Harris RL. Validation of the Psychological Insight Scale: A new scale to assess psychological insight following a psychedelic experience. J Psychopharmacol 2022; 36:31-45. [PMID: 34983255 PMCID: PMC8801624 DOI: 10.1177/02698811211066709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION As their name suggests, 'psychedelic' (mind-revealing) compounds are thought to catalyse processes of psychological insight; however, few satisfactory scales exist to sample this. This study sought to develop a new scale to measure psychological insight after a psychedelic experience: the Psychological Insight Scale (PIS). METHODS The PIS is a six- to seven-item questionnaire that enquires about psychological insight after a psychedelic experience (PIS-6) and accompanied behavioural changes (PIS item 7). In total, 886 participants took part in a study in which the PIS and other questionnaires were completed in a prospective fashion in relation to a planned psychedelic experience. For validation purposes, data from 279 participants were analysed from a non-specific 'global psychedelic survey' study. RESULTS Principal components analysis of PIS scores revealed a principal component explaining 73.57% of the variance, which displayed high internal consistency at multiple timepoints throughout the study (average Cronbach's α = 0.94). Criterion validity was confirmed using the global psychedelic survey study, and convergent validity was confirmed via the Therapeutic-Realizations Scale. Furthermore, PIS scores significantly mediated the relationship between emotional breakthrough and long-term well-being. CONCLUSION The PIS is complementary to current subjective measures used in psychedelic studies, most of which are completed in relation to the acute experience. Insight - as measured by the PIS - was found to be a key mediator of long-term psychological outcomes following a psychedelic experience. Future research may investigate how insight varies throughout a psychedelic process, its underlying neurobiology and how it impacts behaviour and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Peill
- Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Katie E Trinci
- Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hannes Kettner
- Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Lea J Mertens
- Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Fernando E Rosas
- Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Data Science Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Taylor Lyons
- Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Watts R, Kettner H, Geerts D, Gandy S, Kartner L, Mertens L, Timmermann C, Nour MM, Kaelen M, Nutt D, Carhart-Harris R, Roseman L. The Watts Connectedness Scale: a new scale for measuring a sense of connectedness to self, others, and world. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:3461-3483. [PMID: 35939083 PMCID: PMC9358368 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06187-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE A general feeling of disconnection has been associated with mental and emotional suffering. Improvements to a sense of connectedness to self, others and the wider world have been reported by participants in clinical trials of psychedelic therapy. Such accounts have led us to a definition of the psychological construct of 'connectedness' as 'a state of feeling connected to self, others and the wider world'. Existing tools for measuring connectedness have focused on particular aspects of connectedness, such as 'social connectedness' or 'nature connectedness', which we hypothesise to be different expressions of a common factor of connectedness. Here, we sought to develop a new scale to measure connectedness as a construct with these multiple domains. We hypothesised that (1) our scale would measure three separable subscale factors pertaining to a felt connection to 'self', 'others' and 'world' and (2) improvements in total and subscale WCS scores would correlate with improved mental health outcomes post psychedelic use. OBJECTIVES To validate and test the 'Watts Connectedness Scale' (WCS). METHODS Psychometric validation of the WCS was carried out using data from three independent studies. Firstly, we pooled data from two prospective observational online survey studies. The WCS was completed before and after a planned psychedelic experience. The total sample of completers from the online surveys was N = 1226. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were performed, and construct and criterion validity were tested. A third dataset was derived from a double-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing psilocybin-assisted therapy (n = 27) with 6 weeks of daily escitalopram (n = 25) for major depressive disorder (MDD), where the WCS was completed at baseline and at a 6-week primary endpoint. RESULTS As hypothesised, factor analysis of all WCS items revealed three main factors with good internal consistency. WCS showed good construct validity. Significant post-psychedelic increases were observed for total connectedness scores (η2 = 0.339, p < 0.0001), as well as on each of its subscales (p < 0.0001). Acute measures of 'mystical experience', 'emotional breakthrough', and 'communitas' correlated positively with post-psychedelic changes in connectedness (r = 0.42, r = 0.38, r = 0.42, respectively, p < 0.0001). In the RCT, psilocybin therapy was associated with greater increases in WCS scores compared with the escitalopram arm (ηp2 = 0.133, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS The WCS is a new 3-dimensional index of felt connectedness that may sensitively measure therapeutically relevant psychological changes post-psychedelic use. We believe that the operational definition of connectedness captured by the WCS may have broad relevance in mental health research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalind Watts
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK. .,Acer Integration, London, UK. .,Synthesis Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Hannes Kettner
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Dana Geerts
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK ,grid.5012.60000 0001 0481 6099Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Sam Gandy
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Laura Kartner
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Lea Mertens
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew M. Nour
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mendel Kaelen
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David Nutt
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK ,grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Psychedelics Division, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, Neuroscape, USA
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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Abstract
Can the use of psychedelic drugs induce lasting changes in metaphysical beliefs? While it is popularly believed that they can, this question has never been formally tested. Here we exploited a large sample derived from prospective online surveying to determine whether and how beliefs concerning the nature of reality, consciousness, and free-will, change after psychedelic use. Results revealed significant shifts away from 'physicalist' or 'materialist' views, and towards panpsychism and fatalism, post use. With the exception of fatalism, these changes endured for at least 6 months, and were positively correlated with the extent of past psychedelic-use and improved mental-health outcomes. Path modelling suggested that the belief-shifts were moderated by impressionability at baseline and mediated by perceived emotional synchrony with others during the psychedelic experience. The observed belief-shifts post-psychedelic-use were consolidated by data from an independent controlled clinical trial. Together, these findings imply that psychedelic-use may causally influence metaphysical beliefs-shifting them away from 'hard materialism'. We discuss whether these apparent effects are contextually independent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Timmermann
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Hannes Kettner
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Chris Letheby
- Department of Philosophy, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
- Department of Philosophy, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Leor Roseman
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Fernando E Rosas
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Data Science Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
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Roseman L, Karkabi N. On Revelations and Revolutions: Drinking Ayahuasca Among Palestinians Under Israeli Occupation. Front Psychol 2021; 12:718934. [PMID: 34512477 PMCID: PMC8429789 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718934] [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] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ritualistic use of ayahuasca can induce a feeling of unity and harmony among group members. However, such depoliticized feelings can come in the service of a destructive political status quo in which Palestinians are marginalized. Through 31 in-depth interviews of Israelis and Palestinians who drink ayahuasca together, and through participatory observations, such rituals were examined. In this setting marginalization was structurally rooted by the group's inability to recognize Palestinian national identity or admit the ongoing Israeli injustice toward Palestinians. Although the groups avoided politics, they still find their way into these rituals. This happened through occasional ayahuasca-induced revelatory events, in which individuals were confronted with a pressing truth related to the oppressive relations between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians. Three case studies of such revelatory events are described in this paper. Affected by emotions of pain, anger, and guilt, these participants developed resistance toward the hegemonic Israeli ritual structure. This was followed by an urge to deliver an emancipatory message to the rest of the group, usually through a song. Moreover, affected subjects developed a long-lasting fidelity to the truth attained at these events. In time, this fidelity led to the expansion of ayahuasca practices to other Palestinians and the politicization of the practice. The article draws on Badiou's theory in Being and Event (1988) to analyze the relations between the Israeli ritual structure, the Palestinian revelatory event, and the emancipatory fidelity that followed. Badiou's theory elucidates the egalitarian revolutionary potential, which is part of the sociopsychopharmacology of psychedelics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nadeem Karkabi
- Department of Anthropology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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Roseman L, Ron Y, Saca A, Ginsberg N, Luan L, Karkabi N, Doblin R, Carhart-Harris R. Relational Processes in Ayahuasca Groups of Palestinians and Israelis. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:607529. [PMID: 34093170 PMCID: PMC8170481 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.607529] [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] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychedelics are used in many group contexts. However, most phenomenological research on psychedelics is focused on personal experiences. This paper presents a phenomenological investigation centered on intersubjective and intercultural relational processes, exploring how an intercultural context affects both the group and individual process. Through 31 in-depth interviews, ceremonies in which Palestinians and Israelis drink ayahuasca together have been investigated. The overarching question guiding this inquiry was how psychedelics might contribute to processes of peacebuilding, and in particular how an intercultural context, embedded in a protracted conflict, would affect the group's psychedelic process in a relational sense. Analysis of the interviews was based on grounded theory. Three relational themes about multilocal participatory events which occurred during ayahuasca rituals have emerged from the interviews: 1) Unity-Based Connection - collective events in which a feeling of unity and 'oneness' is experienced, whereby participants related to each other based upon a sense of shared humanity, and other social identities seemed to dissolve (such as national and religious identities). 2) Recognition and Difference-Based Connection - events where a strong connection was made to the other culture. These events occurred through the expression of the other culture or religion through music or prayers, which resulted in feelings of awe and reverence 3) Conflict-related revelations - events where participants revisited personal or historical traumatic elements related to the conflict, usually through visions. These events were triggered by the presence of 'the Other,' and there was a political undertone in those personal visions. This inquiry has revealed that psychedelic ceremonies have the potential to contribute to peacebuilding. This can happen not just by 'dissolution of identities,' but also by providing a space in which shared spiritual experiences can emerge from intercultural and interfaith exchanges. Furthermore, in many cases, personal revelations were related to the larger political reality and the history of the conflict. Such processes can elucidate the relationship between personal psychological mental states and the larger sociopolitical context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yiftach Ron
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- School of Creative Arts Therapies, Kibbutzim College, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | | | - Natalie Ginsberg
- Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Lisa Luan
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nadeem Karkabi
- Anthropology Department, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Rick Doblin
- Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Kettner H, Rosas FE, Timmermann C, Kärtner L, Carhart-Harris RL, Roseman L. Psychedelic Communitas: Intersubjective Experience During Psychedelic Group Sessions Predicts Enduring Changes in Psychological Wellbeing and Social Connectedness. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:623985. [PMID: 33995022 PMCID: PMC8114773 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.623985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [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: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Recent years have seen a resurgence of research on the potential of psychedelic substances to treat addictive and mood disorders. Historically and contemporarily, psychedelic studies have emphasized the importance of contextual elements ('set and setting') in modulating acute drug effects, and ultimately, influencing long-term outcomes. Nevertheless, current small-scale clinical and laboratory studies have tended to bypass a ubiquitous contextual feature of naturalistic psychedelic use: its social dimension. This study introduces and psychometrically validates an adapted Communitas Scale, assessing acute relational experiences of perceived togetherness and shared humanity, in order to investigate psychosocial mechanisms pertinent to psychedelic ceremonies and retreats. Methods: In this observational, web-based survey study, participants (N = 886) were measured across five successive time-points: 2 weeks before, hours before, and the day after a psychedelic ceremony; as well as the day after, and 4 weeks after leaving the ceremony location. Demographics, psychological traits and state variables were assessed pre-ceremony, in addition to changes in psychological wellbeing and social connectedness from before to after the retreat, as primary outcomes. Using correlational and multiple regression (path) analyses, predictive relationships between psychosocial 'set and setting' variables, communitas, and long-term outcomes were explored. Results: The adapted Communitas Scale demonstrated substantial internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) and construct validity in comparison with validated measures of intra-subjective (visual, mystical, challenging experiences questionnaires) and inter-subjective (perceived emotional synchrony, identity fusion) experiences. Furthermore, communitas during ceremony was significantly correlated with increases in psychological wellbeing (r = 0.22), social connectedness (r = 0.25), and other salient mental health outcomes. Path analyses revealed that the effect of ceremony-communitas on long-term outcomes was fully mediated by communitas experienced in reference to the retreat overall, and that the extent of personal sharing or 'self-disclosure' contributed to this process. A positive relationship between participants and facilitators, and the perceived impact of emotional support, facilitated the emergence of communitas. Conclusion: Highlighting the importance of intersubjective experience, rapport, and emotional support for long-term outcomes of psychedelic use, this first quantitative examination of psychosocial factors in guided psychedelic settings is a significant step toward evidence-based benefit-maximization guidelines for collective psychedelic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Kettner
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - F. E. Rosas
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Data Science Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - C. Timmermann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - L. Kärtner
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - R. L. Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - L. Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Luppi AI, Carhart-Harris RL, Roseman L, Pappas I, Menon DK, Stamatakis EA. LSD alters dynamic integration and segregation in the human brain. Neuroimage 2021; 227:117653. [PMID: 33338615 PMCID: PMC7896102 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigating changes in brain function induced by mind-altering substances such as LSD is a powerful method for interrogating and understanding how mind interfaces with brain, by connecting novel psychological phenomena with their neurobiological correlates. LSD is known to increase measures of brain complexity, potentially reflecting a neurobiological correlate of the especially rich phenomenological content of psychedelic-induced experiences. Yet although the subjective stream of consciousness is a constant ebb and flow, no studies to date have investigated how LSD influences the dynamics of functional connectivity in the human brain. Focusing on the two fundamental network properties of integration and segregation, here we combined graph theory and dynamic functional connectivity from resting-state functional MRI to examine time-resolved effects of LSD on brain networks properties and subjective experiences. Our main finding is that the effects of LSD on brain function and subjective experience are non-uniform in time: LSD makes globally segregated sub-states of dynamic functional connectivity more complex, and weakens the relationship between functional and anatomical connectivity. On a regional level, LSD reduces functional connectivity of the anterior medial prefrontal cortex, specifically during states of high segregation. Time-specific effects were correlated with different aspects of subjective experiences; in particular, ego dissolution was predicted by increased small-world organisation during a state of high global integration. These results reveal a more nuanced, temporally-specific picture of altered brain connectivity and complexity under psychedelics than has previously been reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea I Luppi
- Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Science, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Leor Roseman
- Center for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Science, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Ioannis Pappas
- Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
| | - David K Menon
- Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom; Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
| | - Emmanuel A Stamatakis
- Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
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Jobst BM, Atasoy S, Ponce-Alvarez A, Sanjuán A, Roseman L, Kaelen M, Carhart-Harris R, Kringelbach ML, Deco G. Increased sensitivity to strong perturbations in a whole-brain model of LSD. Neuroimage 2021; 230:117809. [PMID: 33524579 PMCID: PMC8063176 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 01/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Novel offline perturbational method applied on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data under the effect of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Shift of brain's global working point to more complex dynamics after LSD intake. Consistently longer recovery time after model perturbation under LSD influence. Strongest effects in resting state networks relevant for psychedelic experience. Higher response diversity across brain regions under LSD influence after an external in silico perturbation.
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a potent psychedelic drug, which has seen a revival in clinical and pharmacological research within recent years. Human neuroimaging studies have shown fundamental changes in brain-wide functional connectivity and an expansion of dynamical brain states, thus raising the question about a mechanistic explanation of the dynamics underlying these alterations. Here, we applied a novel perturbational approach based on a whole-brain computational model, which opens up the possibility to externally perturb different brain regions in silico and investigate differences in dynamical stability of different brain states, i.e. the dynamical response of a certain brain region to an external perturbation. After adjusting the whole-brain model parameters to reflect the dynamics of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) BOLD signals recorded under the influence of LSD or placebo, perturbations of different brain areas were simulated by either promoting or disrupting synchronization in the regarding brain region. After perturbation offset, we quantified the recovery characteristics of the brain area to its basal dynamical state with the Perturbational Integration Latency Index (PILI) and used this measure to distinguish between the two brain states. We found significant changes in dynamical complexity with consistently higher PILI values after LSD intake on a global level, which indicates a shift of the brain's global working point further away from a stable equilibrium as compared to normal conditions. On a local level, we found that the largest differences were measured within the limbic network, the visual network and the default mode network. Additionally, we found a higher variability of PILI values across different brain regions after LSD intake, indicating higher response diversity under LSD after an external perturbation. Our results provide important new insights into the brain-wide dynamical changes underlying the psychedelic state - here provoked by LSD intake - and underline possible future clinical applications of psychedelic drugs in particular psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice M Jobst
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Calle Ramón Trias Fargas 25-27, 08005 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Selen Atasoy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Center of Music in the Brain (MIB), Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Adrián Ponce-Alvarez
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Calle Ramón Trias Fargas 25-27, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Sanjuán
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Calle Ramón Trias Fargas 25-27, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Mendel Kaelen
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Morten L Kringelbach
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Center of Music in the Brain (MIB), Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Calle Ramón Trias Fargas 25-27, 08005 Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia
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Kaertner LS, Steinborn MB, Kettner H, Spriggs MJ, Roseman L, Buchborn T, Balaet M, Timmermann C, Erritzoe D, Carhart-Harris RL. Positive expectations predict improved mental-health outcomes linked to psychedelic microdosing. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1941. [PMID: 33479342 PMCID: PMC7820236 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81446-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychedelic microdosing describes the ingestion of near-threshold perceptible doses of classic psychedelic substances. Anecdotal reports and observational studies suggest that microdosing may promote positive mood and well-being, but recent placebo-controlled studies failed to find compelling evidence for this. The present study collected web-based mental health and related data using a prospective (before, during and after) design. Individuals planning a weekly microdosing regimen completed surveys at strategic timepoints, spanning a core four-week test period. Eighty-one participants completed the primary study endpoint. Results revealed increased self-reported psychological well-being, emotional stability and reductions in state anxiety and depressive symptoms at the four-week primary endpoint, plus increases in psychological resilience, social connectedness, agreeableness, nature relatedness and aspects of psychological flexibility. However, positive expectancy scores at baseline predicted subsequent improvements in well-being, suggestive of a significant placebo response. This study highlights a role for positive expectancy in predicting positive outcomes following psychedelic microdosing and cautions against zealous inferences on its putative therapeutic value.
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Affiliation(s)
- L S Kaertner
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - M B Steinborn
- Departmant of Psychology, Julius-Maximilans-University Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - H Kettner
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - M J Spriggs
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - L Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - T Buchborn
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - M Balaet
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - C Timmermann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - D Erritzoe
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - R L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Bornemann J, Close JB, Spriggs MJ, Carhart-Harris R, Roseman L. Self-Medication for Chronic Pain Using Classic Psychedelics: A Qualitative Investigation to Inform Future Research. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:735427. [PMID: 34867525 PMCID: PMC8632941 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.735427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Chronic Pain is among the leading causes of disability worldwide with up to 60% of patients suffering from comorbid depression. Psychedelic-assisted therapy has recently been found effective in treating a host of mental health issues including depression and has historically been found to be useful in treating pain. Reports of self-medication for chronic pain using psychedelic drugs have been widely documented, with anecdotal evidence indicating widespread success in a range of pathologies. Aims: In preparation for an upcoming trial, to better understand how those with lived experience of chronic pain self-medicate with psychedelic drugs, and to establish, in detail, their therapeutic protocols and practices for success. Methods: As part of patient-involvement (PI) for an upcoming trial in this population, 11 individuals who reported self-medicating with psychedelic drugs took part in a 1-h semi-structured discussion, which was then transcribed and thematically analyzed. Results: Across a range of psychedelic substances and doses, reported pain scores improved substantially during and after psychedelic experiences. Two processes, Positive Reframing and Somatic Presence, were reliably identified as playing a role in improvements in mental wellbeing, relationship with pain, and physical (dis)comfort. Inclusion of other strategies such as mindfulness, breathwork, and movement were also widely reported. Due to the data's subjective nature, this paper is vulnerable to bias and makes no claims on causality or generalisability. Together, these results have been used to inform study design for a forthcoming trial. Conclusion: This pre-trial PI work gives us confidence to test psychedelic therapy for chronic pain in a forthcoming controlled trial. The results presented here will be instrumental in improving our ability to meet the needs of future study participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Bornemann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - James B Close
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Meg J Spriggs
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Psychedelics Division, Neurology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Varley TF, Carhart-Harris R, Roseman L, Menon DK, Stamatakis EA. Serotonergic psychedelics LSD & psilocybin increase the fractal dimension of cortical brain activity in spatial and temporal domains. Neuroimage 2020; 220:117049. [PMID: 32619708 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [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: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin and LSD, represent unique tools for researchers investigating the neural origins of consciousness. Currently, the most compelling theories of how psychedelics exert their effects is by increasing the complexity of brain activity and moving the system towards a critical point between order and disorder, creating more dynamic and complex patterns of neural activity. While the concept of criticality is of central importance to this theory, few of the published studies on psychedelics investigate it directly, testing instead related measures such as algorithmic complexity or Shannon entropy. We propose using the fractal dimension of functional activity in the brain as a measure of complexity since findings from physics suggest that as a system organizes towards criticality, it tends to take on a fractal structure. We tested two different measures of fractal dimension, one spatial and one temporal, using fMRI data from volunteers under the influence of both LSD and psilocybin. The first was the fractal dimension of cortical functional connectivity networks and the second was the fractal dimension of BOLD time-series. In addition to the fractal measures, we used a well-established, non-fractal measure of signal complexity and show that they behave similarly. We were able to show that both psychedelic drugs significantly increased the fractal dimension of functional connectivity networks, and that LSD significantly increased the fractal dimension of BOLD signals, with psilocybin showing a non-significant trend in the same direction. With both LSD and psilocybin, we were able to localize changes in the fractal dimension of BOLD signals to brain areas assigned to the dorsal-attenion network. These results show that psychedelic drugs increase the fractal dimension of activity in the brain and we see this as an indicator that the changes in consciousness triggered by psychedelics are associated with evolution towards a critical zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas F Varley
- Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK; Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David K Menon
- Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Emmanuel A Stamatakis
- Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK
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Girn M, Mills C, Roseman L, Carhart-Harris RL, Christoff K. Updating the dynamic framework of thought: Creativity and psychedelics. Neuroimage 2020; 213:116726. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
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Mertens LJ, Wall MB, Roseman L, Demetriou L, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL. Therapeutic mechanisms of psilocybin: Changes in amygdala and prefrontal functional connectivity during emotional processing after psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. J Psychopharmacol 2020; 34:167-180. [PMID: 31941394 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119895520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [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] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psilocybin has shown promise as a treatment for depression but its therapeutic mechanisms are not properly understood. In contrast to the presumed actions of antidepressants, we recently found increased amygdala responsiveness to fearful faces one day after open-label treatment with psilocybin (25 mg) in 19 patients with treatment-resistant depression, which correlated with treatment efficacy. AIMS Aiming to further unravel the therapeutic mechanisms of psilocybin, the present study extends this basic activation analysis. We hypothesised changed amygdala functional connectivity, more precisely decreased amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity, during face processing after treatment with psilocybin. METHODS Psychophysiological interaction analyses were conducted on functional magnetic resonance imaging data from a classic face/emotion perception task, with the bilateral amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex time-series as physiological regressors. Average parameter estimates (beta weights) of significant clusters were correlated with clinical outcomes at one week. RESULTS Results showed decreased ventromedial prefrontal cortex-right amygdala functional connectivity during face processing post- (versus pre-) treatment; this decrease was associated with levels of rumination at one week. This effect was driven by connectivity changes in response to fearful and neutral (but not happy) faces. Independent whole-brain analyses also revealed a post-treatment increase in functional connectivity between the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex to occipital-parietal cortices during face processing. CONCLUSION These results are consistent with the idea that psilocybin therapy revives emotional responsiveness on a neural and psychological level, which may be a key treatment mechanism for psychedelic therapy. Future larger placebo-controlled studies are needed to examine the replicability of the current findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea J Mertens
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (C3NL), Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Timmermann C, Roseman L, Schartner M, Milliere R, Williams LTJ, Erritzoe D, Muthukumaraswamy S, Ashton M, Bendrioua A, Kaur O, Turton S, Nour MM, Day CM, Leech R, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL. Neural correlates of the DMT experience assessed with multivariate EEG. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16324. [PMID: 31745107 PMCID: PMC6864083 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51974-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [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: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying transitions in and out of the altered state of consciousness caused by intravenous (IV) N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT - a fast-acting tryptamine psychedelic) offers a safe and powerful means of advancing knowledge on the neurobiology of conscious states. Here we sought to investigate the effects of IV DMT on the power spectrum and signal diversity of human brain activity (6 female, 7 male) recorded via multivariate EEG, and plot relationships between subjective experience, brain activity and drug plasma concentrations across time. Compared with placebo, DMT markedly reduced oscillatory power in the alpha and beta bands and robustly increased spontaneous signal diversity. Time-referenced and neurophenomenological analyses revealed close relationships between changes in various aspects of subjective experience and changes in brain activity. Importantly, the emergence of oscillatory activity within the delta and theta frequency bands was found to correlate with the peak of the experience - particularly its eyes-closed visual component. These findings highlight marked changes in oscillatory activity and signal diversity with DMT that parallel broad and specific components of the subjective experience, thus advancing our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of immersive states of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Timmermann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK.
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK.
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Michael Schartner
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Raphael Milliere
- Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Luke T J Williams
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - David Erritzoe
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
| | | | - Michael Ashton
- PKDM Unit, Department of Pharmacology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Adam Bendrioua
- PKDM Unit, Department of Pharmacology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Okdeep Kaur
- Imperial Clinical Research Facility, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Samuel Turton
- Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Matthew M Nour
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Camilla M Day
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Robert Leech
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
- Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Roseman L, Haijen E, Idialu-Ikato K, Kaelen M, Watts R, Carhart-Harris R. Emotional breakthrough and psychedelics: Validation of the Emotional Breakthrough Inventory. J Psychopharmacol 2019; 33:1076-1087. [PMID: 31294673 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119855974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [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] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychedelic therapy is gaining recognition and the nature of the psychedelic experience itself has been found to mediate subsequent long-term psychological changes. Much emphasis has been placed on the occurrence of mystical-type experiences in determining long-term responses to psychedelics yet here we demonstrate the importance of another component, namely: emotional breakthrough. METHODS Three hundred and seventy-nine participants completed online surveys before and after a planned psychedelic experience. Items pertaining to emotional breakthrough were completed one day after the psychedelic experience, as were items comprising the already validated Mystical Experience Questionnaire and the Challenging Experience Questionnaire. Emotional breakthrough, Mystical Experience Questionnaire and Challenging Experience Questionnaire scores were used to predict changes in well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale) in a subsample of 75 participants with low well-being baseline scores (⩽45). RESULTS Factor analyses revealed six emotional breakthrough items with high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.932) and supported our prior hypothesis that emotional breakthrough is a distinct component of the psychedelic experience. Emotional breakthrough scores behaved dose-dependently, and were higher if the psychedelic was taken with therapeutic planning and intent. Emotional breakthrough, Mystical Experience Questionnaire and Challenging Experience Questionnaire scores combined, significantly predicted subsequent changes in well-being (r=0.45, p=0.0005, n=75), with each scale contributing significant predictive value. Emotional breakthrough and Mystical Experience Questionnaire scores predicted increases in well-being and Challenging Experience Questionnaire scores predicted less increases. CONCLUSIONS Here we validate a six-item 'Emotional Breakthrough Inventory'. Emotional breakthrough is an important and distinct component of the acute psychedelic experience that appears to be a key mediator of subsequent longer-term psychological changes. Implications for psychedelic therapy are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leor Roseman
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Eline Haijen
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Mendel Kaelen
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Wavepaths Ltd, London, UK
| | - Rosalind Watts
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Lord LD, Expert P, Atasoy S, Roseman L, Rapuano K, Lambiotte R, Nutt DJ, Deco G, Carhart-Harris RL, Kringelbach ML, Cabral J. Dynamical exploration of the repertoire of brain networks at rest is modulated by psilocybin. Neuroimage 2019; 199:127-142. [PMID: 31132450 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.05.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence from the dynamical analysis of functional neuroimaging data suggests that brain function can be understood as the exploration of a repertoire of metastable connectivity patterns ('functional brain networks'), which potentially underlie different mental processes. The present study characterizes how the brain's dynamical exploration of resting-state networks is rapidly modulated by intravenous infusion of psilocybin, a tryptamine psychedelic found in "magic mushrooms". We employed a data-driven approach to characterize recurrent functional connectivity patterns by focusing on the leading eigenvector of BOLD phase coherence at single-TR resolution. Recurrent BOLD phase-locking patterns (PL states) were assessed and statistically compared pre- and post-infusion of psilocybin in terms of their probability of occurrence and transition profiles. Results were validated using a placebo session. Recurrent BOLD PL states revealed high spatial overlap with canonical resting-state networks. Notably, a PL state forming a frontoparietal subsystem was strongly destabilized after psilocybin injection, with a concomitant increase in the probability of occurrence of another PL state characterized by global BOLD phase coherence. These findings provide evidence of network-specific neuromodulation by psilocybin and represent one of the first attempts at bridging molecular pharmacodynamics and whole-brain network dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul Expert
- Centre for Mathematics of Precision Healthcare, Imperial College London, UK; Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Selen Atasoy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, UK
| | | | | | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain; Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Morten L Kringelbach
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK; Centre for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark; Institut d'Études Avancées de Paris, France; Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Portugal
| | - Joana Cabral
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK; Centre for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark; Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Portugal.
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Haijen ECHM, Kaelen M, Roseman L, Timmermann C, Kettner H, Russ S, Nutt D, Daws RE, Hampshire ADG, Lorenz R, Carhart-Harris RL. Predicting Responses to Psychedelics: A Prospective Study. Front Pharmacol 2018; 9:897. [PMID: 30450045 PMCID: PMC6225734 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [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: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Responses to psychedelics are notoriously difficult to predict, yet significant work is currently underway to assess their therapeutic potential and the level of interest in psychedelics among the general public appears to be increasing. We aimed to collect prospective data in order to improve our ability to predict acute- and longer-term responses to psychedelics. Individuals who planned to take a psychedelic through their own initiative participated in an online survey (www.psychedelicsurvey.com). Traits and variables relating to set, setting and the acute psychedelic experience were measured at five different time points before and after the experience. Principle component and regression methods were used to analyse the data. Sample sizes for the five time points were N = 654, N = 535, N = 379, N = 315, and N = 212 respectively. Psychological well-being was increased 2 weeks after a psychedelic experience and remained at this level after 4 weeks. Higher ratings of a “mystical-type experience” had a positive effect on the change in well-being after a psychedelic experience, whereas the other acute psychedelic experience measures, i.e., “challenging experience” and “visual effects”, did not influence the change in well-being after the psychedelic experience. Having “clear intentions” for the experience was conducive to mystical-type experiences. Having a positive “set” as well as having the experience with intentions related to “recreation” were both found to decrease the likelihood of having a challenging experience. The baseline trait “absorption” and higher drug doses promoted all aspects of the acute experience, i.e., mystical-type and challenging experiences, as well as visual effects. When comparing the relative contribution of different types of variables in explaining the variance in the change in well-being, it seemed that baseline trait variables had the strongest effect on the change in well-being after a psychedelic experience. These results confirm the importance of extra-pharmacological factors in determining responses to a psychedelic. We view this study as an early step towards the development of empirical guidelines that can evolve and improve iteratively with the ultimate purpose of guiding crucial clinical decisions about whether, when, where and how to dose with a psychedelic, thus helping to mitigate risks while maximizing potential benefits in an evidence-based manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline C H M Haijen
- Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mendel Kaelen
- Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Leor Roseman
- Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,The Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,The Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hannes Kettner
- Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Suzanne Russ
- Psychology Program, Department of Social Sciences, Dickinson State University, Dickinson, ND, United States
| | - David Nutt
- Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard E Daws
- The Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Adam D G Hampshire
- The Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Romy Lorenz
- The Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore whether psilocybin with psychological support modulates personality parameters in patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). METHOD Twenty patients with moderate or severe, unipolar, TRD received oral psilocybin (10 and 25 mg, one week apart) in a supportive setting. Personality was assessed at baseline and at 3-month follow-up using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R), the subjective psilocybin experience with Altered State of Consciousness (ASC) scale, and depressive symptoms with QIDS-SR16. RESULTS Neuroticism scores significantly decreased while Extraversion increased following psilocybin therapy. These changes were in the direction of the normative NEO-PI-R data and were both predicted, in an exploratory analysis, by the degree of insightfulness experienced during the psilocybin session. Openness scores also significantly increased following psilocybin, whereas Conscientiousness showed trend-level increases, and Agreeableness did not change. CONCLUSION Our observation of changes in personality measures after psilocybin therapy was mostly consistent with reports of personality change in relation to conventional antidepressant treatment, although the pronounced increases in Extraversion and Openness might constitute an effect more specific to psychedelic therapy. This needs further exploration in future controlled studies, as do the brain mechanisms of postpsychedelic personality change.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Erritzoe
- Centre for NeuropsychopharmacologyDivision of Brain SciencesFaculty of MedicineImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - L. Roseman
- Centre for NeuropsychopharmacologyDivision of Brain SciencesFaculty of MedicineImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - M. M. Nour
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
- The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKings College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - M. Kaelen
- Centre for NeuropsychopharmacologyDivision of Brain SciencesFaculty of MedicineImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - D. J. Nutt
- Centre for NeuropsychopharmacologyDivision of Brain SciencesFaculty of MedicineImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - R. L. Carhart‐Harris
- Centre for NeuropsychopharmacologyDivision of Brain SciencesFaculty of MedicineImperial College LondonLondonUK
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Millière R, Carhart-Harris RL, Roseman L, Trautwein FM, Berkovich-Ohana A. Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1475. [PMID: 30245648 PMCID: PMC6137697 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the scientific study of meditation and psychedelic drugs has seen remarkable developments. The increased focus on meditation in cognitive neuroscience has led to a cross-cultural classification of standard meditation styles validated by functional and structural neuroanatomical data. Meanwhile, the renaissance of psychedelic research has shed light on the neurophysiology of altered states of consciousness induced by classical psychedelics, such as psilocybin and LSD, whose effects are mainly mediated by agonism of serotonin receptors. Few attempts have been made at bridging these two domains of inquiry, despite intriguing evidence of overlap between the phenomenology and neurophysiology of meditation practice and psychedelic states. In particular, many contemplative traditions explicitly aim at dissolving the sense of self by eliciting altered states of consciousness through meditation, while classical psychedelics are known to produce significant disruptions of self-consciousness, a phenomenon known as drug-induced ego dissolution. In this article, we discuss available evidence regarding convergences and differences between phenomenological and neurophysiological data on meditation practice and psychedelic drug-induced states, with a particular emphasis on alterations of self-experience. While both meditation and psychedelics may disrupt self-consciousness and underlying neural processes, we emphasize that neither meditation nor psychedelic states can be conceived as simple, uniform categories. Moreover, we suggest that there are important phenomenological differences even between conscious states described as experiences of self-loss. As a result, we propose that self-consciousness may be best construed as a multidimensional construct, and that "self-loss," far from being an unequivocal phenomenon, can take several forms. Indeed, various aspects of self-consciousness, including narrative aspects linked to autobiographical memory, self-related thoughts and mental time travel, and embodied aspects rooted in multisensory processes, may be differently affected by psychedelics and meditation practices. Finally, we consider long-term outcomes of experiences of self-loss induced by meditation and psychedelics on individual traits and prosocial behavior. We call for caution regarding the problematic conflation of temporary states of self-loss with "selflessness" as a behavioral or social trait, although there is preliminary evidence that correlations between short-term experiences of self-loss and long-term trait alterations may exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaël Millière
- Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Robin L. Carhart-Harris
- Psychedelic Research Group, Psychopharmacology Unit, Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Leor Roseman
- Psychedelic Research Group, Psychopharmacology Unit, Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fynn-Mathis Trautwein
- Department of Social Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institut für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Aviva Berkovich-Ohana
- Faculty of Education, Edmond Safra Brain Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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Timmermann C, Roseman L, Williams L, Erritzoe D, Martial C, Cassol H, Laureys S, Nutt D, Carhart-Harris R. DMT Models the Near-Death Experience. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1424. [PMID: 30174629 PMCID: PMC6107838 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [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: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are complex subjective experiences, which have been previously associated with the psychedelic experience and more specifically with the experience induced by the potent serotonergic, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Potential similarities between both subjective states have been noted previously, including the subjective feeling of transcending one's body and entering an alternative realm, perceiving and communicating with sentient 'entities' and themes related to death and dying. In this within-subjects placebo-controled study we aimed to test the similarities between the DMT state and NDEs, by administering DMT and placebo to 13 healthy participants, who then completed a validated and widely used measure of NDEs. Results revealed significant increases in phenomenological features associated with the NDE, following DMT administration compared to placebo. Also, we found significant relationships between the NDE scores and DMT-induced ego-dissolution and mystical-type experiences, as well as a significant association between NDE scores and baseline trait 'absorption' and delusional ideation measured at baseline. Furthermore, we found a significant overlap in nearly all of the NDE phenomenological features when comparing DMT-induced NDEs with a matched group of 'actual' NDE experiencers. These results reveal a striking similarity between these states that warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Timmermann
- Psychedelic Research Group, Centre for Psychiatry, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,The Computational, Cognitive & Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Leor Roseman
- Psychedelic Research Group, Centre for Psychiatry, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,The Computational, Cognitive & Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Luke Williams
- Psychedelic Research Group, Centre for Psychiatry, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Erritzoe
- Psychedelic Research Group, Centre for Psychiatry, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte Martial
- GIGA-Consciousness and Neurology Department, Coma Science Group, University of Liège and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Héléna Cassol
- GIGA-Consciousness and Neurology Department, Coma Science Group, University of Liège and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Steven Laureys
- GIGA-Consciousness and Neurology Department, Coma Science Group, University of Liège and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - David Nutt
- Psychedelic Research Group, Centre for Psychiatry, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Psychedelic Research Group, Centre for Psychiatry, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Psychedelic drugs are making waves as modern trials support their therapeutic potential and various media continue to pique public interest. In this opinion piece, we draw attention to a long-recognised component of the psychedelic treatment model, namely ‘set’ and ‘setting’ – subsumed here under the umbrella term ‘context’. We highlight: (a) the pharmacological mechanisms of classic psychedelics (5-HT2A receptor agonism and associated plasticity) that we believe render their effects exceptionally sensitive to context, (b) a study design for testing assumptions regarding positive interactions between psychedelics and context, and (c) new findings from our group regarding contextual determinants of the quality of a psychedelic experience and how acute experience predicts subsequent long-term mental health outcomes. We hope that this article can: (a) inform on good practice in psychedelic research, (b) provide a roadmap for optimising treatment models, and (c) help tackle unhelpful stigma still surrounding these compounds, while developing an evidence base for long-held assumptions about the critical importance of context in relation to psychedelic use that can help minimise harms and maximise potential benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin L Carhart-Harris
- 1 Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- 1 Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Eline Haijen
- 1 Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David Erritzoe
- 1 Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Rosalind Watts
- 1 Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Igor Branchi
- 2 Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, Roma, Italy
| | - Mendel Kaelen
- 1 Psychedelic Research Group, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Roseman L, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL. Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression. Front Pharmacol 2018; 8:974. [PMID: 29387009 PMCID: PMC5776504 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 332] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.3] [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: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: It is a basic principle of the “psychedelic” treatment model that the quality of the acute experience mediates long-term improvements in mental health. In the present paper we sought to test this using data from a clinical trial assessing psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). In line with previous reports, we hypothesized that the occurrence and magnitude of Oceanic Boundlessness (OBN) (sharing features with mystical-type experience) and Dread of Ego Dissolution (DED) (similar to anxiety) would predict long-term positive outcomes, whereas sensory perceptual effects would have negligible predictive value. Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with treatment resistant depression underwent treatment with psilocybin (two separate sessions: 10 and 25 mg psilocybin). The Altered States of Consciousness (ASC) questionnaire was used to assess the quality of experiences in the 25 mg psilocybin session. From the ASC, the dimensions OBN and DED were used to measure the mystical-type and challenging experiences, respectively. The Self-Reported Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS-SR) at 5 weeks served as the endpoint clinical outcome measure, as in later time points some of the subjects had gone on to receive new treatments, thus confounding inferences. In a repeated measure ANOVA, Time was the within-subject factor (independent variable), with QIDS-SR as the within-subject dependent variable in baseline, 1-day, 1-week, 5-weeks. OBN and DED were independent variables. OBN-by-Time and DED-by-Time interactions were the primary outcomes of interest. Results: For the interaction of OBN and DED with Time (QIDS-SR as dependent variable), the main effect and the effects at each time point compared to baseline were all significant (p = 0.002 and p = 0.003, respectively, for main effects), confirming our main hypothesis. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation of OBN with QIDS-SR (5 weeks) was specific compared to perceptual dimensions of the ASC (p < 0.05). Discussion: This report further bolsters the view that the quality of the acute psychedelic experience is a key mediator of long-term changes in mental health. Future therapeutic work with psychedelics should recognize the essential importance of quality of experience in determining treatment efficacy and consider ways of enhancing mystical-type experiences and reducing anxiety. Trial Registration: ISRCTN, number ISRCTN14426797, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN14426797
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Affiliation(s)
- Leor Roseman
- Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David J Nutt
- Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Kaelen M, Giribaldi B, Raine J, Evans L, Timmermann C, Rodriguez N, Roseman L, Feilding A, Nutt D, Carhart-Harris R. Correction to: The hidden therapist: evidence for a central role of music in psychedelic therapy. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:1623. [PMID: 29582103 PMCID: PMC6713697 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-4886-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The article The hidden therapist: evidence for a central role of music in psychedelic therapy, written by Mendel Kaelen, Bruna Giribaldi, Jordan Raine, Lisa Evans, Christopher Timmerman, Natalie Rodriguez, Leor Roseman, Amanda Feilding, David Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris, was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mendel Kaelen
- Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK.
| | - Bruna Giribaldi
- 0000 0001 2113 8111grid.7445.2Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK
| | - Jordan Raine
- 0000 0004 1936 7590grid.12082.39School of Psychology, Sussex University, Brighton, BN1 9RH UK
| | - Lisa Evans
- 0000 0001 2113 8111grid.7445.2Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- 0000 0001 2113 8111grid.7445.2Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK ,0000 0001 2113 8111grid.7445.2Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK
| | - Natalie Rodriguez
- 0000 0001 2113 8111grid.7445.2Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- 0000 0001 2113 8111grid.7445.2Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK ,0000 0001 2113 8111grid.7445.2Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK
| | | | - David Nutt
- 0000 0001 2113 8111grid.7445.2Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- 0000 0001 2113 8111grid.7445.2Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK
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