Reduced Precision Underwrites Ego Dissolution and Therapeutic Outcomes Under Psychedelics
Devon Stoliker, Gary F. Egan, Adeel Razi
Frontiers in Neuroscience March 17, 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.827400 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ego dissolution |
| Keywords | Belief updating Hierarchical predictive coding Precision Psychedelics |
| Citations | 19 |
| Key points | Argues that reduced precision of Bayesian belief updating is a common mechanism underlying both the therapeutic efficacy of psychedelics and alterations to consciousness and attention. |
Abstract
Evidence suggests classic psychedelics reduce the precision of belief updating and enable access to a range of alternate hypotheses that underwrite how we make sense of the world. This process, in the higher cortices, has been postulated to explain the therapeutic efficacy of psychedelics for the treatment of internalizing disorders. We argue reduced precision also underpins change to consciousness, known as “ ego dissolution ,” and that alterations to consciousness and attention under psychedelics have a common mechanism of reduced precision of Bayesian belief updating. Evidence, connecting the role of serotonergic receptors to large-scale connectivity changes in the cortex, suggests the precision of Bayesian belief updating may be a mechanism to modify and investigate consciousness and attention.