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.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on ego dissolution, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self unbound: ego dissolution in psychedelic experience | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ethics and ego dissolution: the case of psilocybin | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mystical and Other Alterations in Sense of Self: An Expanded Framework for Studying Nonordinary Experiences | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Psychedelic medicalization, public discourse, and the morality of ego dissolution | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- Neural Mechanisms and Psychology of Psychedelic Ego Dissolution Pharmacological Reviews September 9, 2022
- Alterations in brain network connectivity and subjective experience induced by psychedelics: a scoping review Frontiers in Psychiatry May 14, 2024
- Psychedelic replications in virtual reality and their potential as a therapeutic instrument: an open-label feasibility study. Frontiers in Psychiatry March 1, 2023
- Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Potential Synergies Mindfulness September 1, 2023
- Advances in brain and religion studies: a review and synthesis of recent representative studies. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2024
and 9 more in the library
Cites 46
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Interoceptive inference, emotion, and the embodied self Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 12, 2013
- Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression New England Journal of Medicine April 14, 2021
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
and 41 more in the library