Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects.
Lukasz Smigielski, Milan Scheidegger, Michael Kometer, Franz X. Vollenweider
Neuroimage August 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.04.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 38 |
| Population | Participants following a single administration of psilocybin during a 5-day mindfulness retreat |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Dose | 315 μg/kg p.o. |
| Duration | 5-day mindfulness retreat, 4-month follow-up |
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Consciousness Psychedelic FMRI |
| Citations | 261 |
| Key points | Psilocybin combined with meditation facilitated decoupling of medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices, which was associated with ego dissolution and predicted positive changes in psycho-social functioning four months later. |
Abstract
Both psychedelics and meditation exert profound modulatory effects on consciousness, perception and cognition, but their combined, possibly synergistic effects on neurobiology are unknown. Accordingly, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 38 participants following a single administration of the psychedelic psilocybin (315 μg/kg p.o.) during a 5-day mindfulness retreat. Brain dynamics were quantified directly pre- and post-intervention by functional magnetic resonance imaging during the resting state and two meditation forms. The analysis of functional connectivity identified psilocybin-related and mental state-dependent alterations in self-referential processing regions of the default mode network (DMN). Notably, decoupling of medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices, which is thought to mediate sense of self, was associated with the subjective ego dissolution effect during the psilocybin-assisted mindfulness session. The extent of ego dissolution and brain connectivity predicted positive changes in psycho-social functioning of participants 4 months later. Psilocybin, combined with meditation, facilitated neurodynamic modulations in self-referential networks, subserving the process of meditation by acting along the anterior-posterior DMN connection. The study highlights the link between altered self-experience and subsequent behavioral changes. Understanding how interventions facilitate transformative experiences may open novel therapeutic perspectives. Insights into the biology of discrete mental states foster our understanding of non-ordinary forms of human self-consciousness and their concomitant brain substrate.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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Psilocybin combined with meditation facilitated decoupling of medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices, associated with ego dissolution and predicting positive psychosocial changes four months later.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on psilocybin and meditation, most cited first.