Psilocybin alters visual contextual computations.
Marco Aqil, Gilles De Hollander, Nina Vreugdenhil, Tomas Knapen, Serge O. Dumoulin
Nature Communications November 21, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65150-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study with psychophysics, ultra-high field functional MRI, and computational modeling Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Psilocybin research Psychedelics Hallucinogens Psychedelic action Drug effects Mechanism Investigation Brain perception Neuroperception Cognitive function Neural processing Sensory processing Brain dynamics Alters perception Modifies brain responses Visual context Contextual cues Visual processing Contextual perception Contextual visual cues Contextual computations Visual illusions |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin alters contextual perception and contextual modulation in cortical responses to visual stimuli, with a computational model capturing these changes and proposing altered contextual computations as a general mechanism of psychedelic action. |
Abstract
Psilocybin alters perception and brain dynamics. Here, we investigate the effects of psilocybin using psychophysics, ultra-high field functional MRI, and computational modeling. We find that psilocybin alters contextual perception in the Ebbinghaus illusion, as well as contextual modulation in cortical responses to visual stimuli. We propose a computational model capable of capturing and linking these changes. Leveraging vision as a beachhead, our findings highlight the alteration of contextual computations as a potential general mechanism underlying psychedelic action.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Patients with treatment-resistant depression | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 19 |
| Psychedelic effects of psilocybin correlate with serotonin 2A receptor occupancy and plasma psilocin levels Healthy volunteers | 2019 | Observational cohort | n = 8 |
| Increased spontaneous MEG signal diversity for psychoactive doses of ketamine, LSD and psilocybin Humans | 2017 | Observational study | |
| Classic psychedelic use is associated with reduced psychological distress and suicidality in the United States adult population. USA adult respondents from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008-2012) | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 190,000 |
| Prediction of Psilocybin Response in Healthy Volunteers Healthy volunteers | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 409 |
Citations in the library
Cites 19
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- Psychedelics and the essential importance of context. Journal of Psychopharmacology February 15, 2018
- Psychedelics reopen the social reward learning critical period Nature June 14, 2023
- Phenomenology, Structure, and Dynamic of Psychedelic States Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2016
- Classical psychedelics for the treatment of depression and anxiety: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders November 1, 2019
and 14 more in the library