Recreational use of psychedelics is associated with elevated personality trait openness: Exploration of associations with brain serotonin markers.
David Erritzøe, James Smith, Patrick M. Fisher, Robin Carhart-Harris, Vibe G. Frøkjær, Gitte M. Knudsen
Journal of Psychopharmacology February 28, 2019 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119827891 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | 10 psychedelic-preferring recreational users, 14 MDMA-preferring users, and 21 non-using controls |
| Measures | Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R), [11C]DASB positron emission tomography, [18F]altanserin positron emission tomography |
| Topics | Serotonin |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Recreational psychedelic experiences Recreational use Personality openness Enhanced personality trait Serotonin markers Brain's serotonin system Brain chemistry Biological underpinning Brain imaging techniques |
| Citations | 95 |
| Key findings | Psychedelic-preferring recreational users showed higher openness to experience than MDMA-preferring users and controls, and openness was positively associated with lifetime number of psychedelic exposures. Among drug-preferring participants, frontal serotonin transporter binding, but not serotonin-2A-receptor binding, was positively associated with openness. The authors argue these findings support a link between psychedelic experiences, serotonergic neurotransmission, and openness to experience. |
Abstract
Background: Recent studies have suggested therapeutic benefits of psychedelics for a variety of mental health conditions. The understanding of how single psychedelic administrations can induce long-lasting effects are, in large, still lacking. However, recent studies in both healthy and clinical populations suggest a role for personality changes.
Aim: To test support for some of these plausible mechanisms we evaluated (cross-sectional) associations between recreational use of psychedelics and 3,4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and (a) personality measures and (b) key markers of cerebral serotonergic signalling (serotonin transporter and serotonin-2A-receptor binding).
Methods: In 10 psychedelic-preferring recreational users, 14 MDMA-preferring users and 21 non-using controls, personality was assessed using the 'big five' instrument Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R). Frontal serotonin transporter and serotonin-2A-receptor binding potentials were quantified using [11C]DASB and [18F]altanserin positron emission tomography, respectively.
Results: Of the five NEO-PI-R traits, only openness to experience scores differed between the three groups; psychedelic-preferring recreational users showing higher openness to experience scores when compared with both MDMA-preferring users and controls. Openness to experience scores were positively associated with lifetime number of psychedelic exposures, and among all MDMA-preferring user/psychedelic-preferring recreational user individuals, frontal serotonin transporter binding - but not frontal serotonin-2A-receptor binding - was positively associated with openness to experience.
Conclusion: Our findings from this cross-sectional study support increasing evidence of a positive association between psychedelic experiences and openness to experience, and (a) expands this to the context of 'recreational' psychedelics use, and (b) links serotonergic neurotransmission to openness to experience. A modulation of personality induced by psychedelic experiences may have important therapeutic implications via its impact on peoples' value systems, cognitive flexibility, and individual and social behaviour.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on serotonin, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 71
- Therapeutic effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics: A systematic review of modern‐era clinical studies Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica October 30, 2020
- Canalization and plasticity in psychopathology Neuropharmacology December 27, 2022
- Does Psychedelic Therapy Have a Transdiagnostic Action and Prophylactic Potential? Frontiers in Psychiatry July 19, 2021
- Neural and subjective effects of inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine in natural settings. Journal of Psychopharmacology February 10, 2021
- Psychedelic Therapy's Transdiagnostic Effects: A Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Perspective Frontiers in Psychiatry December 17, 2021
and 66 more in the library
Cites 33
- Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 1, 2008
- Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Neuroreport December 1, 1998
- Mystical experiences occasioned by the hallucinogen psilocybin lead to increases in the personality domain of openness Journal of Psychopharmacology September 28, 2011
- The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: Past, Present, and Future. Neuropsychopharmacology April 26, 2017
- Set and setting, psychedelics and the placebo response: An extra-pharmacological perspective on psychopharmacology Journal of Psychopharmacology November 16, 2016
and 28 more in the library