Connectome-harmonic decomposition of human brain activity reveals dynamical repertoire re-organization under LSD.
Selen Atasoy, Leor Roseman, Mendel Kaelen, Morten L. Kringelbach, Gustavo Deco, Robin Carhart-Harris
Sci Rep December 15, 2017 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17546-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Human brain |
| Intervention | Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) |
| Topics | LSD Neuroplasticity |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Brain activity Neural activity Brain function Brain's dynamic repertoire Functional states Neurobiology Neural flexibility Brain flexibility Cognitive flexibility Brain re-organization Neural freedom Neural diversity Greater freedom Greater diversity |
| Citations | 225 |
| Key findings | LSD expands the repertoire of active brain states in a frequency-selective manner, reorganizing brain dynamics at the edge of criticality. |
Abstract
Recent studies have started to elucidate the effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on the human brain but the underlying dynamics are not yet fully understood. Here we used 'connectome-harmonic decomposition', a novel method to investigate the dynamical changes in brain states. We found that LSD alters the energy and the power of individual harmonic brain states in a frequency-selective manner. Remarkably, this leads to an expansion of the repertoire of active brain states, suggestive of a general re-organization of brain dynamics given the non-random increase in co-activation across frequencies. Interestingly, the frequency distribution of the active repertoire of brain states under LSD closely follows power-laws indicating a re-organization of the dynamics at the edge of criticality. Beyond the present findings, these methods open up for a better understanding of the complex brain dynamics in health and disease.