Effects of LSD on music-evoked brain activity
Mendel Kaelen, Romy Lorenz, Frederick S. Barrett, Leor Roseman, Csaba Orbán, Andre Santos-Ribeiro, Matthew B. Wall, Amanda Feilding, David Nutt, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Robin Carhart-Harris, Robert Leech
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) June 25, 2017 preprint DOI: 10.1101/153031 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 16 |
| Population | Healthy participants |
| Intervention | Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) |
| Dose | 75 mcg |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Active listening Sound perception Music psychology Cognitive psychology Stimulus psychology Audiology Electroencephalography Communication Musicology |
| Citations | 20 |
| Key findings | LSD enhances music-evoked brain activity and connectivity, especially related to timbral complexity, and this is associated with increased feelings of wonder. |
Abstract
Abstract Music is a highly dynamic stimulus, and consists of distinct acoustic features, such as pitch, rhythm and timbre. Neuroimaging studies highlight a hierarchy of brain networks involved in music perception. Psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) temporary disintegrate the normal hierarchy of brain functioning, and produce profound subjective effects, including enhanced music-evoked emotion. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects of LSD on music-evoked brain-activity under naturalistic music listening conditions. 16 healthy participants were enrolled in magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while listening to a 7-minute music piece under eyes-closed conditions on two separate visits (LSD (75 mcg) and placebo). Dynamic time courses for acoustic features were extracted from the music excerpts, and were entered into subject-level fMRI analyses as regressors of interest. Differences between conditions were assessed at group level subsequently, and were related to changes in music-evoked emotions via correlation analyses. Psycho-physiological interactions (PPIs) were carried out to further interrogate underlying music-specific changes in functional connectivity under LSD. Results showed pronounced cortical and subcortical changes in music-evoked brain activity under LSD. Most notable changes in brain activity and connectivity were associated with the component timbral complexity, representing the complexity of the music’s spectral distribution, and these occurred in brain networks previously identified for music-perception and music-evoked emotion, and showed an association with enhanced music-evoked feelings of wonder under LSD. The findings shed light on how the brain processes music under LSD, and provide a neurobiological basis for the usefulness of music in psychedelic therapy.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases Patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases | 2014 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 12 |
| Dose-Response Study of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in Humans Experienced hallucinogen users | 1994 | Double-blind, saline placebo-controlled, randomized study | n = 12 |
| Acute Effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Subjects Healthy subjects (8 women, 8 men) | 2014 | Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study | n = 16 |
| Changes in global and thalamic brain connectivity in LSD-induced altered states of consciousness are attributable to the 5-HT2A receptor Healthy human participants | 2018 | Double-blind, randomized, counterbalanced, cross-over study | n = 24 |
| LSD-induced entropic brain activity predicts subsequent personality change. Healthy adults | 2016 | Balanced-order, placebo-controlled study | n = 19 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Predicting Responses to Psychedelics: A Prospective Study Frontiers in Pharmacology November 2, 2018
- The hidden therapist: evidence for a central role of music in psychedelic therapy Psychopharmacology February 1, 2018
- Whole-Brain Multimodal Neuroimaging Model Using Serotonin Receptor Maps Explains Non-linear Functional Effects of LSD. Current Biology September 27, 2018
- Learning to Let Go: A Cognitive-Behavioral Model of How Psychedelic Therapy Promotes Acceptance Frontiers in Psychiatry February 21, 2020
- Psychedelics and music: neuroscience and therapeutic implications International Review of Psychiatry July 4, 2018
and 11 more in the library
Cites 30
- 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
- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry May 17, 2016
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
and 25 more in the library