LSD modulates music-induced imagery via changes in parahippocampal connectivity.
Mendel Kaelen, Leor Roseman, Joshua Kahan, Andre Santos-Ribeiro, Csaba Orbán, Romy Lorenz, Frederick S. Barrett, Mark Bolstridge, Tim M Williams, Luke T. J. Williams, Matthew B. Wall, Amanda Feilding, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, David Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris
European Neuropsychopharmacology April 12, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2016.03.018 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Placebo-controlled, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Interventions | LSD music listening |
| Dose | 75µg |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Hallucinogens Psychedelics Drug effects Brain activity Neural mechanisms Neurobiology Brain connectivity Brain regions Brain scans Neuroimaging Sensory perception Mental imagery Visual experience Music perception Sensory enhancement Cognitive effects Imagination Memory Mental processes Cognitive enhancement |
| Citations | 143 |
| Key points | LSD combined with music listening increased parahippocampal cortex to visual cortex connectivity and information flow, which correlated with enhanced eyes-closed visual imagery. |
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were used extensively in psychiatry in the past and their therapeutic potential is beginning to be re-examined today. Psychedelic psychotherapy typically involves a patient lying with their eyes-closed during peak drug effects, while listening to music and being supervised by trained psychotherapists. In this context, music is considered to be a key element in the therapeutic model; working in synergy with the drug to evoke therapeutically meaningful thoughts, emotions and imagery. The underlying mechanisms involved in this process have, however, never been formally investigated. Here we studied the interaction between LSD and music-listening on eyes-closed imagery by means of a placebo-controlled, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. Twelve healthy volunteers received intravenously administered LSD (75µg) and, on a separate occasion, placebo, before being scanned under eyes-closed resting conditions with and without music-listening. The parahippocampal cortex (PHC) has previously been linked with (1) music-evoked emotion, (2) the action of psychedelics, and (3) mental imagery. Imaging analyses therefore focused on changes in the connectivity profile of this particular structure. Results revealed increased PHC-visual cortex (VC) functional connectivity and PHC to VC information flow in the interaction between music and LSD. This latter result correlated positively with ratings of enhanced eyes-closed visual imagery, including imagery of an autobiographical nature. These findings suggest a plausible mechanism by which LSD works in combination with music listening to enhance certain subjective experiences that may be useful in a therapeutic context.
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 104
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- Predicting Responses to Psychedelics: A Prospective Study Frontiers in Pharmacology November 2, 2018
- The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Journal of Psychopharmacology November 18, 2016
- Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future. Neuropharmacology December 25, 2017
- Neural correlates of the DMT experience assessed with multivariate EEG. Scientific Reports November 19, 2019
and 99 more in the library
Cites 21
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage Cancer Archives of General Psychiatry September 7, 2010
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: A proof-of-concept study Journal of Psychopharmacology January 13, 2015
and 16 more in the library