Psilocybin impairs high-level but not low-level motion perception
Olivia Carter, John D. Pettigrew, David C. Burr, David Alais, Felix Hasler, Franz X. Vollenweider
Neuroreport August 1, 2004 DOI: 10.1097/00001756-200408260-00023 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 9 |
| Population | Human volunteers |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Illusion Motion perception Dissociative Visual perception Cognitive psychology Audiology Communication |
| Citations | 83 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin selectively impairs coherence sensitivity for random dot patterns but not contrast sensitivity for drifting gratings. |
Abstract
The hallucinogenic serotonin(1A&2A) agonist psilocybin is known for its ability to induce illusions of motion in otherwise stationary objects or textured surfaces. This study investigated the effect of psilocybin on local and global motion processing in nine human volunteers. Using a forced choice direction of motion discrimination task we show that psilocybin selectively impairs coherence sensitivity for random dot patterns, likely mediated by high-level global motion detectors, but not contrast sensitivity for drifting gratings, believed to be mediated by low-level detectors. These results are in line with those observed within schizophrenic populations and are discussed in respect to the proposition that psilocybin may provide a model to investigate clinical psychosis and the pharmacological underpinnings of visual perception in normal populations.