Effective connectivity of emotion and cognition under psilocybin
Devon Stoliker, Leonardo Novelli, Franz X. Vollenweider, Gary F. Egan, Katrin H. Preller, Adeel Razi
medRxiv September 9, 2022 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2022.09.06.22279626 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Placebo-controlled Double-blind |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Dose | 0.215mg/kg |
| Topics | Default mode network Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Amygdala Hallucinogen Cognition Salience neuroscience Cognitive psychology |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin decreased top-down effective connectivity from resting state networks to the amygdala and altered connectivity within and between these networks, associated with changes in emotion and meaning. |
Abstract
Abstract Classic psychedelics alter sense of self and patterns of self-related thought. These changes are hypothesised to underlie their therapeutic efficacy across internalising pathologies such as addiction and depression. Using resting-state functional MRI images from a randomised, double blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 24 healthy adults under 0.215mg/kg psilocybin, we investigated how psilocybin modulates the effective connectivity between resting state networks and the amygdala that are involved in the appraisal and regulation of emotion and association with clinical symptoms. The networks included the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN) and central executive network (CEN). Psilocybin decreased top-down effective connectivity from the resting state networks to the amygdala and decreased effective connectivity within the DMN and SN, while the within CEN effective connectivity increased. Effective connectivity changes were also associated with altered emotion and meaning under psilocybin. Our findings identify changes to cognitive-emotional connectivity associated with the subjective effects of psilocybin and the attenuation of the amygdala signal as a potential biomarker of psilocybin’s therapeutic efficacy.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety | 2016 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 51 |
| Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Patients with cancer-related anxiety and depression | 2016 | Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial | n = 29 |
| Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Hallucinogen-naïve adults reporting regular participation in religious or spiritual... | 2006 | Double-blind study | n = 36 |
| Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression Selected group of patients with depression | 2021 | Randomized controlled trial | |
| Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder Adults aged 21 to 75 years with major depressive disorder, not currently using... | 2020 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 24 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- On the varieties of conscious experiences: Altered Beliefs Under Psychedelics (ALBUS). Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
- Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Potential Synergies Mindfulness September 1, 2023
- “Diversity makes the richness of humanity”: the emergence of mental imagery after self-reported psilocybin mushrooms intake in an autistic woman with “blind imagination” (aphantasia): a 1-year retrospective case report August 16, 2023
- “Diversity makes the richness of humanity”: The emergence and persistence of mental imagery after self-reported psilocybin truffles intake in an autistic woman with “blind imagination” (aphantasia): A 33-month retrospective case report Journal of Psychedelic Studies June 17, 2025
Cites 45
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry 2003
- 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
- Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder JAMA Psychiatry November 4, 2020
and 40 more in the library