Serotonin 2A Receptor Signaling Underlies LSD-induced Alteration of the Neural Response to Dynamic Changes in Music
Frederick S. Barrett, Katrin H. Preller, Marcus Herdener, Petr Janata, Franz X. Vollenweider
Cerebral Cortex September 12, 2017 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx257 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subjects experimental study with placebo and drug conditions Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 25 |
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Intervention | LSD |
| Topics | Serotonin LSD |
| Keywords | Ketanserin Perception 5-HT Receptor Cognitive psychology |
| Citations | 52 |
| Key findings | Serotonin 2A receptor signaling alters the neural tracking of dynamic tonal structure in music and supports the emotional and meaningful responses to music after LSD administration. |
Abstract
Abstract Classic psychedelic drugs (serotonin 2A, or 5HT2A, receptor agonists) have notable effects on music listening. In the current report, blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal was collected during music listening in 25 healthy adults after administration of placebo, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and LSD pretreated with the 5HT2A antagonist ketanserin, to investigate the role of 5HT2A receptor signaling in the neural response to the time-varying tonal structure of music. Tonality-tracking analysis of BOLD data revealed that 5HT2A receptor signaling alters the neural response to music in brain regions supporting basic and higher-level musical and auditory processing, and areas involved in memory, emotion, and self-referential processing. This suggests a critical role of 5HT2A receptor signaling in supporting the neural tracking of dynamic tonal structure in music, as well as in supporting the associated increases in emotionality, connectedness, and meaningfulness in response to music that are commonly observed after the administration of LSD and other psychedelics. Together, these findings inform the neuropsychopharmacology of music perception and cognition, meaningful music listening experiences, and altered perception of music during psychedelic experiences.