Psilocybin disrupts sensory and higher order cognitive processing but not pre-attentive cognitive processing—study on P300 and mismatch negativity in healthy volunteers
Anna Bravermanová, Michaela Viktorinová, Filip Tylš, Tomáš Novák, Renáta Androvičová, Jakub Korčák, Jiřı́ Horáček, Marie Balı́ková, Inga Griškova-bulanova, Dominika Danielová, Přemysl Vlček, Pavel Mohr, Martin Brunovský, Vlastimil Koudelka, Tomáš Páleníček
Psychopharmacology January 5, 2018 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4807-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial, double-blind, cross-over Placebo-controlled Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Dose | 0.26 mg/kg |
| Topics | Psilocybin Serotonin |
| Keywords | Mismatch negativity N100 Psychosis Event-related potential Sensory gating Cognition Sensory processing Audiology Schizophrenia object-oriented programming Electroencephalography Electrophysiology Hallucinogen Sensory system Receptor |
| Citations | 50 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin decreased P300 and N100 amplitudes but did not affect MMN, with the P300 disruption correlating with psychedelic state intensity and psilocin serum levels. |
Abstract
RationaleDisruption of auditory event-related evoked potentials (ERPs) P300 and mismatch negativity (MMN), electrophysiological markers of attentive and pre-attentive cognitive processing, is repeatedly described in psychosis and schizophrenia. Similar findings were observed in a glutamatergic model of psychosis, but the role of serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors in information processing is less clear.ObjectivesWe studied ERPs in a serotonergic model of psychosis, induced by psilocybin, a psychedelic with 5-HT2A/C agonistic properties, in healthy volunteers.MethodsTwenty subjects (10M/10F) were given 0.26 mg/kg of psilocybin orally in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over design. ERPs (P300, MMN) were registered during the peak of intoxication. Correlations between measured electrophysiological variables and psilocin serum levels and neuropsychological effects were also analyzed.ResultsPsilocybin induced robust psychedelic effects and psychotic-like symptoms, decreased P300 amplitude (p = 0.009) but did not affect the MMN. Psilocybin's disruptive effect on P300 correlated with the intensity of the psychedelic state, which was dependent on the psilocin serum levels. We also observed a decrease in N100 amplitude (p = 0.039) in the P300 paradigm and a negative correlation between P300 and MMN amplitude (p = 0.014).ConclusionsEven though pre-attentive cognition (MMN) was not affected, processing at the early perceptual level (N100) and in higher-order cognition (P300) was significantly disrupted by psilocybin. Our results have implications for the role of 5-HT2A receptors in altered information processing in psychosis and schizophrenia.
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 38
- Consciousness and complexity: a consilience of evidence Neuroscience of Consciousness 2021
- Classic Psychedelic Drugs: Update on Biological Mechanisms Pharmacopsychiatry January 25, 2022
- Low doses of LSD reduce broadband oscillatory power and modulate event-related potentials in healthy adults Psychopharmacology October 6, 2021
- Psilocybin Induces Aberrant Prediction Error Processing of Tactile Mismatch Responses—A Simultaneous EEG–FMRI Study Cerebral Cortex June 10, 2021
- Psychedelics as a Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience August 21, 2020
and 33 more in the library
Cites 32
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 1, 2008
- Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Neuroreport December 1, 1998
- Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects. Psychopharmacology December 1, 2011
- Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences April 11, 2016
and 27 more in the library