Serotonergic psychedelics and personality: A systematic review of contemporary research
José Carlos Bouso, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Miguel Ángel Alcázar‐córcoles, Jaime E. C. Hallak
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews February 13, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.02.004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Serotonin |
| Keywords | Personality Hallucinogen Openness to experience Posterior cingulate Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 135 |
| Key findings | Serotonergic psychedelics administered in controlled settings may induce personality changes, such as increased Openness and Self-Transcendence, mediated by 5-HT2A receptors. |
Abstract
Serotonergic psychedelics act as agonists at cortical 5-HT2A receptors and seem to induce personality changes. We conducted a systematic review of studies assessing the effects of these drugs on personality. Papers published from 1985-2016 were included from PubMed, LILACS, and SciELO databases. Three hundred and sixty-nine studies were identified, and 18 were included. Specific personality traits, such as Absorption and Self-Transcendence, seem to influence the effects of psychedelics, and psychedelic drug users and nonusers appear to differ in some personality traits. Psychedelics administered in controlled settings may induce personality changes, such as increased Openness and Self-Transcendence. Increases in global brain entropy induced by acute psychedelic administration predicted changes in Openness, and Self-Transcendence was negatively correlated with cortical thinning of the posterior cingulate cortex in long-term religious ayahuasca users. Acute and long-term use of psychedelics is associated with personality changes that appear to be modulated by 5-HT2A receptors. These changes seem to induce therapeutic effects that should be further explored in randomized controlled studies.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on serotonin, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 104
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- Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of serotonergic psychedelics for the management of mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders: a systematic review of systematic reviews Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology August 13, 2018
- Psychedelics in Psychiatry: Neuroplastic, Immunomodulatory, and Neurotransmitter Mechanisms Pharmacological Reviews December 16, 2020
- Pharmacological, neural, and psychological mechanisms underlying psychedelics: a critical review Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2022
- Current perspectives on psychedelic therapy: use of serotonergic hallucinogens in clinical interventions International Review of Psychiatry July 4, 2018
and 99 more in the library
Cites 34
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and 29 more in the library