Increased low-frequency brain responses to music after psilocybin therapy for depression.
Matthew B. Wall, Cynthia Lam, Natalie Ertl, Mendel Kaelen, Leor Roseman, David Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris
Journal of Affective Disorders July 15, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.081 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Open-label trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 19 |
| Population | Patients with treatment-resistant depression |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Duration | MRI data acquired one week prior and the day after completion of psilocybin dosing sessions |
| Topics | Depression Psilocybin Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | FMRI Psychedelic-therapy psychedelic treatment Hallucinogenic therapy Neuroscience brain research Neurology Brain imaging Music-perception music processing Musical response |
| Citations | 36 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin therapy increased brain activity in the superior temporal cortex during music listening, and this increase correlated with the intensity of subjective drug effects during dosing. |
Abstract
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy with psilocybin is an emerging therapy with great promise for depression, and modern psychedelic therapy (PT) methods incorporate music as a key element. Music is an effective emotional/hedonic stimulus that could also be useful in assessing changes in emotional responsiveness following PT. Brain responses to music were assessed before and after PT using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and ALFF (Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations) analysis methods. Nineteen patients with treatment-resistant depression underwent two treatment sessions involving administration of psilocybin, with MRI data acquired one week prior and the day after completion of psilocybin dosing sessions. Comparison of music-listening and resting-state scans revealed significantly greater ALFF in bilateral superior temporal cortex for the post-treatment music scan, and in the right ventral occipital lobe for the post-treatment resting-state scan. ROI analyses of these clusters revealed a significant effect of treatment in the superior temporal lobe for the music scan only. Voxelwise comparison of treatment effects showed relative increases for the music scan in the bilateral superior temporal lobes and supramarginal gyrus, and relative decreases in the medial frontal lobes for the resting-state scan. ALFF in these music-related clusters was significantly correlated with intensity of subjective effects felt during the dosing sessions. Open-label trial. Relatively small sample size. These data suggest an effect of PT on the brain's response to music, implying an elevated responsiveness to music after psilocybin therapy that was related to subjective drug effects felt during dosing.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up. Patients with severe, unipolar, treatment-resistant major depression | 2017 | Open-label trial | n = 20 |
| Psilocybin therapy increases cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder. Patients with major depressive disorder | 2021 | Open-label study | n = 24 |
| HOPE: A Pilot Study of Psilocybin Enhanced Group Psychotherapy in Patients With Cancer. Cancer patients with a DSM-5 depressive disorder (major depressive disorder or... | 2023 | Open-label feasibility and safety pilot study | n = 12 |
| Group psychedelic therapy: empirical estimates of cost-savings and improved access Adults with PTSD or major depressive disorder eligible for psychedelic-assisted therapy... | 2023 | Comparative cost analysis using trial data and published estimates | |
| Group format psychedelic-assisted therapy interventions: Observations and impressions from the HOPE trial Patients with a DSM-5 depressive disorder associated with a cancer diagnosis | 2023 | Open-label feasibility and safety pilot study |