Changes in music-evoked emotion and ventral striatal functional connectivity after psilocybin therapy for depression
Melissa Shukuroglou, Leor Roseman, David Nutt, Mendel Kaelen, Matthew B. Wall, Robin Carhart-Harris
Journal of Psychopharmacology November 26, 2022 DOI: 10.1177/02698811221125354 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subjects experimental study with pre- and post-treatment fMRI Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 19 |
| Population | Patients with treatment-resistant depression |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Dose | 10 mg, 25 mg |
| Duration | 1 week between doses; fMRI 1 week before first dose and 1 day after second dose |
| Topics | Default mode network Psilocybin Depression |
| Keywords | Pleasure Music therapy Anhedonia Audiology Visual analogue scale Hallucinogen |
| Citations | 38 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin therapy significantly increased music-evoked pleasure, which correlated with reduced anhedonia, and decreased nucleus accumbens functional connectivity with default mode network areas during music listening. |
Abstract
Background: Music listening is a staple and valued component of psychedelic therapy, and previous work has shown that psychedelics can acutely enhance music-evoked emotion.
Aims: The present study sought to examine subjective responses to music before and after psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression, while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data was acquired.
Methods: Nineteen patients with treatment-resistant depression received a low oral dose (10 mg) of psilocybin, and a high dose (25 mg) 1 week later. fMRI was performed 1 week prior to the first dosing session and 1 day after the second. Two scans were conducted on each day: one with music and one without. Visual analogue scale ratings of music-evoked ‘pleasure’ plus ratings of other evoked emotions (21-item Geneva Emotional Music Scale) were completed after each scan. Given its role in musical reward, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) was chosen as region of interest for functional connectivity (FC) analyses. Effects of drug (vs placebo) and music (vs no music) on subjective and FC outcomes were assessed. Anhedonia symptoms were assessed pre- and post-treatment (Snaith–Hamilton Pleasure Scale).
Results: Results revealed a significant increase in music-evoked emotion following treatment with psilocybin that correlated with post-treatment reductions in anhedonia. A post-treatment reduction in NAc FC with areas resembling the default mode network was observed during music listening (vs no music).
Conclusion: These results are consistent with current thinking on the role of psychedelics in enhancing music-evoked pleasure and provide some new insight into correlative brain mechanisms.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Healthy human volunteers | 1998 | Experimental study | |
| Validation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin Participants in controlled laboratory experiments receiving a moderate to high oral... | 2015 | Validation study using pooled data from five laboratory experiments | n = 184 |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for psychiatric and existential distress in patients with life-threatening cancer Participants with cancer-related psychiatric distress who completed a parent randomized... | 2020 | Long-term within-subjects follow-up analysis | n = 15 |
| Enzymatic Synthesis of Psilocybin | 2017 | Laboratory study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 29
- Psychedelic therapy in the treatment of addiction: the past, present and future Frontiers in Psychiatry June 12, 2023
- Increased low-frequency brain responses to music after psilocybin therapy for depression. Journal of Affective Disorders July 15, 2023
- Unique Psychological Mechanisms Underlying Psilocybin Therapy Versus Escitalopram Treatment in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction March 7, 2024
- Protocols and practices in psilocybin assisted psychotherapy for depression: A systematic review. Journal of Psychiatric Research August 1, 2024
- Psychedelia: The interplay of music and psychedelics Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences November 20, 2023
and 24 more in the library
Cites 24
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry May 17, 2016
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder JAMA Psychiatry November 4, 2020
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
and 19 more in the library