Default Mode Network Modulation by Psychedelics: A Systematic Review
James J Gattuso, Daniel Perkins, Simon Ruffell, Andrew J Lawrence, Daniël Hoyer, Laura H Jacobson, Christopher Timmermann, David Castle, Susan L. Rossell, Luke A. Downey, Broc A. Pagni, Nicole Galvão-Coelho, David Nutt, Jerome Sarris
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology October 21, 2022 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyac074 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants from included studies |
| Interventions | Lysergic acid diethylamide psilocybin ayahuasca |
| Topics | Ayahuasca Default mode network LSD Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Connectivity Psychedelics hallucinogens Entheogens Brain circuits Neural pathways Consciousness awareness Cogn |
| Citations | 233 |
| Key findings | Across classical psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca), there is consistent acute disruption of resting-state connectivity within the Default Mode Network and increased functional connectivity between resting-state networks. |
Abstract
Abstract Psychedelics are a unique class of drug that commonly produce vivid hallucinations as well as profound psychological and mystical experiences. A grouping of interconnected brain regions characterized by increased temporal coherence at rest have been termed the Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN has been the focus of numerous studies assessing its role in self-referencing, mind wandering, and autobiographical memories. Altered connectivity in the DMN has been associated with a range of neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. To date, several studies have investigated how psychedelics modulate this network, but no comprehensive review, to our knowledge, has critically evaluated how major classical psychedelic agents—lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin, and ayahuasca—modulate the DMN. Here we present a systematic review of the knowledge base. Across psychedelics there is consistent acute disruption in resting state connectivity within the DMN and increased functional connectivity between canonical resting-state networks. Various models have been proposed to explain the cognitive mechanisms of psychedelics, and in one model DMN modulation is a central axiom. Although the DMN is consistently implicated in psychedelic studies, it is unclear how central the DMN is to the therapeutic potential of classical psychedelic agents. This article aims to provide the field with a comprehensive overview that can propel future research in such a way as to elucidate the neurocognitive mechanisms of psychedelics.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes | 2015 | Meta-analysis | |
| Investigating the Functional Heterogeneity of the Default Mode Network Using Coordinate-Based Meta-Analytic Modeling | 2009 | Meta-analysis | |
| The Default Mode Network in Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy individuals | 2016 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| Dreaming as mind wandering: evidence from functional neuroimaging and first-person content reports. | 2013 | Systematic review with meta-analytic comparison | |
| The current state of research on ayahuasca: A systematic review of human studies assessing psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological functioning, and neuroimaging | 2016 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 193
- Psychedelic therapy in the treatment of addiction: the past, present and future Frontiers in Psychiatry June 12, 2023
- The Psychedelic Future of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Current Neuropharmacology January 5, 2024
- An Integrated theory of false insights and beliefs under psychedelics. Communications Psychology August 1, 2024
- Exploring DMT: Endogenous role and therapeutic potential. Neuropharmacology May 1, 2025
- With great power comes great vulnerability: an ethical analysis of psychedelics’ therapeutic mechanisms proposed by the REBUS hypothesis Journal of Medical Ethics April 12, 2023
and 188 more in the library
Cites 81
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
and 76 more in the library