DMT-induced shifts in criticality correlate with ego-dissolution
Mona Irrmischer, Marco Aqil, Lisa Luan, Tongyu Wang, Hessel Engelbregt, Robin Carhart-Harris, Klaus Linkenkaer-Hansen, Christopher Timmermann
bioRxiv February 8, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.02.08.636868 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study |
|---|---|
| Intervention | DMT |
| Topics | DMT Ego dissolution |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Hallucinogens Entheogens Psychotropic drugs Brain activity Brain function Brain networks Neural activity Brain science Neurobiology Consciousness Self-perception Altered states Subjective experience Self-awareness Mind Brain dynamics Brain balance Optimal brain state Brain chaos Neural processing |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | DMT shifts brain oscillations away from criticality toward subcritical regimes, and the shift in alpha and theta bands correlates with ego-dissolution intensity. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Psychedelics profoundly alter subjective experience and brain dynamics. Brain oscillations express signatures of near-critical dynamics, relevant for healthy function. Alterations in the proximity to criticality have been suggested to underlie the experiential and neurological effects of psychedelics. Here, we investigate the effects of a psychedelic substance (DMT) on the criticality of brain oscillations, and in relation to subjective experience. We find that DMT shifts the dynamics of brain oscillations away from criticality in alpha and adjacent frequency bands. In this context, entropy is increased while complexity is reduced. We find that the criticality shifts observed in alpha and theta bands correlate with the intensity ratings of ego-dissolution, a hallmark of psychedelic experience. Finally, using a recently developed metric, the functional excitatory-inhibitory ratio, we find that the DMT-induced criticality shift in brain oscillations is towards subcritical regimes. These findings have major implications for the understanding of psychedelic mechanisms of action in the human brain and for the neurological basis of altered states of consciousness.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on ego dissolution, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Increased Global Functional Connectivity Correlates with LSD-Induced Ego Dissolution. Human participants | 2016 | Observational cohort | |
| Sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca on affect and cognitive thinking style and their association with ego dissolution Non-pathological ayahuasca ceremony attendees in the Netherlands and Colombia | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 57 |
| From Egoism to Ecoism: Psychedelics Increase Nature Relatedness in a State-Mediated and Context-Dependent Manner. Individuals planning to use a psychedelic | 2019 | Prospective online study | n = 654 |
| Neural and subjective effects of inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine in natural settings. Healthy and experienced participants | 2021 | Observational field study | n = 35 |
| Mystical and Ego-Dissolution Experiences in Ayahuasca and Jurema Holistic Rituals: An Exploratory Study Participants in ayahuasca and jurema rituals in a natural environment | 2023 | Observational study | n = 26 |
Citations in the library
Cites 25
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- Increased spontaneous MEG signal diversity for psychoactive doses of ketamine, LSD and psilocybin Scientific Reports April 19, 2017
- Enhanced repertoire of brain dynamical states during the psychedelic experience Human Brain Mapping July 3, 2014
- Neural correlates of the DMT experience assessed with multivariate EEG. Scientific Reports November 19, 2019
and 20 more in the library