Opposite network patterns of integration-segregation in psychedelic and sedated states of consciousness.
Rui Dai, Hyunwoo Jang, Anthony G. Hudetz, Zirui Huang, George A. Mashour
Cell Reports August 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117830 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Humans undergoing pharmacological and physiological perturbations including psychedelics, sleep, and propofol sedation |
| Interventions | Psychedelics Propofol sedation Sleep |
| Key findings | Psychedelic and sedative states exhibit a robust "mirror-image" pattern of integration and segregation: psychedelics increase large-scale integration and reduce segregation, whereas sleep and propofol sedation show the opposite. This pattern generalizes across spatial levels and reliably differentiates conscious states via data-driven methods. |
Abstract
Understanding the relationship of conscious states to large-scale brain dynamics remains a central challenge in neuroscience. Here, diverse pharmacological and physiological perturbations-including psychedelics, sleep, and propofol sedation-are used to examine integration-segregation organization of brain networks across altered states of consciousness in humans using functional MRI. Across analyses, psychedelic and sedative states exhibit a robust "mirror-image" pattern of integration and segregation. Psychedelics are characterized by increased large-scale integration and reduced segregation of brain network interactions, whereas sleep and propofol sedation show the opposite configuration. These divergent integration-segregation patterns are indexed by complementary measures of functional connectivity, network topology, and interaction complexity, capturing non-redundant dimensions of large-scale brain organization. Importantly, this mirror-image organization generalizes across multiple spatial levels and reliably differentiates conscious states through unbiased, data-driven methods. Together, these findings demonstrate that psychedelic and sedated states are characterized by systematic and opposite shifts in large-scale integration and segregation, with implications for mechanisms of consciousness.