Brain Networks, Neurotransmitters and Psychedelics: Towards a Neurochemistry of Self-Awareness.
Current neurology and neuroscience reports – August 01, 2024
Source: PubMed
Summary
Psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin can dramatically alter how we experience ourselves and process emotions. Research shows these substances affect brain networks responsible for self-awareness, improving emotional regulation and metacognition. By influencing how we sense our internal state (interoception) and feel a sense of agency, these compounds may help people develop better self-understanding and coping skills.
Abstract
Self-awareness can be defined as the capacity of becoming the object of one's own awareness and, increasingly, it has been the target of scientific inquiry. Self-awareness has important clinical implications, and a better understanding of the neurochemical basis of self-awareness may help clarifying causes and developing interventions for different psychopathological conditions. The current article explores the relationship between neurochemistry and self-awareness, with special attention to the effects of psychedelics. The functioning of self-related networks, such as the default-mode network and the salience network, and how these are influenced by different neurotransmitters is discussed. The impact of psychedelics on self-awareness is reviewed in relation to specific processes, such as interoception, body ownership, agency, metacognition, emotional regulation and autobiographical memory, within a framework based on predictive coding. Improved outcomes in emotional regulation and autobiographical memory have been observed in association with the use of psychedelics, suggesting higher-order self-awareness changes, which can be modulated by relaxation of priors and improved coping mechanisms linked to cognitive flexibility. Alterations in bodily self-awareness are less consistent, being potentially impacted by doses employed, differences in acute/long-term effects and the presence of clinical conditions. Future studies investigating the effects of different molecules in rebalancing connectivity between resting-state networks may lead to novel therapeutic approaches and the refinement of existing treatments.