Subacute effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca on the salience and default mode networks
medRxiv September 29, 2019 Lorenzo Pasquini, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Draulio B. Araujo 24 citations preprint
One day after a single session with the psychedelic ayahuasca, connectivity within and between brain networks that support interoception, emotion, and self-related thought is altered compared to placebo. In a randomized trial with 22 participants receiving ayahuasca and 21 receiving placebo, the ayahuasca group showed increased connectivity within the salience network, decreased connectivity within the default mode network, and increased connectivity between these two networks. Primary sensory networks were not affected. These connectivity changes correlated with acute subjective effects such as altered body awareness, volition, and affect. The findings suggest that ayahuasca induces subacute functional reorganization of higher-order cognitive brain networks.