Neuropharmacology
February 1, 2023
Marco Aqil, Leor Roseman
59 citations
Psychedelics are experiencing a resurgence in scientific and clinical interest, but no universal agreement exists on the mechanisms behind their effects on subjective experience, brain dynamics, or therapeutic benefits. The effects of psychedelics on low-level sensory—particularly visual—dimensions and corresponding brain dynamics have often been dismissed as epiphenomenal byproducts. Reviewing evidence from neuroimaging, pharmacology, questionnaires, and clinical studies, the authors propose that psychedelic-induced alterations in low-level sensory dimensions are not entirely reducible to high-level alterations but co-occur in a dialogical interplay. These sensory changes likely play a causally relevant role in determining high-level alterations and therapeutic outcomes, suggesting that reevaluating sensory dimensions in psychedelic states is valuable for neuroscience and clinical practice.
bioRxiv
February 8, 2025
Mona Irrmischer, Marco Aqil, Lisa Luan et al.
4 citations
preprint
The psychedelic DMT shifts brain oscillations away from criticality—a state thought to support healthy brain function—in alpha and adjacent frequency bands, moving toward subcritical regimes. Entropy increases while complexity decreases during this shift. The magnitude of the criticality shift in alpha and theta bands correlates with the intensity of ego-dissolution, a core feature of the psychedelic experience. These results suggest that altered proximity to critical brain dynamics may underlie the neurological and subjective effects of psychedelics, with implications for understanding altered states of consciousness.
PsyArXiv
October 20, 2024
Hugh McGovern, Marco Aqil, Selen Atasoy et al.
4 citations
preprint
Archetypes, as described by Carl Jung, can be understood through modern neuroscience. The article proposes that archetypes arise from a three-part interaction: subcortical systems provide an affective core, altered states like those induced by psychedelics generate archetypal imagery, and higher cortical areas encode archetypal stories. The Free Energy Principle and Predictive Processing are used as foundational frameworks. Archetypes may be transmitted socially, forming a collective unconscious through learning and attunement. The work offers testable hypotheses about the neurological bases of archetypes, aiming to bridge Jungian psychology with neuroscience and encourage empirical investigation.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
February 8, 2025
Marco Aqil, Gilles de Hollander, Nina Vreugdenhil et al.
1 citation
preprint
Psilocybin changes how the brain processes visual context, altering perception of the Ebbinghaus illusion and reducing contextual modulation in cortical responses. A computational model links these perceptual and neural changes, suggesting that psychedelics may act by disrupting contextual computations throughout the brain.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
November 24, 2025
Mona Irrmischer, Marco Aqil, Lisa Luan et al.
A psychedelic substance (DMT) shifts brain oscillations away from criticality—a state of balanced, complex activity—toward a quieter subcritical regime, particularly in alpha and adjacent frequency bands. This shift increases entropy while reducing complexity. The magnitude of the criticality shift in alpha and theta bands correlates with the intensity of self-dissolution, a core feature of the psychedelic experience. These findings suggest that altered proximity to critical dynamics underlies both the neurological and experiential effects of psychedelics, with implications for understanding altered states of consciousness.
Nature communications
November 21, 2025
Marco Aqil, Gilles De Hollander, Nina Vreugdenhil et al.
Psilocybin changes how the brain processes visual context, altering perception of the Ebbinghaus illusion and modifying cortical responses to visual stimuli. A computational model links these changes, suggesting that psychedelics generally act by disrupting contextual computations in the brain.
Neurosci Conscious
October 18, 2025
Hugh McGovern, Marco Aqil, Selen Atasoy et al.
Archetypes—universal symbols and patterns in the deep unconscious—can be understood through a neuroscientific lens that integrates Carl Jung's theory with the Free Energy Principle and Predictive Processing. The article proposes a three-part interplay among high-level cortex, low-level cortex, and subcortical/affective systems to explain how archetypes arise, especially during altered states like psychedelic experiences. It suggests that archetypes have an affective core in subcortical regions, emerge as imagery in altered states, and are encoded as stories in higher cortical areas. The collective unconscious may develop through social learning and attunement, transmitting archetypes between individuals. This synthesis offers testable hypotheses about the neural basis of archetypes, aiming to validate Jungian concepts and encourage further empirical research.
October 16, 2024
Marco Aqil
A visual-spatial population receptive field model based on divisive normalization, a candidate canonical neural computation, unifies and outperforms existing models through local variations in its algorithmic parameters. Model parameter estimates relate to density maps of serotonin and GABA receptors. Administering psilocybin, a serotonin receptor agonist, systematically alters normalization, particularly the parameter relevant for suppression in center-surround configurations. These findings provide direct causal evidence that neurotransmitter receptors are involved in visual computations in the living human brain, bringing together vision science, chemoarchitecture, and neuropharmacology.