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Robin J. Tyacke

Neuropsychopharmacology Unit,

3 papers in the library · 1,426 citations · publishing 2010-2014

Papers

Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012 Alessandro Colasanti, Robin J. Tyacke, Robert Leech et al. 1,191 citations

Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms, produce profound changes in consciousness by decreasing activity and connectivity in key brain hub regions. Using functional MRI, researchers observed that psilocybin reduced cerebral blood flow and BOLD signal, especially in the thalamus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Decreased activity in the ACC and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) predicted the intensity of subjective psychedelic effects. Psilocybin also reduced positive coupling between the mPFC and PCC. These findings suggest that psychedelics work by dampening the brain's connector hubs, leading to a state of unconstrained cognition.

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1119598109 Full text Psilocybin Default mode network Neuroscience Consciousness +7

The Effects of Acutely Administered 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Spontaneous Brain Function in Healthy Volunteers Measured with Arterial Spin Labeling and Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent Resting State Functional Connectivity

Biological Psychiatry January 10, 2014 Robin Carhart‐Harris, Kevin Murphy, Robert Leech et al. 182 citations

The medial temporal lobes (MTLs) are specifically involved in how MDMA works in the brain, though more research is needed to understand how the drug's characteristic subjective effects emerge from its modulation of spontaneous brain activity.

DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.12.015 MDMA Euphoriant Cerebral blood flow Psychology +8

The administration of psilocybin to healthy, hallucinogen-experienced volunteers in a mock-functional magnetic resonance imaging environment: a preliminary investigation of tolerability

Journal of Psychopharmacology April 15, 2010 Ben Sessa, Amanda Feilding, Robin Carhart‐Harris et al. 53 citations

Up to 2 mg of psilocybin administered as a slow intravenous injection to healthy, hallucinogen-experienced volunteers in a mock-MRI environment produces short-lived but typical drug effects that are psychologically and physiologically well tolerated. The pilot work supports the viability of using functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate psilocybin's effects on cerebral blood flow and activity.

DOI: 10.1177/0269881110367445 Psilocybin Hallucinogen Tolerability Magnetic resonance imaging +5