NeuroImage
February 15, 2016
Christopher G. Davey, Jesús Pujol, Ben J. Harrison
576 citations
The brain's default mode network (DMN) is linked to self-referential thought during rest, but it also serves other functions, and self-reference involves regions outside the DMN. In 88 participants, self-referential and resting-state brain activity were compared to identify DMN areas common to both conditions that also show specialization for self-reference. The 'core-self' DMN regions—medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and inferior parietal lobule—were analyzed with dynamic causal modeling. The optimal model indicated that self-related processes are driven by posterior cingulate activity and moderated by the medial prefrontal cortex. This confirms these regions' importance for self-reference and clarifies their specialized roles.
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
March 21, 2021
Daniel Perkins, Jerome Sarris, Susan L. Rossell et al.
53 citations
Psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD, and MDMA are gaining renewed medical interest due to the need for new psychiatric treatments and promising study results. This viewpoint reflects on the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists' Clinical Memorandum on Psychedelics and notes regulatory developments, including applications for down-scheduling and access approvals. The authors argue that rigorous research is needed to assess benefits, safety, and therapeutic mechanisms. They summarize recent findings on mechanisms of action and the psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy model, suggesting medicinal psychedelics could become a new class of psychiatric treatments when used under medical supervision with psychotherapeutic support. However, sufficiently powered trials and safety protocols are required before clinical use, and untrained practitioner access could be harmful.
Early Intervention in Psychiatry
July 2, 2023
Marija Krcmar, Cassandra Wannan, Suzie Lavoie et al.
6 citations
Basic self-disturbance is a potential core vulnerability marker for schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The Self, Neuroscience and Psychosis (SNAP) study tests a neurophenomenological model of psychosis by examining clinical, neurocognitive, and neurophysiological variables in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. It includes 400 UHR individuals, 100 clinical controls without attenuated psychotic symptoms, and 50 healthy controls. Participants complete baseline assessments and electroencephalography; UHR participants are followed for 24 months with clinical assessments every 6 months. The protocol aims to develop a prediction model for persistence or worsening of UHR symptoms at 12 months and to determine how specific these disturbances are to attenuated psychotic symptoms.