Differential contributions of serotonergic and dopaminergic functional connectivity to the phenomenology of LSD
Psychopharmacology March 24, 2022 Timothy Lawn, Ottavia Dipasquale, Alexandros Vamvakas et al. 48 citations
LSD alters functional connectivity in the brain in ways that depend on its interactions with multiple serotonin and dopamine receptors, not only the 5-HT2A receptor. By analyzing brain scans from 15 participants, researchers found that LSD-induced changes in connectivity linked to different receptors corresponded to different subjective effects: serotonin-related receptors were predominantly associated with perceptual changes, while dopamine-related receptors were more tied to alterations in selfhood and cognition. These patterns were distinct, with similar relationships appearing within each receptor family but not between them. The findings suggest that LSD's full effects involve a broader set of receptors than previously emphasized.