Biological Psychiatry
January 13, 2020
Katrin H. Preller, Patricia Duerler, Joshua B. Burt et al.
199 citations
Psilocybin, a hallucinogen derived from mushrooms, significantly enhances serotonin receptor activity, leading to notable changes in brain connectivity. In a study with 30 participants, functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 60% increase in functional connectivity in areas linked to sensory processing and emotional regulation after psilocybin administration. This shift suggests profound implications for psychology and medicine, particularly in treating mental health disorders. The findings underscore the potential of psychedelics in pharmacology, highlighting their ability to influence behavior through neurotransmitter pathways and chemical synthesis of alkaloids.
Psychological Medicine
September 10, 2019
Thomas Pokorny, Patricia Duerler, Erich Seifritz et al.
102 citations
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) acutely impairs executive functions, cognitive flexibility, and spatial working memory in healthy adults, but does not affect decision-making quality or risk-taking. These deficits are prevented by pretreatment with the serotonin 2A receptor antagonist ketanserin, indicating that LSD's cognitive effects are mediated through the 5-HT2A receptor. The findings suggest that 5-HT2A antagonists may have therapeutic potential for cognitive impairments in psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.
Cerebral Cortex
June 10, 2021
Patricia Duerler, Silvia Brem, Gorka Fraga González et al.
64 citations
Psilocybin reduces brain responses to surprising tactile stimuli, altering the sense of body and self. In a combined EEG-fMRI study, psilocybin decreased activity in frontal regions, visual cortex, and cerebellum during unexpected touch, and reduced mismatch negativity signals at frontal electrodes. These changes were linked to altered body- and self-experience. The findings highlight the role of the 5-HT2A receptor system in processing unexpected bodily sensations and integrating them with self-awareness, which may inform treatments for psychiatric disorders involving distorted body perception.
Journal of Neurochemistry
March 11, 2022
Patricia Duerler, Franz X. Vollenweider, Katrin H. Preller
50 citations
Social adaptation—adjusting behavior based on others' expectations—relies on several distinct brain mechanisms, including integrating social information, forming self-representations, and making value-based decisions during interactions. The serotonin (5-HT) system plays a key role in modulating these processes and may facilitate social learning. This review synthesizes findings from social influence research and psychedelic studies to outline how 5-HT influences social adaptation, suggesting it could be a target for treating psychiatric disorders with social impairments. The framework also points to implications for psychedelic-assisted therapy and future treatment development.
Scientific reports
October 14, 2023
Nathalie M Rieser, Ladina P Gubser, Flora Moujaes et al.
14 citations
Psilocybin alters cerebral blood flow in the brain, and the magnitude of these changes depends on individual baseline psychological and neurobiological characteristics. In a placebo-controlled study of 70 healthy participants given one of three oral doses of psilocybin, reductions in relative cerebral blood flow correlated with both baseline traits and the intensity of the subjective psychedelic experience. The findings demonstrate that inter-individual heterogeneity in the neural response to psilocybin is linked to pre-existing differences, helping to identify biomarkers for a personalized medicine approach in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
January 28, 2019
Thomas Pokorny, Patricia Duerler, Erich Seifritz et al.
2 citations
preprint
A single dose of LSD (100 µg) impaired executive functions, cognitive flexibility, and spatial working memory in 25 healthy adults, but did not affect decision-making or risk-taking. These cognitive deficits were blocked by pretreatment with the 5-HT2A antagonist ketanserin (40 mg), indicating that the serotonin 2A receptor system is involved in specific cognitive processes. The findings suggest that blocking this receptor might help improve cognitive dysfunctions seen in psychiatric disorders.