Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) alters how the brain processes music-induced mental imagery by changing connectivity in the parahippocampal region. This suggests that psychedelics can enhance or modify the subjective experience of music through specific neural mechanisms, potentially linking sensory perception and imagination.
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) alters how the brain processes music, particularly by enhancing activity and connectivity in networks linked to music perception and emotion. Sixteen healthy volunteers listened to a 7-minute music piece during fMRI after taking either 75 mcg of LSD or a placebo. The acoustic feature of timbral complexity—the richness of the music's spectral distribution—drove the most pronounced changes in brain activity and connectivity under LSD. These changes correlated with increased feelings of wonder evoked by the music. The results suggest a neurobiological basis for why music is useful in psychedelic therapy.