Lysergic acid diethylamide-derived excitatory/inhibitory ratio change enhances global synchrony in functional brain dynamics
PLoS Computational Biology December 15, 2025 Lingyu Zhang, Weiyang Shi, Ziyang Zhao et al.
LSD increases global brain synchrony and dynamic complexity by stabilizing a globally synchronized, functionally non-modular brain state that acts as an attractor, recruiting transitions from cognitive control networks. This enhanced synchrony arises from a convergence of excitatory/inhibitory balance across cortical hierarchies, driven by suppression in sensorimotor cortices and potentiation in transmodal regions. Sensorimotor cortices emerge as potential regulatory hubs for this rebalancing. The resulting brain state shows weakened sensory anchoring and enhanced cognitive flexibility, blurring the line between concrete perception and abstract cognition. This neurophysiological remodeling may underlie LSD's hallucinatory effects and its therapeutic potential for mental disorders with rigid thought patterns.