Psilocybin-induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter-individual differences.
Nathalie M Rieser, Ladina P Gubser, Flora Moujaes, Patricia Duerler, Candace R Lewis, Lars Michels, Franz X Vollenweider, Katrin H Preller
Scientific reports October 14, 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44153-z via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsilocybin 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.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 70 |
| Population | Healthy participants |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Dose | 0.16 mg/kg, 0.2 mg/kg, 0.215 mg/kg |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Neuroscience Personalized medicine Brain imaging Mental health |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key finding | Individual baseline psychological and neurobiological characteristics are associated with psilocybin-induced reductions in relative cerebral blood flow and the subjective psychedelic experience. |
Abstract
Research into the use of psilocybin for the treatment of psychiatric disorders is a growing field. Nevertheless, robust brain-behavior relationships linking psilocybin-induced brain changes to subjective drug-induced effects have not been established. Furthermore, it is unclear if the acute neural effects are dependent on individual heterogeneity in baseline characteristics. To address this, we assessed the effects of three oral doses of psilocybin vs. placebo on cerebral blood flow (CBF) using arterial spin labeling in healthy participants (N = 70; n = 31, 0.16 mg/kg; n = 10, 0.2 mg/kg; n = 29, 0.215 mg/kg). First, we quantified psilocybin-induced changes in relative and absolute CBF. Second, in an exploratory analysis, we assessed whether individual baseline characteristics and subjective psychedelic experience are associated with changes in CBF. Psychological and neurobiological baseline characteristics correlated with the psilocybin-induced reduction in relative CBF and the psilocybin-induced subjective experience. Furthermore, the psilocybin-induced subjective experience was associated with acute changes in relative and absolute CBF. The results demonstrated that inter-individual heterogeneity in the neural response to psilocybin is associated with baseline characteristics and shed light on the mechanisms underlying the psychedelic-induced altered state. Overall, these findings help guide the search for biomarkers, paving the way for a personalized medicine approach within the framework of psychedelic-assisted therapy.