Functional imaging studies of acute administration of classic psychedelics, ketamine, and MDMA: Methodological limitations and convergent results.
Sophia Linguiti, Jacob W Vogel, Valerie J Sydnor, Adam Pines, Nick Wellman, Allan Basbaum, Claudia R Eickhoff, Simon B Eickhoff, Robert R Edwards, Bart Larsen, Andrew McKinstry-Wu, J Cobb Scott, David R Roalf, Vaishnavi Sharma, Eric C Strain, Gregory Corder, Robert H Dworkin, Theodore D Satterthwaite
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews November 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105421 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA systematic review of 91 fMRI studies on acute psychedelic effects found substantial methodological heterogeneity. Only 51 unique samples were used across the 91 papers, and 54% of studies did not meet current standards for correcting Type I errors or controlling motion artifacts. Psilocybin and LSD consistently modulated connectivity along the sensorimotor-association cortical axis. Ketamine consistently increased activation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. The review calls for future adoption of pre-registration, standardized processing and statistical testing, and data sharing to improve rigor.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 91 |
| Population | fMRI studies examining acute responses to experimentally administered psychedelics |
| Interventions | Psilocybin LSD Ketamine |
| Topics | Ketamine LSD MDMA Psilocybin |
| Keywords | FMRI |
| Citations | 15 |
| Key finding | Psilocybin and LSD consistently modulate connectivity along the sensorimotor-association cortical axis, and ketamine consistently increases activation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. |
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is increasingly used to non-invasively study the acute impact of psychedelics on the human brain. While fMRI is a promising tool for measuring brain function in response to psychedelics, it also has known methodological challenges. We conducted a systematic review of fMRI studies examining acute responses to experimentally administered psychedelics in order to identify convergent findings and characterize heterogeneity in the literature. We reviewed 91 full-text papers; these studies were notable for substantial heterogeneity in design, task, dosage, drug timing, and statistical approach. Data recycling was common, with 51 unique samples across 91 studies. Fifty-seven studies (54%) did not meet contemporary standards for Type I error correction or control of motion artifact. Psilocybin and LSD were consistently reported to moderate the connectivity architecture of the sensorimotor-association cortical axis. Studies also consistently reported that ketamine administration increased activation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Moving forward, use of best practices such as pre-registration, standardized image processing and statistical testing, and data sharing will be important in this rapidly developing field.