Psilocybin alters visual contextual computations.
Marco Aqil, Gilles De Hollander, Nina Vreugdenhil, Tomas Knapen, Serge O Dumoulin
Nature communications November 21, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65150-y via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsilocybin changes how the brain processes visual context, altering perception of the Ebbinghaus illusion and modifying cortical responses to visual stimuli. A computational model links these changes, suggesting that psychedelics generally act by disrupting contextual computations in the brain.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study with psychophysics, ultra-high field functional MRI, and computational modeling Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Psilocybin research Psychedelics Hallucinogens Psychedelic action Drug effects |
| Key finding | Psilocybin alters contextual perception and contextual modulation in cortical responses to visual stimuli, with a computational model capturing these changes and proposing altered contextual computations as a general mechanism of psychedelic action. |
Abstract
Psilocybin alters perception and brain dynamics. Here, we investigate the effects of psilocybin using psychophysics, ultra-high field functional MRI, and computational modeling. We find that psilocybin alters contextual perception in the Ebbinghaus illusion, as well as contextual modulation in cortical responses to visual stimuli. We propose a computational model capable of capturing and linking these changes. Leveraging vision as a beachhead, our findings highlight the alteration of contextual computations as a potential general mechanism underlying psychedelic action.