Predicting and exploring ayahuasca effects: Perception, mind-wandering, and EEG oscillations

Ayahuasca produces profound changes in perception, cognition, and emotion, including mystical experiences and altered mind-wandering, while decreasing global alpha brain oscillations and increasing frontomedial delta and right posterior theta and beta. Lower theta during the experience is linked to stronger mystical experiences, and higher alpha is associated with less thought about nothing. Baseline brain activity before taking ayahuasca can predict some subjective effects: lower baseline theta predicts stronger bodily awareness and interoception, and lower baseline beta predicts greater positive emotionality.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background: Psychedelics induce profound changes in perception and thinking; however, little is known about the neural mechanisms and prediction of these effects. Aims: Investigating ayahuasca-induced experiences, mind-wandering, and electroencephalogram (EEG) oscillations, beyond the prediction of subjective experiences by baseline EEG. Methods: In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm design, 50 healthy volunteers received 1 mL/kg of ayahuasca or placebo. We measured subjective psychedelic experiences (Hallucinogen Rating Scale (HRS), Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ)) and mind-wandering (Amsterdam Resting-State Questionnaire (ARSQ)). EEG signals were assessed before administration (+0h), and 2 hours (+2h) and 4 hours (+4h) post-administration. Relationships between subjective and EEG effects were examined. Results: Ayahuasca, compared to placebo, induced subjective experiences, including changed perception, cognition, emotion (HRS), mystical experiences (MEQ), and visual, discontinuous, and content-laden thinking (ARSQ). Ayahuasca, compared to placebo, changed EEG oscillations, including decreased global alpha as well as increased frontomedial delta and right posterior theta and beta. Under ayahuasca, lower theta correlated with higher mystical experiences (MEQ) and higher alpha correlated with lower Thoughts about Nothing (ARSQ). Baseline global EEG oscillations predicted ayahuasca-induced experiences, with lower theta linked to higher interoception (HRS Heart Beat, HRS Rush, ARSQ Somatic Awareness) and lower beta linked to higher positive emotionality (HRS Happy). Conclusion: Ayahuasca induced consciousness alterations, visual, bodily, emotional, and mystical experiences, chaotic and meaningful mind-wandering, and decreased especially alpha. While acute theta seems inversely related to mystical experiences, baseline theta and beta seem to inversely predict interoception and emotionality.