Comparing Neural Correlates of Consciousness: From Psychedelics to Hypnosis and Meditation
Flora Moujaes, Nathalie M. Rieser, Christophe Phillips, Nuno M.p. de Matos, Mike Brügger, P. Dürler, Lukasz Smigielski, Philipp Stämpfli, Erich Seifritz, Franz X. Vollenweider, Alan Anticevic, Katrin H. Preller
Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging July 17, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.07.003 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractFour methods of inducing altered states of consciousness—psilocybin, LSD, hypnosis, and meditation—produce distinct patterns of brain connectivity, not a single shared neural signature. Pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions showed connectivity patterns that could predict which method a person had used. Hypnosis and meditation differed from each other and from the drugs. Psilocybin and LSD did not differ in brain connectivity but showed different relationships between brain activity and behavior. The findings clarify how each method works in the brain and suggest they may offer different therapeutic avenues for psychiatric disorders.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 107 |
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Interventions | Psilocybin LSD Hypnosis Meditation |
| Dose | psilocybin 0.2 mg/kg orally, LSD 100 μg orally |
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hypnosis Psychological intervention Consciousness |
| Citations | 19 |
| Key finding | No single brain network was altered across all four methods of inducing altered states, and pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions showed distinct, individually predictive connectivity patterns. |
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods of inducing altered states of consciousness (ASCs) are becoming increasingly relevant in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. While comparisons between them are often drawn, to date no study has directly compared their neural correlates. METHODS: To address this knowledge gap, we directly compared 2 pharmacological methods (psilocybin 0.2 mg/kg orally [n = 23] and lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD] 100 μg orally [n = 25]) and 2 nonpharmacological methods (hypnosis [n = 30] and meditation [n = 29]) using resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging and assessed the predictive value of the data using a machine learning approach. RESULTS: We found that 1) no network reached significance in all 4 ASC methods; 2) pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions of inducing ASCs showed distinct connectivity patterns that were predictive at the individual level; 3) hypnosis and meditation showed differences in functional connectivity when compared directly and also drove distinct differences when jointly compared with the pharmacological ASC interventions; and 4) psilocybin and LSD showed no differences in functional connectivity when directly compared with each other, but they did show distinct behavioral-neural relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these results extend our understanding of the mechanisms of action of ASCs and highlight the importance of exploring how these effects can be leveraged in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.