Processing of self-related thoughts in experienced users of classic psychedelics and non-users: a source localisation EEG study
Anastasia Ruban, Mikołaj Magnuski, Justyna Hobot, Paweł Orłowski, Aleksandra Kołodziej, Michał Bola, Aneta Brzezicka
February 3, 2024 preprint DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/bhmtn via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople who have used psychedelics in naturalistic settings show weaker increases in alpha and beta brain-wave power during self-related thoughts compared to non-users, particularly in regions linked to self-processing and memory. This pattern appeared in one dataset of 70 participants but was not replicated in a second dataset of 38 participants, possibly due to the smaller sample and spatial resolution limits. The non-replicability restricts interpretation, but the work adds to understanding how psychedelic use relates to self-related thoughts and well-being, important for assessing mental health impacts.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 108 |
| Population | Naturalistic psychedelics users and non-users |
| Keywords | Electroencephalography Computer science Cognitive psychology Neuroscience |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | Psychedelics users exhibited weaker increases in alpha and beta power during self-related thoughts compared to non-users, but this effect was not replicated in a second dataset. |
Abstract
Psychedelics have gained increasing interest in scientific research due to their ability to induce profound alterations in perception, emotional processing and self-consciousness. However, the research regarding the short- and long-term impact of using psychedelics in non-controlled, naturalistic contexts remains limited. Here we aim to fill this gap and explore differences between naturalistic psychedelics users and non-users during processing of self-related thoughts, using behavioural testing combined with electroencephalography (EEG) with source localisation. To ensure robustness of our results, we included two datasets collected at two different laboratories. The results from Dataset I (N = 70) suggest that during self-related thoughts psychedelics users exhibit weaker increases in alpha and beta power in comparison to non-users, primarily in brain regions linked to processing of self-related information and memory. However, analysis of Dataset II (N = 38) did not replicate between-group effects, possibly due to the smaller sample size and spatial resolution limitations. While non-replicability restricts interpretation of our findings, this study contributes to understanding the relationship between the use of psychedelics, self-related thoughts, and well-being, which is crucial for assessing mental health impact of psychedelic substances.