Subacute effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca on the salience and default mode networks

One day after a single session with the psychedelic ayahuasca, connectivity within and between brain networks that support interoception, emotion, and self-related thought is altered compared to placebo. In a randomized trial with 22 participants receiving ayahuasca and 21 receiving placebo, the ayahuasca group showed increased connectivity within the salience network, decreased connectivity within the default mode network, and increased connectivity between these two networks. Primary sensory networks were not affected. These connectivity changes correlated with acute subjective effects such as altered body awareness, volition, and affect. The findings suggest that ayahuasca induces subacute functional reorganization of higher-order cognitive brain networks.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Background Neuroimaging studies have just begun to explore the acute effects of psychedelics on large-scale brain networks’ functional organization. Even less is known on the neural correlates of subacute effects taking place days after the psychedelic experience. This study explores the subacute changes of primary sensory brain networks and networks supporting higher-order affective and self-referential functions 24h after a single session with the psychedelic ayahuasca. Methods We leveraged task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging data one day before and one day after a randomized placebo-controlled trial exploring the effects of ayahuasca in naïve healthy participants (21 placebo/22 ayahuasca). We derived intra- and inter-network functional connectivity of the salience, default mode, visual, and sensorimotor networks, and assessed post-session connectivity changes between the ayahuasca and placebo groups. Connectivity changes were associated with Hallucinogen Rating Scale scores assessed during the acute effects. Results Our findings revealed increased anterior cingulate cortex connectivity within the salience network, decreased posterior cingulate cortex connectivity within the default mode network, and increased connectivity between the salience and default mode networks one day after the session in the ayahuasca group compared to placebo. Connectivity of primary sensory networks did not differ between-groups. Salience network connectivity increases correlated with altered somesthesia scores, decreased default mode network connectivity correlated with altered volition scores, and increased salience-default mode network connectivity correlated with altered affect scores. Conclusion These findings provide preliminary evidence for subacute functional changes induced by the psychedelic ayahuasca on higher-order cognitive brain networks that support interoceptive, affective, and self-referential functions.