Psilocybin-induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter-individual differences
Abstract Research into the use of psilocybin for the treatment of psychiatric disorders is a growing field. Nevertheless, robust brain–behavior relationships linking psilocybin-induced brain changes to subjective drug-induced effects have not been established. Furthermore, it is unclear if the acute...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44153-z |
| _version_ | 1797559909934432256 |
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| author | Nathalie M. Rieser Ladina P. Gubser Flora Moujaes Patricia Duerler Candace R. Lewis Lars Michels Franz X. Vollenweider Katrin H. Preller |
| author_facet | Nathalie M. Rieser Ladina P. Gubser Flora Moujaes Patricia Duerler Candace R. Lewis Lars Michels Franz X. Vollenweider Katrin H. Preller |
| author_sort | Nathalie M. Rieser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Research into the use of psilocybin for the treatment of psychiatric disorders is a growing field. Nevertheless, robust brain–behavior relationships linking psilocybin-induced brain changes to subjective drug-induced effects have not been established. Furthermore, it is unclear if the acute neural effects are dependent on individual heterogeneity in baseline characteristics. To address this, we assessed the effects of three oral doses of psilocybin vs. placebo on cerebral blood flow (CBF) using arterial spin labeling in healthy participants (N = 70; n = 31, 0.16 mg/kg; n = 10, 0.2 mg/kg; n = 29, 0.215 mg/kg). First, we quantified psilocybin-induced changes in relative and absolute CBF. Second, in an exploratory analysis, we assessed whether individual baseline characteristics and subjective psychedelic experience are associated with changes in CBF. Psychological and neurobiological baseline characteristics correlated with the psilocybin-induced reduction in relative CBF and the psilocybin-induced subjective experience. Furthermore, the psilocybin-induced subjective experience was associated with acute changes in relative and absolute CBF. The results demonstrated that inter-individual heterogeneity in the neural response to psilocybin is associated with baseline characteristics and shed light on the mechanisms underlying the psychedelic-induced altered state. Overall, these findings help guide the search for biomarkers, paving the way for a personalized medicine approach within the framework of psychedelic-assisted therapy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:52:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-79d8a969d5564e0a86fe737e409e2138 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:52:55Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-79d8a969d5564e0a86fe737e409e21382023-11-20T09:18:41ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-10-0113111210.1038/s41598-023-44153-zPsilocybin-induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter-individual differencesNathalie M. Rieser0Ladina P. Gubser1Flora Moujaes2Patricia Duerler3Candace R. Lewis4Lars Michels5Franz X. Vollenweider6Katrin H. Preller7Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital ZurichDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital ZurichDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital ZurichDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital ZurichSchool of Life Sciences, Arizona State UniversityDepartment of Neuroradiology, University Hospital ZurichDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital ZurichDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital ZurichAbstract Research into the use of psilocybin for the treatment of psychiatric disorders is a growing field. Nevertheless, robust brain–behavior relationships linking psilocybin-induced brain changes to subjective drug-induced effects have not been established. Furthermore, it is unclear if the acute neural effects are dependent on individual heterogeneity in baseline characteristics. To address this, we assessed the effects of three oral doses of psilocybin vs. placebo on cerebral blood flow (CBF) using arterial spin labeling in healthy participants (N = 70; n = 31, 0.16 mg/kg; n = 10, 0.2 mg/kg; n = 29, 0.215 mg/kg). First, we quantified psilocybin-induced changes in relative and absolute CBF. Second, in an exploratory analysis, we assessed whether individual baseline characteristics and subjective psychedelic experience are associated with changes in CBF. Psychological and neurobiological baseline characteristics correlated with the psilocybin-induced reduction in relative CBF and the psilocybin-induced subjective experience. Furthermore, the psilocybin-induced subjective experience was associated with acute changes in relative and absolute CBF. The results demonstrated that inter-individual heterogeneity in the neural response to psilocybin is associated with baseline characteristics and shed light on the mechanisms underlying the psychedelic-induced altered state. Overall, these findings help guide the search for biomarkers, paving the way for a personalized medicine approach within the framework of psychedelic-assisted therapy.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44153-z |
| spellingShingle | Nathalie M. Rieser Ladina P. Gubser Flora Moujaes Patricia Duerler Candace R. Lewis Lars Michels Franz X. Vollenweider Katrin H. Preller Psilocybin-induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter-individual differences Scientific Reports |
| title | Psilocybin-induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter-individual differences |
| title_full | Psilocybin-induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter-individual differences |
| title_fullStr | Psilocybin-induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter-individual differences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psilocybin-induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter-individual differences |
| title_short | Psilocybin-induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter-individual differences |
| title_sort | psilocybin induced changes in cerebral blood flow are associated with acute and baseline inter individual differences |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44153-z |
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