The Effects of Serotonergic Psychedelics on Neural Activity: A Meta-Analysis of Task-Based Functional Neuroimaging Studies
Introduction Curiosity toward the effects of psychedelic drugs on neural activation has increased due to their potential therapeutic benefits, particularly serotonergic psychedelics that act as 5-HT2A receptor agonists such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA. However, the pattern of their effects on neur...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2023-03-01
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| Series: | European Psychiatry |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S092493382301948X/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1827754457434161152 |
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| author | J. H. Shepherd C. Baten A. Klassen G. Zamora S. Saravia E. Pritchard Z. Ali S. K. Kahlon K. Whitelock F. A. Reyes D. W. Hedges J. P. Hamilton M. D. Sacchet C. H. Miller |
| author_facet | J. H. Shepherd C. Baten A. Klassen G. Zamora S. Saravia E. Pritchard Z. Ali S. K. Kahlon K. Whitelock F. A. Reyes D. W. Hedges J. P. Hamilton M. D. Sacchet C. H. Miller |
| author_sort | J. H. Shepherd |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Introduction
Curiosity toward the effects of psychedelic drugs on neural activation has increased due to their potential therapeutic benefits, particularly serotonergic psychedelics that act as 5-HT2A receptor agonists such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA. However, the pattern of their effects on neural activity in various brain regions in both clinical and healthy populations is still not well understood, and primary studies addressing this issue have sometimes generated inconsistent results.
Objectives
The present meta-analysis aims to advance our understanding of the most widely used serotonergic psychedelics – LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA – by examining their effects on the functional activation throughout the whole brain among both clinical and healthy participants.
Methods
We conducted this meta-analysis by applying multilevel kernel density analysis (MKDA) with ensemble thresholding to quantitatively combine existing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that examined whole-brain functional activation of clinical or healthy participants who were administered a serotonergic psychedelic.
Results
Serotonergic psychedelics, including LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA, exhibited significant effects (α=0.05) on neural activation in several regions throughout the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia, including effects that may be common across and unique within each drug.
Conclusions
These observed effects of serotonergic psychedelics on neural activity advance our understanding of the functional neuroanatomy associated with their administration and may inform future studies of both their adverse and therapeutic effects, including emerging clinical applications for the treatment of several psychiatric disorders.
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:50:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8304390aa78d4a5b93bbdc454fb56f35 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0924-9338 1778-3585 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:50:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-8304390aa78d4a5b93bbdc454fb56f352023-11-17T05:06:53ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Psychiatry0924-93381778-35852023-03-0166S921S92110.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.1948The Effects of Serotonergic Psychedelics on Neural Activity: A Meta-Analysis of Task-Based Functional Neuroimaging StudiesJ. H. Shepherd0C. Baten1A. Klassen2G. Zamora3S. Saravia4E. Pritchard5Z. Ali6S. K. Kahlon7K. Whitelock8F. A. Reyes9D. W. Hedges10J. P. Hamilton11M. D. Sacchet12C. H. Miller13Department of Psychology, California State University, FresnoDepartment of Psychology, California State University, FresnoDepartment of Psychology, California State University, FresnoDepartment of Psychology, California State University, FresnoDepartment of Psychology, California State University, FresnoDepartment of Psychology, California State University, FresnoDepartment of Psychology, California State University, FresnoDepartment of Psychology, California State University, FresnoDepartment of Psychology, University of California, San DiegoDepartment of Psychology, California State University, FresnoDepartment of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, United StatesDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, SwedenMeditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, California State University, Fresno Introduction Curiosity toward the effects of psychedelic drugs on neural activation has increased due to their potential therapeutic benefits, particularly serotonergic psychedelics that act as 5-HT2A receptor agonists such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA. However, the pattern of their effects on neural activity in various brain regions in both clinical and healthy populations is still not well understood, and primary studies addressing this issue have sometimes generated inconsistent results. Objectives The present meta-analysis aims to advance our understanding of the most widely used serotonergic psychedelics – LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA – by examining their effects on the functional activation throughout the whole brain among both clinical and healthy participants. Methods We conducted this meta-analysis by applying multilevel kernel density analysis (MKDA) with ensemble thresholding to quantitatively combine existing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that examined whole-brain functional activation of clinical or healthy participants who were administered a serotonergic psychedelic. Results Serotonergic psychedelics, including LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA, exhibited significant effects (α=0.05) on neural activation in several regions throughout the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia, including effects that may be common across and unique within each drug. Conclusions These observed effects of serotonergic psychedelics on neural activity advance our understanding of the functional neuroanatomy associated with their administration and may inform future studies of both their adverse and therapeutic effects, including emerging clinical applications for the treatment of several psychiatric disorders. Disclosure of Interest None Declaredhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S092493382301948X/type/journal_article |
| spellingShingle | J. H. Shepherd C. Baten A. Klassen G. Zamora S. Saravia E. Pritchard Z. Ali S. K. Kahlon K. Whitelock F. A. Reyes D. W. Hedges J. P. Hamilton M. D. Sacchet C. H. Miller The Effects of Serotonergic Psychedelics on Neural Activity: A Meta-Analysis of Task-Based Functional Neuroimaging Studies European Psychiatry |
| title | The Effects of Serotonergic Psychedelics on Neural Activity: A Meta-Analysis of Task-Based Functional Neuroimaging Studies |
| title_full | The Effects of Serotonergic Psychedelics on Neural Activity: A Meta-Analysis of Task-Based Functional Neuroimaging Studies |
| title_fullStr | The Effects of Serotonergic Psychedelics on Neural Activity: A Meta-Analysis of Task-Based Functional Neuroimaging Studies |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effects of Serotonergic Psychedelics on Neural Activity: A Meta-Analysis of Task-Based Functional Neuroimaging Studies |
| title_short | The Effects of Serotonergic Psychedelics on Neural Activity: A Meta-Analysis of Task-Based Functional Neuroimaging Studies |
| title_sort | effects of serotonergic psychedelics on neural activity a meta analysis of task based functional neuroimaging studies |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S092493382301948X/type/journal_article |
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