Effect of LSD and music on the time-varying brain dynamics
Analysing fMRI from 15 participants under LSD and placebo with an intervening music run, the study finds that music interacting with LSD alters time-varying dynamics of a task‑positive brain state, while LSD alone changes dynamics of a state combining DMN, somatosensory and visual networks. Crucially, the authors report that music may have a lasting influence on resting‑state dynamics, particularly for networks involved in task‑positive processing.
Authors
- Adamska, I.
- Finc, K.
Published
Abstract
Rationale
Psychedelics are getting closer to being widely used in clinical treatment. Music is known as a key element of psychedelic-assisted therapy due to its psychological effects, specifically on the emotion, meaning-making, and sensory processing. However, there is still a lack of understanding in how psychedelics influence brain activity in experimental settings involving music listening.
Objectives
The main goal of our research was to investigate the effect of music, as a part of “setting,” on the brain states dynamics after lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) intake.
Methods
We used an open dataset, where a group of 15 participants underwent two functional MRI scanning sessions under LSD and placebo influence. Every scanning session contained three runs: two resting-state runs separated by one run with music listening. We applied K-Means clustering to identify the repetitive patterns of brain activity, so-called brain states. For further analysis, we calculated states’ dwell time, fractional occupancy and transition probability.
Results
The interaction effect of music and psychedelics led to change in the time-varying brain activity of the task-positive state. LSD, regardless of the music, affected the dynamics of the state of combined activity of DMN, SOM, and VIS networks. Crucially, we observed that the music itself could potentially have a long-term influence on the resting-state, in particular on states involving task-positive networks.
Conclusions
This study indicates that music, as a crucial element of “setting,” can potentially have an influence on the subject’s resting-state during psychedelic experience. Further studies should replicate these results on a larger sample size.
Research Summary of 'Effect of LSD and music on the time-varying brain dynamics'
Introduction
Psychedelic-assisted therapies are being trialled for several psychiatric conditions, and factors known as "set" (the individual's mindset) and "setting" (the environment and contextual elements) are recognised modulators of outcomes. Music is a common and influential component of setting in psychedelic sessions, as it can shape emotion, meaning-making and sensory processing, yet there is limited understanding of how music interacts with psychedelics to shape time-varying brain activity measured with neuroimaging. Previous studies have shown that psychedelics alter whole-brain network organisation and resting-state dynamics, including changes in default mode network (DMN) activity and network connectivity, but most work has focused on static or GLM-based contrasts rather than recurrent whole-brain activity patterns over time. Adamska and colleagues set out to examine how music, as an element of setting, modulates the dynamics of recurring whole-brain activity patterns—so-called brain states—during LSD administration. Using an open fMRI dataset in which 15 participants completed two sessions (LSD and placebo), each comprising two resting-state runs separated by a music-listening run, the study applied K-Means clustering to identify brain states and compared their fractional occupancy, dwell time and transition probabilities across runs and drug conditions. The investigators hypothesised that music on LSD would increase the occurrence of states linked to emotion, autobiographical memory and sensory processing, and that music would have a lasting impact on resting-state dynamics following listening.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topics
- APA Citation
Adamska, I., & Finc, K. (2023). Effect of LSD and music on the time-varying brain dynamics. Psychopharmacology, 240(7), 1601-1614. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-023-06394-8
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