Effects of psilocybin on time perception and temporal control of behaviour in humans
In a double‑blind, dose‑dependent study, psilocybin impaired temporal reproduction and sensorimotor synchronisation for intervals longer than roughly 2–3 seconds and slowed preferred tapping rate, alongside working‑memory deficits and increased reports of depersonalisation/derealisation. These findings implicate 5‑HT2A/1A‑mediated disruption of duration processing for longer intervals and voluntary control of movement speed, and represent the first systematic demonstration of psilocybin’s selective effects on temporal processing.
Authors
- Franz Vollenweider
- Olivia Carter
- Felix Hasler
Published
Abstract
Hallucinogenic psilocybin is known to alter the subjective experience of time. However, there is no study that systematically investigated objective measures of time perception under psilocybin. Therefore, we studied dose-dependent effects of the serotonin (5-HT)2A/1A receptor agonist psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine) on temporal processing, employing tasks of temporal reproduction, sensorimotor synchronization and tapping tempo. To control for cognitive and subjective changes, we assessed spatial working memory and conscious experience. Twelve healthy human volunteers were tested under placebo, medium (115μg/kg), and high (250μg/kg) dose conditions, in a double-blind experimental design. Psilocybin was found to significantly impair subjects’ ability to (1) reproduce interval durations longer than 2.5 sec, (2) to synchronize to inter-beat intervals longer than 2 sec and (3) caused subjects to be slower in their preferred tapping rate. These objective effects on timing performance were accompanied by working-memory deficits and subjective changes in conscious state, namely increased reports of ‘depersonalization’ and ‘derealization’ phenomena including disturbances in subjective ‘time sense.’ Our study is the first to systematically assess the impact of psilocybin on timing performance on standardized measures of temporal processing. Results indicate that the serotonin system is selectively involved in duration processing of intervals longer than 2 to 3 seconds and in the voluntary control of the speed of movement. We speculate that psilocybin’s selective disruption of longer intervals is likely to be a product of interactions with cognitive dimensions of temporal processing -presumably via 5-HT2A receptor stimulation.
Research Summary of 'Effects of psilocybin on time perception and temporal control of behaviour in humans'
Introduction
Temporal processing is essential for perception and motor control, and evidence indicates that different neural mechanisms subserve distinct time ranges and tasks. Previous work has implicated dopaminergic fronto-striatal circuits in timing, and patients with lesions or disorders affecting these systems show impaired accuracy and increased variability in time estimation and motor timing. Hallucinogens such as psilocybin reliably alter the subjective experience of time, yet prior studies had not systematically examined objective, standardised measures of temporal processing under psilocybin in humans. Wittmann and colleagues designed a double-blind, placebo-controlled within-subject experiment to test dose-dependent effects of psilocybin (a mixed 5-HT2A/1A agonist) on multiple aspects of temporal processing. The study employed temporal reproduction, sensorimotor synchronization and tapping tasks—chosen to probe timing below and above an approximate 2–3 second boundary—as well as assessments of spatial working memory and subjective conscious state, with the hypothesis that psilocybin would selectively impair longer-interval timing because of its known effects on attention and working memory.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compounds
- Topic
- Authors
- APA Citation
Wittmann, M., Carter, O., Hasler, F., Cahn, B. R., Grimberg, U., Spring, P., Hell, D., Flohr, H., & Vollenweider, F. X. (2007). Effects of psilocybin on time perception and temporal control of behaviour in humans. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 21(1), 50-64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881106065859
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Vollenweider, F. X., Vollenweider-Scherpenhuyzen, M. F. I., Bäbler, A. et al. · NeuroReport (1998)
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