Neuroimaging & Brain MeasuresSchizophrenia

Exploring mechanisms of psychedelic action using neuroimaging

This review (2024) discusses the pivotal role of neuroimaging in modern psychedelic research, providing insights into the acute and longer-term therapeutic effects of these substances. Evidence from fMRI, PET, and MEG/EEG studies informs computational models, offering a comprehensive understanding of the effects of psychedelics on human consciousness as well as supporting the advancement of psychedelic therapies.

Authors

  • Robin Carhart-Harris
  • David Nutt
  • Christopher Timmermann

Published

Nature Mental Health
meta Study

Abstract

Modern psychedelic research and clinical development is at a crucial inflection point, with great potential for the treatment of many mental illnesses demonstrated but significant questions that remain unresolved. Neuroimaging has been pivotal in the modern era of psychedelic research, providing crucial insights into the acute effects of these drugs that revealed translational, clinical potential. Here we review this evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography and magnetoencephalography/electroencephalography studies and describe how these findings inform computational models of both the acute action of psychedelics and their longer-term therapeutic effects. This approach, based on multi-modal neuroimaging, provides a solid evidence base for these therapies as they move forwards, as well as a fuller understanding of the powerful effects of psychedelics on the phenomenology of human consciousness.

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Research Summary of 'Exploring mechanisms of psychedelic action using neuroimaging'

Introduction

Modern psychedelic research is at an inflection point: clinical studies show substantial therapeutic potential across several non-psychotic mental-health conditions, yet many mechanistic questions remain unresolved. Earlier work established 5-HT2A receptor agonism as the principal pharmacology of classic serotonergic psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, DMT), and more recently compounds such as ketamine and MDMA have advanced clinically, but a detailed, mechanistic account linking acute drug action to longer-term therapeutic effects is still being developed. Erritzoe and colleagues set out to synthesise neuroimaging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetoencephalography/electroencephalography (MEG/EEG) studies, and to show how these multi-modal data inform computational models of both acute psychedelic effects and enduring clinical outcomes. The review emphasises translational relevance: using imaging-derived molecular, functional and dynamical measures to build mechanistic bridges between receptor action, large-scale brain dynamics and therapeutic change.

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