Carhart-Harris, R. L., Muthukumaraswamy, S., Rosemana, L., Kaelena, M., Droogb. W., Murphy, K. … Nutta. D. J. (2016). Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging. PNAS, 113 (17), 4853–4858.
Summary
The research into the effect of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on the human brain through neuroimaging is a new scientific venture. LSD research has taken a new turn considering that its use had been banned in the late 1960s following its abuse as a recreational drug. However, the new research has opened possibilities on how LSD can be used to influence brain blood flow, network communication, and electoral activities in the human brain. The LSD is able to influence these vital brain activities as it contains conscious-altering and hallucinatory properties. In essence, the use of LSD in altering the way the brain works opens up endless possibilities into the neurobiology of consciousness as well as in psychological research. Lysergic acid Diethylamide tends to have a high affinity for several neurotransmitter receptors owing to serotonin 2A receptor mediation. However, its ability to influence the neurophysiological system makes its research worthwhile. In essence, researchers are able to establish the role of LSD in hallucinations as the previous researchers used psychedelics. In as much as both LSD and psychedelics influence cerebral brain flow, LSD provides more accurate information as it increases blood flow in the visual cortex. Following the increase in blood flow in the cerebral brain, researchers are now able to establish the role of visual processing in defining the brains hallucinatory activities. The research team used twenty healthy participants to determine the acute effects of LSD on brains’ hallucinatory effects. The team used a controlled experiment with the control group receiving a comprehensive placebo-controlled neuroimaging design which incorporated arterial spin labeling (ASL) and blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) measures. The participants were scanned for two days with both the placebo and LSD in a balanced order by using the within-subjects design. In the course of the two weeks, the participants underwent magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans for 75 minutes each. Following this research, it was established that the participants who used the ASL and BOLD scans reported relatively stable effects as compared to those who used the MEG scans. Moreover, it was established that most of the impacts of LSD were found to affect the cerebral blood flow (CBF). The article offers deeper insights into the existing research loopholes aimed at enhancing research on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. According to the authors, EEG/MEG and fMRI has advantages that are more progressive especially when it comes to brains’ hallucinatory activities. This kind of research referral will be helpful to reduce the existing discrepancies that wrongly represent the effects of psychedelics on metabolically related metrics. The authors conclude by offering critical insights which will shape our understanding on the core aspects psychiatric disorders which make the brain rigid and automated. However according to the authors, psychedelics such as LSD play a crucial role as “they work to break down such disorders by dismantling the patterns of activity on which they rest”. This reason then, future research would be needed to test various hypothesis presented here to come up with concrete evidence on the impact of psychedelics on brain hallucinatory patterns.
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Questions/Extrapolations
The research on the impacts of LSD on the visual system requires more work considering that the results of the research did not relate with the basic effects on consciousness. Nonetheless, the research study established a relationship between ego-dissolution and DNM disintegration. Following such a relationship, it is important for future research to explore more on this domain to come up with conclusive findings. In essence, the new findings will help to establish that LSD plays a significant role in psychedelic-induced hallucinations especially when combined with psilocybin. As it is, LSD decreases the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) alpha power which translates to ego-dissolution. However, additional research will be vital to inform on the self and ego neurobiology.
The author asserts that magnetoencephalography (MEG) and more dynamic fMRI measures need to be adopted as they are more consistent indices when determining the practical impacts of psychedelics. Do the same measures help researchers to establish the relationship between the cerebral blood flow and ego dissolution?
References
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Muthukumaraswamy, S., Rosemana, L., Kaelena, M., Droogb. W., Murphy, K. … Nutta. D. J. (2016). Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging. PNAS, 113 (17), 4853–4858.
